SYMC 2012

Last year was my first year attending the simply youth ministry conference (symc). I was horribly overwhelmed by all the options that were offered. I thought that I needed to go to as many workshops as I could in order to get the most out of the conference as possible. Turns out, I didn't need to do that. As I prepare for this year's conference I know that I can step it down a little. Some of the classes offered this year are the same as last year, so I know that I can ignore those. I'm focusing on the new options to see what is of interest to me.

I am really looking forward to attending again. I want to focus more on making connections with other youth workers and less on trying to get to as many classes as possible. While the classes are really great, I discovered that I came away with a lot of information but didn't really meet anyone that I could bounce ideas off of. I live in a pretty isolated area and I'd like to be able to expand my connections beyond where I live to get a better idea of what's going on in the world around me.

P.I.E event

As I ponder the P.I.E event in February, I mentioned previously that I wanted to compile a list of websites, blogs, books, etc. that I wanted to give out. In addition to this list, I think I will add a section on apps that have been helpful also. Not necessarily related to youth ministry but still helpful. Things like dropbox, evernote, and spring pad.

Dropbox I have really found this one useful. I have it on all my devices that I can get it on. I have a laptop that I use primarily, but not a printer connected so I have dropbox on my desktop also. In this way, I can work on my laptop where-ever save what I'm working on in dropbox and if I need to print it off later, I can go to my desk top and have my file available to print.

Evernote I haven't used evernote too much yet, but it's a great resource to use as an electronic memo pad. It's used to capture anything you want to remember. I plan on getting more familiar with this so that I can make better use of it.

Presbyterians in Education (P.I.E.)

I have been asked to lead a class about youth ministry on a shoestring (or no string) budget. The church I am the youth leader at as no budget. It's an unfortunate reality that many churches are in the same spot these days. I've heard many people blame it on the current economy, which to a point is true, but in the my current church, we haven't had a youth budget for more years than I can remember. We've always had to do fundraisers so we could do the activities we wanted to do. A few years ago we went on a mission/work trip to Puerto Rico and it took us four years to raise the funds for 18 people to go. We are currently talking about another trip and if it takes us that long to raise the money again, the youth we have in our group now will be close to graduating high school (some of them will have graduated).

So, my plan for this class I'm leading is to offer some low cost and no cost ideas on things to do with the youth groups. I'm also going to touch on some fun games that can be played and some ideas on realting to 21st century youth.

The games will focus on some classic games as well as some new games that have come around. The youth of today have changed and playing the same games we played 5 or 10 years ago doesn't cut it anymore.

Relating to 21st century youth is going to be a big challenge for many. The leaders I will be meeting with are going to need to stretch their focus. In addition, some will have to step outside their comfort zone. Relating to youth of today requires some amount of transparency. It means being "real" to the youth. For instance, the youth that I work with know they can text me at any time for any reason and I will respond. However, they also know that I shut my phone off at night. I share struggles that I have dealt with to help them better understand what they are going through. I also plan to touch on the various ways to communicate that are available (texting, facebook, twitter, blogging, vlogging, youtube, etc) while again cautioning about too much sharing.

I'm going to put together a list of websites and blogs that I have found helpful as well as books that have been helpful.

I'm really looking forward to this class and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to share ideas with other leaders. My hope it to walk away with some new ideas also.

mulling ideas

Today is June 14, 2011. (for those who haven't looked at a calendar) I am mulling some ideas I have. Ideas about what I want to do in the coming months. Where I want to go. I've a couple of trips planned, but beyond that, I really want and need to get my goals sorted. I've never been good at planning ahead too far. I struggle planning 6-12 months ahead. I have a panic attack when someone asks me where I want to be in 5 years, 10 years, or 15 years. I just don't know. Part of my struggle with planning ahead stems from the fact that I was born the youngest child to parents that didn't plan to have anymore children. As a result of this, I have seen many family members die. One of my earliest memories is of coloring at one of my uncle's funerals. I can remember walking around the funeral home wondering why everyone looked so sad, but could still smile. I truly believe that seeing life come to an end at such an impressionable age made an impact on me. I believe in living life to the fullest in the moment. Because of this I refuse to plan more than 12 months ahead. Even that much time is a struggle for me because how do I know that I will be here at that point in time.

Even with this planning problem I know that I need to figure out where my life is going.

symc day 1 (plus evening before)

Thursday: My weekend started yesterday (Thursday, March 3, 2011) at about 1pm with the drive to the Chicago area. I borrowed my brother's GPS unit which got me within 2 miles of the hotel. The road the hotel is on zigs a lot. (Seriously, go look up West Bryn Mawr Road...I'll wait...see what I mean!?) I had to call the hotel to get me from East River Road to the other East River Road. Apparently there are 2 of them. Craziness! I arrived at the hotel about 4:30, tried to go in the main entrance to register and was told by the parking attendants that I needed to drive around the back of the hotel to the parking garage to park my car. I could then take the walkway from level 3 into the hotel lobby to register. They offered to help me with my bags, to which I foolishly replied that I could handle them on my own. Little did I know how far parking was from any of the rooms. After check-in, I asked to use a luggage cart. I was told that only the bell-hops could use the racks and they would be happy to help me with my bags...right...You see where this is going? I had to walk back to the parking garage, exit the parking, and go back to the main entrance to have them help me with my bags. The attendant was very nice about it all and graciously unloaded all my stuff from the back seat of my car. Then...I had to go re-park my car, walk back to the lobby and retrieve my bags, and follow the bell-hop to my room. Such a process...

Once in the room, I unpacked and unwound a bit. Then I went down and got registered for the weekend. I received my welcome packet, which included a journal type book that includes the schedule, space to write during the morning and evening sessions, space to follow up with thoughts afterwards, and devotions written by youth workers for youth workers. I returned to my room for dinner and to try to plan my weekend a little. Being a first time attendant, this event is rather overwhelming with all the options that are available. There are almost 200 workshops to attend. In addition, there are peer panels, connect groups, and opportunities to connect with other workers from anywhere and everywhere.

There are 3000 attendees here this weekend. I won't even try to guess how many people are here as speakers, leaders, and performers.

Friday: I am still processing all I've heard today at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference (symc). Today started at 9am with a pre-conference track called, "Secrets to Sustainable Youth Ministry", led by Mark Devries and Jeff Dun-Rankin. I thoroughly enjoyed this class. It went until 4pm and gave some great ideas on how to develop a ministry that will be sustainable for years (generations) to come. I'll make a separate post about this.

Opening general session and worship this evening started at 7pm and finished at 10pm. We enjoyed a message from Doug Fields, the Skit Guys, and worship with Shane and Shane as well as Matt Maher. Such an amazing evening. I wandered around and happened on a couple booths that continue the thread of connecting youth workers. At one of these I signed up for a session with a discernment coach. I am eager to meet with her to gain some insight.

If you'd like to know more check out www.youthministry.com/symc

SYMC

No this isn't a new song. SYMC stands for Simply Youth Ministry Conference, this year to be held March 4-7 in Chicago, IL. (www.youthministry.com/symc) Go check it out now and register for next year. Or add yourself to the waiting list for this year if you like. I am eager to attend this event. This will be my first exclusively youth ministry conference. As well as my first time attending this particular conference. Being relatively new to the youth ministry field, I am excited to learn from some of the people I've come to know through their books, blogs, and websites. The weekend promises to be jam-packed full of worshops of varying lengths about all sorts of topics pertaining to youth ministry.

I am looking forward to the worship, networking that will surely happen, the workshops, and just spending time with other youth workers.

I have a feeling I will be registering for next year's conference before I leave this year's.

Jump

Today is January 2, 2011. The beginning of a new year...again. Isn't it interesting that we get to "start over" every 365 days. I'm not one for making new year resolutions, but I do have a short list of dreams/goals that I am working towards for this year.

1. Take a leap of faith. By doing this I am finally doing what I keep telling others to do. There is a job in North Carolina that I first noticed about 6 months ago. I didn't do anything about it at the time due to having too many loose-ends to tie up just then. Those loose-ends are almost completely tied now. Just a couple more to finish. Therefore, I am meeting with a colleague to work over my resume so that I can apply for this job. This is my leap of faith this year. Whether I get anything back from this application or not, it's the step I need to take in order to find a different job. Preferably one in full-time youth ministry.
2. Go to bed at a normal hour. This may seem like an inane goal but it's huge for me. I am not a morning person and to have to get up by 6:30 am every M-F takes quite a lot of work for me. Two alarms and lots of hitting of the snooze button. I hope that going to bed at a normal hour (my goal is no later than 10:00 pm) will help me to get up better in the morning.
3. Start having regular devotional time. I have a devotional book that I get every two months as well as a daily devo that is emailed to me. I am ashamed to admit that I rarely read the book and only sporadically read the email. My goal is to one or the other every day building up to doing both every day. Neither of them takes more than a couple minutes, it is just about working the time into my schedule to spend time with God every day. If I tell others to spend time daily with God, I need to be doing this myself.
4. Stop worrying about what is going to happen "if".  I have a horrible habit of worrying about the "what ifs" that are involved with every decision. I'm constantly going over all the different results to every decision made. This usually causes me to not make any decision for the really big questions in my life. This is directly related to #1.

There are more that I could list, but these are the 4 major goals I want to focus on. Not necessarily in the order listed.

Are there any goals/dreams that you have for this year?