Sunday, January 27, 2013

2013 Youth Peace Travel Team

On Earth Peace, along with the Church of the Brethren and Outdoor Ministries Association, has called the 2013 Youth Peace Travel Team! This year's members are Jacob Crouse, Heather Gentry, and Amanda McLearn-Montz.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Camp Eder Winter Retreat: Feb. 8-10

Camp Eder near Fairfield, Pa., offers a Winter Camp for children and youth on Feb. 8-10. The theme is “All Things New” (Genesis 1). Cost is $75. For more information go to www.campeder.org/winter-camp.

Source: 1/24/2013 Newsline

Camp Mack 2013 Events

Camp Mack near Milford, Ind., has released its 2013 events, retreats, and summer camps brochure. “God Makes All Things New” is the 2013 Camp Mack theme, taken from Isaiah 41:19.

“Check out the first events of the year,” invites the camp in a Facebook post. “Our first quilt retreat of the year is Feb. 14-17.” For more information go to www.campmack.org/files/adult_and_family_forms_info/Winter_Quilt_Reteat_2013.pdf.

Source: 1/24/2013 Newsline

McPherson College Offers Prizes

McPherson (Kan.) College is offering more than $80,000 in prizes for Kansas high school entrepreneurs in its second “Jump Start Kansas” program. Every year, “Jump Start Kansas”--created and hosted by McPherson College--awards two grand-prize grants of $5,000 to a Kansas high school student or team of students who present the best entrepreneurial idea. One grant is given in the area of commercial entrepreneurship, and one for social entrepreneurship. The grants come with no stipulation that the high school students attend McPherson College, said a release. The grand prize winners may receive a $20,000 scholarship to McPherson College across four years. All students for the remaining eight finalist ideas will be offered a $4,000, four-year scholarship to attend the college. Students can enter with their ideas between now and Jan. 28 at www.mcpherson.edu/jumpstartkansas .

Source: 1/24/2013 Newsline

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Applicants sought for Ministry Summer Service, Youth Peace Travel Team.

2010 Youth Peace Travel Team - jumping
Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
2010 Youth Peace Travel Team - jumping
The denomination’s Youth and Young Adult Ministry is seeking applicants for Ministry Summer Service and the 2013 Youth Peace Travel Team. Registration for both of these summer programs closes on Friday, Jan. 11. Go to www.brethren.org/yya/mss for more about Ministry Summer Service. Go to www.brethren.org/yya/peaceteam.html for more on the Youth Peace Travel Team.

Ministry Summer Service

Ministry Summer Service (MSS) is a leadership development program for college students in the Church of the Brethren, who spend 10 weeks of the summer working in the church--either in a  congregation, district office, camp, Youth Peace Travel Team, or denominational program.

Through MSS, God calls congregations to reach out in the ministry of teaching and receiving new leadership, and God calls young adults to explore the possibility of church work as their vocation.

The MSS orientation dates for 2013 are May 31-June 5. Interns are required to spend one week at the orientation with the other interns, followed by nine weeks working in a church setting to develop leadership skills and to explore a call to ministry. Interns receive a $2,500 tuition grant, food and housing for 10 weeks, $100 per month spending money, transportation from orientation to their placement, transportation from their placement to home.

Congregations and other placement sites are expected to provide an atmosphere for learning, reflection, and development of leadership skills of the intern; a setting for intern to engage in ministry and service for a 10-week period; a stipend of $100 a month, plus room and board; transportation on the job and travel of the intern from orientation to the placement site; a structure for planning, developing, and implementing a ministry or service project in a variety of areas; financial resources and time for the pastor or another mentor to attend two days of orientation.

Mentors are expected to spend at least an hour a week with the intern in intentional supervision or mentoring, using materials shared during orientation or other ideas to develop their own model and style for doing mentoring or supervision; informally check in daily with the intern for questions, progress reports, and feedback; negotiate expectations for the number of hours the intern will work each week; prepare a written report; assist the placement site in creating a support network for the intern; communicate expectations and responsibilities to the intern and to the congregation or placement site; attend a two day orientation.

Four of the Church of the Brethren-related colleges and universities (Bridgewater, Elizabethtown, Manchester, and McPherson) provide $2,500 scholarship from the respective college for the first two interns from their institutions who participate in MSS, and the Ministry Summer Service program provides $2,500 per student for each young adult from other colleges.

For more information go to www.brethren.org/yya/mss.

Youth Peace Travel Team

The Youth Peace Travel Team, composed of Ministry Summer Service interns, is sponsored by the Church of the Brethren, On Earth Peace, and the Outdoor Ministries Association. The group gives peace programs at a variety of camps and conferences over the summer including the Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren.

The first Youth Peace Travel Team was formed in the summer of 1991 as a cooperative effort of a number of Church of the Brethren programs. Since that year, a team has been fielded every summer. The members of the team travel to Brethren camps throughout the US with the goal of talking with other young people about the Christian message and the Brethren tradition of peacemaking.

College age Church of the Brethren young adults (19-22 years old) will be selected for the next team. Team members receive the same scholarship and benefits as other MSS interns.

Go to www.brethren.org/yya/peaceteam.html or for more information, contact the Youth and Young Adult Ministry office at 800-323-8039 ext. 385 or cobyouth@brethren.org.

Source: 1/10/2013 Newsline

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Coordinators are named for National Youth Conference 2014

The three coordinators for National Youth Conference 2014 Three coordinators have been named for National Youth Conference 2014, to be held July 19-24, 2014, on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo.: Katie Cummings, Tim Heishman, and Sarah Neher.

Katie Cummings hails from Summit Church of the Brethren in Bridgewater, Va. She graduated from Bridgewater College in 2012 with a major in sociology and a minor in peace studies. She currently is serving in Brethren Volunteer Service as an assistant coordinator for the Church of the Brethren workcamp ministry.

Tim Heishman calls the North Baltimore Mennonite Church “home” this year as he serves as a youth leader through Mennonite Voluntary Service and also teaches seventh graders at Acts4Youth, an after-school program in the city. Over the years, he has called many places “home,” including the Dominican Republic where his parents served as Church of the Brethren mission workers. He graduated from Eastern Mennonite University in 2012 with majors in biblical studies and history.

Sarah Neher, currently a senior at McPherson (Kan.) College, calls McPherson Church of the Brethren her home church. She will complete student teaching this spring, and graduate in May with a degree in biology education.

The three coordinators will meet Feb. 15-17 with the National Youth Cabinet to begin planning the next National Youth Conference.

--Becky Ullom Naugle is director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.

Source: 1/9/2013 Newsline