Here are some photos from some of the recent - or semi-recent fun -
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| Carving pumpkins |
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| Lots of pumpkins |
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| Trunk or Treat |
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| The CAR-dis |
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| After Trick-or-Treating for the Food Bank |
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| Bowling at the MSU SUB |
Friday, December 7, 2012
Fall Fun
The posts here may be sparse, but that doesn't mean the CtK youth haven't been up to much...
Here are some photos from some of the recent - or semi-recent fun -
Here are some photos from some of the recent - or semi-recent fun -
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Make a Difference
One of the theme songs at the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering was "Make a Difference," by Rachel Kurtz. Here's the CtK version, offered on Sunday, September 16th, during worship at CtK.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Middle School BBQ and Fun
All middle school students and their families are invited to a BBQ and general all-around-good-time this Sunday, August 12th, 4-8pm at the home of Jim & Angie Anderson. Call the church office for more info! It's gonna be fun!
Monday, July 23, 2012
They're Back!
Welcome home to Robert, Courtney, Julian, Minnie, Kristin and Ian!!
Here's the post on which you four youth can comment and put some final reflections/thoughts/stories, etc. Feel free to comment more than once if you think of something else that you want to say...
Readers: did you hear the news? The ELCA Youth Gathering in 2015 will be in DETROIT!
Here's the post on which you four youth can comment and put some final reflections/thoughts/stories, etc. Feel free to comment more than once if you think of something else that you want to say...
Readers: did you hear the news? The ELCA Youth Gathering in 2015 will be in DETROIT!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Sunday Night Reflections
33,309
Wow. That was intense. When you get that many youth together... The essence is difficult to capture.
33,309
There is an aura. An energy. An underlying pulse the WHOLE TIME.
33,309
There is POWER in a group this size. But not just youthful enthusiasm. There was also sincerity. And a need to connect. And hunger for justice. And LOVE. For Jesus. For God. For fellow man. It knocked my socks off. And I don't say that lightly.
We should all be proud to call the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America our home. The ELCA did an amazing job on programming and content. Over the course of 4 days, they inspired us and showed us what it means to be a Lutheran.
There was barely room to breathe. The content came at a tremendous clip. The opportunities for reflection, self examination and soul searching were present at least hourly. When there was a bit of downtime, it was all we could do to debrief and feel recharged emotionally and mentally focused for the next thing at hand. I wish I could just share EVERYTHING right now but the volumes of memories are all swirling at the moment.
Before nodding off tonight, I really want to indicate how proud I am of Robert, Courtney, Julian and Minnie. They are solid and grounded individuals with whom it has been a privilege to bond with on this trip. We have shared a lot about ourselves and I can say with certainty that I respect who they are and what they stand for.
Taxi is coming at 5am. Best get some sleep.
Wow. That was intense. When you get that many youth together... The essence is difficult to capture.
33,309
There is an aura. An energy. An underlying pulse the WHOLE TIME.
33,309
There is POWER in a group this size. But not just youthful enthusiasm. There was also sincerity. And a need to connect. And hunger for justice. And LOVE. For Jesus. For God. For fellow man. It knocked my socks off. And I don't say that lightly.
We should all be proud to call the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America our home. The ELCA did an amazing job on programming and content. Over the course of 4 days, they inspired us and showed us what it means to be a Lutheran.
There was barely room to breathe. The content came at a tremendous clip. The opportunities for reflection, self examination and soul searching were present at least hourly. When there was a bit of downtime, it was all we could do to debrief and feel recharged emotionally and mentally focused for the next thing at hand. I wish I could just share EVERYTHING right now but the volumes of memories are all swirling at the moment.
Before nodding off tonight, I really want to indicate how proud I am of Robert, Courtney, Julian and Minnie. They are solid and grounded individuals with whom it has been a privilege to bond with on this trip. We have shared a lot about ourselves and I can say with certainty that I respect who they are and what they stand for.
Taxi is coming at 5am. Best get some sleep.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
PRACTICE JUSTICE
The ELCA had been working really hard to open our eyes and our hearts to identify injustices. And not just injustice in far away places but also in our very own world. While much of Thursday and Friday were spent in discussion about bullying, which seems to apply to just about EVERY youth here at some point in their schooling, today was the day to go out into New Orleans and serve.
So, we teamed up with two other churches, one from San Diego and one from Virginia, to go help with a literacy project. On the bus ride, we learned that 2/3 of NOLA children do NOT live with their biological parents. Furthermore, the average child is 2.5 grade levels behind in their reading skills. A summer of no reading can set a child back an ENTIRE GRADE LEVEL. Needless to say, we were ready to help with literacy!
We arrived at the St.Bernard Community Center and went to work "putting together" a library. Basically, we stamped books and put check-out cards in them and then arranged by category on shelves. The room Was transformed by the end, enough so that even a 8-yr old that poked his head in could articulate the changes.
So there you go! There would be much more to tell about, but not nearly enough time. We need to get up in about 6 hours for morning worship and then, finally, some free time in the city. For those of us unaccustomed to dealing with 30,000+ teens, it is definitely time for a deep breath. As they say: UFFDA.
So, we teamed up with two other churches, one from San Diego and one from Virginia, to go help with a literacy project. On the bus ride, we learned that 2/3 of NOLA children do NOT live with their biological parents. Furthermore, the average child is 2.5 grade levels behind in their reading skills. A summer of no reading can set a child back an ENTIRE GRADE LEVEL. Needless to say, we were ready to help with literacy!
We arrived at the St.Bernard Community Center and went to work "putting together" a library. Basically, we stamped books and put check-out cards in them and then arranged by category on shelves. The room Was transformed by the end, enough so that even a 8-yr old that poked his head in could articulate the changes.
So there you go! There would be much more to tell about, but not nearly enough time. We need to get up in about 6 hours for morning worship and then, finally, some free time in the city. For those of us unaccustomed to dealing with 30,000+ teens, it is definitely time for a deep breath. As they say: UFFDA.
Saturday Questions
It's the last full day of the Gathering!
Q1 - After all the dancing in the #lutherdome, which of the six of you has the best moves?
Q2 - One of tonight's speakers quoted Gandhi's famous "be the change you wish to see in the world." How might you be an agent of change when you get home?
Q3 - Today's highlights?
Look for answers from our NOLA crew in the comments, below.
Q1 - After all the dancing in the #lutherdome, which of the six of you has the best moves?
Q2 - One of tonight's speakers quoted Gandhi's famous "be the change you wish to see in the world." How might you be an agent of change when you get home?
Q3 - Today's highlights?
Look for answers from our NOLA crew in the comments, below.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Questions for Friday
If you haven't already, I encourage new blog readers to check out the previously published posts.
Q1 - Write about your prayer experience earlier today.
Q2 - What experience in NOLA so far do you wish you could share with family and friends in Bozeman/Belgrade?
Q3 - What are you learning about yourself? How has your faith been stretched, grown, challenged this week?
Q4 - This one is for Ian and Kristin: What has most impressed you this week, about the Gathering? About the CtK group? About the work of God in the world?
Q1 - Write about your prayer experience earlier today.
Q2 - What experience in NOLA so far do you wish you could share with family and friends in Bozeman/Belgrade?
Q3 - What are you learning about yourself? How has your faith been stretched, grown, challenged this week?
Q4 - This one is for Ian and Kristin: What has most impressed you this week, about the Gathering? About the CtK group? About the work of God in the world?
practice peacemaking
we are in the middle of PRACTICE PEACEMAKING day - hooray! mostly, we are all just pleased to be dry and comfortable. after arriving at the convention center (CC), the monsoon sky opened up and has been pouring all day since. this didn't effect us until we left the CC but at that point the effect was IMMEDIATE and lasted until we got home!
no lie, water was lifting manhole covers off the sidewalk (we almost lost Julian) and running 6 inches deep through streets. i kept kicking water on everyone but they were so wet they didn't notice!
otherwise, worship this morning was, again, very energetic. the auditorium had somewhere north of 1500 people, maybe 2000. as the guy on stage queried states, we found out that MN, WI, PA, and VI were very well represented! we, as in every person in the seats, also managed to get into an old school shouting contest back and forth: WE LOVE JESUS YES WE DO, WE LOVE JESUS HOW ABOUT YOU! imagine. it was a spectacle.
after worship, we wandered through the peacemaking zones. we spent some time praying, especially doing visual prayers with Post It notes, drawings, band aids and maps. we also did some group communication challenges with the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch.
now, off to get wet, try to grab some pizza, and get to the superdome. right after we figure out what shoes to wear (all of ours are still soaked).
no lie, water was lifting manhole covers off the sidewalk (we almost lost Julian) and running 6 inches deep through streets. i kept kicking water on everyone but they were so wet they didn't notice!
otherwise, worship this morning was, again, very energetic. the auditorium had somewhere north of 1500 people, maybe 2000. as the guy on stage queried states, we found out that MN, WI, PA, and VI were very well represented! we, as in every person in the seats, also managed to get into an old school shouting contest back and forth: WE LOVE JESUS YES WE DO, WE LOVE JESUS HOW ABOUT YOU! imagine. it was a spectacle.
after worship, we wandered through the peacemaking zones. we spent some time praying, especially doing visual prayers with Post It notes, drawings, band aids and maps. we also did some group communication challenges with the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch.
now, off to get wet, try to grab some pizza, and get to the superdome. right after we figure out what shoes to wear (all of ours are still soaked).
Wednesday Night Superdome Speaker
One of the speakers at the opening night of the ELCA Youth Gathering was Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber. Pastor Nadia is the founding pastor of House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, Colorado. She is the author of "Salvation on the Small Screen? 24 Hours of Christian Television" (Seabury 2008) and blogs at www.sarcasticlutheran.com and Jim Wallis' www.Godspolitics.com. Her writings can be found in the Christian Century, The Lutheran magazine and Patheos.com. Nobody really believes she's an ordained pastor in the ELCA. Maybe it's the sleeve tattoos or the fact that she swears like a truck driver. Either way...she's fine with it. Nadia lives in Denver with her family of four where she can be found writing bios in the third person and chasing chickens around the backyard with her kids.
Here's what she had to say:
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Questions for Thursday
In case you're just joining us, WELCOME! Each day I'll pose a few questions for the group in New Orleans to answer, which they will do in the comments section, below. Enjoy!
Q1 - What is the best thing you've eaten so far in New Orleans? What are you hoping to try before you head home?
Q2 - We read some of Ian's highlights in the previous post. What were your top three moments today?
Q3 - What's the funniest thing you've heard someone say since you arrived in New Orleans? Who said it?
And, in case you've somehow missed Courtney's original song, "Agape," here it is:
Q1 - What is the best thing you've eaten so far in New Orleans? What are you hoping to try before you head home?
Q2 - We read some of Ian's highlights in the previous post. What were your top three moments today?
Q3 - What's the funniest thing you've heard someone say since you arrived in New Orleans? Who said it?
And, in case you've somehow missed Courtney's original song, "Agape," here it is:
Siesta time, Day 1
Back in the hotel room chowing down some well-earned Arbys after a big morning of PRACTICING DISCIPLESHIP! We gathered with about 250 kids all from the MT synod for a morning of worship and small group learning.
From my perspective, the youth did a great job during worship. I would venture to guess that they displayed more enthusiasm during worship than our congregation really does. Although, you never know what Dave Scrupp would do if Lindean was up front doing actions along with hymnal verses. Heh heh. Also, highlight for us was the fact that I forced Courtney to share her talent with the room by playing her song, Agape, during communion.
This afternoon we will head out for our photo scavenger hunt that ties into our small group topics: Giving, Studying, Praying, Inviting, Worshiping, Encouraging, and Serving. Then on to the Superdome! Tonight is the night we get a chance to be on the floor so the group is very excited about that.
Other random observations:
There is no truly cold water here, not even in the shower.
Minnie is really good at typing on ANY keyboard.
You can't fall over that railing with that wristband. (We all have gold wristbands there are also green and purple. Imagine the attempts made to keep all 38,000 participants sorted and moving in the right direction!)
This afternoon we will head out for our photo scavenger hunt that ties into our small group topics: Giving, Studying, Praying, Inviting, Worshiping, Encouraging, and Serving. Then on to the Superdome! Tonight is the night we get a chance to be on the floor so the group is very excited about that.
Other random observations:
There is no truly cold water here, not even in the shower.
Minnie is really good at typing on ANY keyboard.
You can't fall over that railing with that wristband. (We all have gold wristbands there are also green and purple. Imagine the attempts made to keep all 38,000 participants sorted and moving in the right direction!)
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
First Impressions
Usually, when CtK's high school youth go off on a big trip, I send a spiral notebook with them, in which I've written a couple of questions for each day. Since the last thing our group needed was more stuff to pack in their carry-ons, this time around I'll pose a question or two here on the blog, and then the youth (and adults, too, if they want!) will answer them in the comments. And, even if you're not Ian, Kristin, Robert, Courtney, Julian or Minnie, if you want to pipe in, feel free!
Q#1 - What were your first impressions of New Orleans as you rode into town from the airport?
Q#2 - What were your first impressions when you got into the SuperDome tonight for the opening of the Gathering? What was great? What was surprising?
Q#3 - What are you most looking forward to for tomorrow?
Q#1 - What were your first impressions of New Orleans as you rode into town from the airport?
Q#2 - What were your first impressions when you got into the SuperDome tonight for the opening of the Gathering? What was great? What was surprising?
Q#3 - What are you most looking forward to for tomorrow?
Monday, July 16, 2012
A Whole Lotta Papers
Thank you, Lindean, for that rousing introduction!
It is Monday morning; less than 2 days to our trip. I am currently sitting in my office trying to gather up the last few things I need. Amazingly enough, this seems to be almost entirely PRINT OUTS of various documents!
This is something I am not used to. My documents live in the electronic world. When I receive a print out, it is just a matter of time until it becomes digitized in some manner and then into the recycling it goes! But not for this trip. Maps, lists, devotions, music, release of liability, medical info... and DON'T FORGET THE WELCOME LETTER. Apparently, our entire congregation may not participate unless I bring a print out of the welcome letter. Wow. Can't I just show them the email on my phone or text them a code or something?!
It is Monday morning; less than 2 days to our trip. I am currently sitting in my office trying to gather up the last few things I need. Amazingly enough, this seems to be almost entirely PRINT OUTS of various documents!
A new thing
Welcome to the NEW CtK Youth blog, for the youth of Christ the King Lutheran Church, Bozeman, Montana.
Yes, there used to be another youth blog, initially created for the 2009 ELCA National Youth Gathering. Unfortunately, I'm not able to add writers to that blog, so we're launching a new one so the crew heading to New Orleans for the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering has a place to post.
Stay tuned for ALL KINDS of great information, inspiration, photos and stories!
Yes, there used to be another youth blog, initially created for the 2009 ELCA National Youth Gathering. Unfortunately, I'm not able to add writers to that blog, so we're launching a new one so the crew heading to New Orleans for the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering has a place to post.
Stay tuned for ALL KINDS of great information, inspiration, photos and stories!
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