Sunday, November 08, 2009

Senior High Fall Retreat -- November 6-8, 2009
Naperville Illinois


Where: Naperville, Ill.; meet/register at the Illinois/Wisconsin District conference site, Naperville Church of the Brethren, 1020 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville, Ill.

Who: All youth currently in 9th-12th grades, and advisors

Theme: "Simple Justice"

Fantastic Weekend: The fall district youth retreat was a fantastic weekend, with 28 youth and advisors representing eight congregations. David Radcliff of New Community Project led two sessions on the theme of "Simple Justice," helping the group consider how they interact with their neighbors and the “least of these” around the world. In addition, National Youth Conference coordinators Audrey Hollenberg and Emily LaPrade were on hand to lead two worship times. Saturday afternoon included a service project at Feed My Starving Children in Aurora. The evening was spent joining district conference for the international dinner and concert. Sunday morning everyone took part in one of the insight sessions and the closing worship. We’re grateful to the Naperville church for their generosity in hosting us for the weekend.

Leadership: David Radcliff is director of New Community Project, a Church of the Brethren-related nonprofit organization based in Elgin, Ill. David’s work focuses on justice issues, peace, and care for creation. David has led learning tours and worked on projects around the world as he seeks to make a difference.



Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Resources help prepare for National Youth Conference.

Resources to help youth groups and their congregations prepare for National Youth Conference (NYC) 2010 are being offered at the event’s website, www.brethren.org/nyc . The conference is for senior high youth and adult advisors. It will be held on July 17-22, 2010, at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. Registration opens on Jan. 5, 2010, at 8 p.m. central time.

To help prepare congregations and youth spiritually, the NYC office has put together a number of resources that are available online: a short promotional video, printable flyers, and monthly newsletters posted in pdf format. Fundraising ideas are provided as well, with each newsletter featuring an "NYC Fundraiser of the Month."

A monthly Bible study written by Church of the Brethren members also will be posted. So far, Bible studies are available through April. "Feel free to use these in your youth groups. They are a great way to get familiar with the theme from 2 Corinthians 4:6-10, 16-18, and to prepare spiritually for NYC," said a recent letter to congregations and pastors.

In addition, the coordinators are promoting NYC at popular social networking sites including Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, and are providing a blog. Links are at www.brethren.org/nyc.

In other news, speakers for the NYC worship services have been announced: Shane Claiborne of Philadelphia, a leader in the new monastic movement; Jarrod McKenna, a leader in the emerging church movement in Australia; Brethren Revival Fellowship leader James Myer of Manheim, Pa.; Annual Conference moderator Shawn Flory Replogle; Bridgewater (Va.) College academic dean Carol Scheppard; Brethren videographer David Sollenberger; Ted & Company, a Mennonite comedy team from Harrisonburg, Va.; Naperville (Ill.) Church of the Brethren pastor Dennis Webb; Angie Lahman Yoder of the ministry team at Circle of Peace Church of the Brethren in Peoria, Ariz.; and the winners of the NYC youth speech contest.

-- Audrey Hollenberg and Emily LaPrade are the coordinators for NYC 2010.

Source: 11/4/2009 Newsline

Sunday, November 01, 2009

NYC 2010 Speaker Feature: Shane Claiborne

With tears and laughter, Shane Claiborne unveils the tragic messes we've made of our world and the tangible hope that another world is possible. Shane graduated from Eastern University, and did graduate work at Princeton Seminary. His ministry experience is varied, from a 10-week stint working alongside Mother Teresa in Calcutta, to a year spent serving a wealthy mega-congregation at Willow Creek Community Church outside Chicago. During the recent war in Iraq, Shane spent three weeks in Baghdad with the Iraq Peace Team. Shane is also a founding partner of The Simple Way, a faith community in inner city Philadelphia that has helped to birth and connect radical faith communities around the world.

Shane writes and travels extensively speaking about peacemaking, social justice, and Jesus. He is featured in the DVD series “Another World Is Possible” and is the author of the several books including The Irresistible Revolution, Jesus for President, and Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers. Shane speaks over 100 times a year in a dozen or so countries and nearly every state in the US. Shane has given academic seminars at Vanderbilt University, Duke University Pepperdine University, Wheaton College, Princeton University, Goshen College and Harvard University. Shane also speaks at various denominational gatherings, festivals, and conferences around the globe. Shane's work has been featured in everything from Fox News and the Wall Street Journal to CNN and National Public Radio.