The Gathering: Practice Justice

What is the "Practice Justice" day?

Practice Justice is one of three days at the ELCA Youth Gathering (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) to which congregational groups will be assigned. On each of those days, a third of the community will practice discipleship, a third will practice peacemaking and a third will practice justice. In this month’s gNews we are focusing on the Practice Justice day. Subsequent issues of gNews will explain more thoroughly the Practice Peacemaking and Practice Discipleship days. All three of the days are designed to help young people make real the covenant God made with them in Holy Baptism to:

• Live among God’s faithful people,
• Hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper,
• Proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed,
• Serve all people, following the example of Jesus,
• Strive for justice and peace in all the earth (ELW pg. 236).

The ELCA Youth Gathering is a witness to Jesus' invitation to hit the streets, to follow one's convictions with actions, and to join in the work God is doing in the world. Even though we know such action isn't about us -- it is all about what God is up to -- many have asked what youth will do in New Orleans in 2012.

On the Practice Justice day, the clean and predictable lives of many of us will get messed up a bit by learning about the ongoing struggles in New Orleans. New Orleanians want us to know about their struggles, they want us to see the truth of their lives because after the initial rush of public interest following Katrina, people have steadily stopped paying attention. Now, six years after Katrina, New Orleans still needs our attention.

On the Practice Justice day, youth and adults will come together in the Superdome to learn about how we make the connection between God’s justice, God’s shalom, God’s intention for the world, and our desire to serve. We will be reminded about how God’s presence made a difference in the everyday lives of those living in New Orleans in 2009 through our service. Then, groups will walk justice as they enter into a multi-sensory experience to help them understand how the catastrophe of Katrina changed the course of history for New Orleanians. Next, groups depart by bus or by foot to practice justice in the midst of the fragile realities of recovery evident in the public education system, in housing and in the shrinking wetlands. At the end of the day, each group will reflect on their Practice Justice experience by debriefing with trained young adults who will help connect their experiences with their own sense of call to live out their baptismal identity in the communities to which they return.

The Gathering deadline is coming soon (September 1). We hope that you will join us in New Orleans July 16-23. This event will only be for the 8th grade students of Crosstrainers.

Big Stuf

Tomorrow morning, we have two separate groups who are headed out to learn and serve. At Christ The Savior, our mission is the following: Reaching people to know, love and serve Christ. The serve group will be our high school students and our "know" group will be a mixed-age group of junior high and high school students.

Thus, we have a group of students going to Florida to "know" Christ at Big Stuf Camp. While there, they are going to experience eight different worship times and be challenged to grow in their faith. The camp is held in Panama City Beach, Florida and in-between those eight worship services, we will have ample time to play on the beach (weather permitted). We will also have the opportunity to grow during our daily devotions and church group time.

The Gathering

Tomorrow, Wednesday - June 22nd, we are having an informational meeting regarding the Gathering. 39,000 individuals will gather in New Orleans next summer. We must be registered by early September. There will be a lot of prep going into this trip. We would love to take a great representation from CTS - will you join us?

The Dates:
July 16 - 23, 2012

Who Can Go?
If you are going to be in grades 8-12 for the 2011-2 school year, you can go.

Milwaukee

Here is our "fun" group picture on the church steps of Unity Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 18 youth and 4 adults converged on the city to team up with YouthWorks and 2 more churches.



More pictures and stories to come.

Milwaukee, Wisonsin

In three days, we are headed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We will have 18 students and 4 adults making the trip up to Milwaukee. Once again, we will be teaming up with Youthworks and serving with them. Here are some of the mission sites and evening activities:

Ministry Sites:

There are a ton of great ministries that we partner with in Milwaukee. You will definitely have a chance to see a couple different volunteer organizations throughout the week as you serve in Milwaukee. Most of the ministries you will encounter are either faith based organization or non profit organizations that have said they need our help to facilitate their summer programs. Overall, I can’t wait for you and your youth to experience the ministries that Milwaukee has to offer. Below are some but definitely not ALL of them:

The Gathering: This is a local soup kitchen that offers both morning and evening meals at several locations across the Milwaukee area. We will help serve both in the morning and evening throughout the week.

Gingerbread Land: This is a community of houses that a woman has acquired and is fixing up to help create a sense of close community for people to go if they need something. We will do mostly work on homes that she has right now and interact with Sister Clara, the woman who runs Gingerbread Land.

Scott Christian: We partner with this community center to serve meals as well as clean, distribute food and help maintain and fix things around the center. It’s an incredible place to see God’s hand at work in the lives of the workers and the homeless in Milwaukee.

Village at Manor Park: This is a nursing home that we have worked with for years. We help them serve drinks to the residents, walk them around and play games with them when they have time.

Milwaukee Rescue Mission: We work with this ministry to sort out clothes, clean and paint buildings and help them to do the work that they couldn’t do without us.

Evening Activities:

M: Bradford Beach—we will head to the beach to hang out and just enjoy the evening swimming and spending time together.

T: Life Changers—we will be headed to a community center to hear stories about community members who have experienced gang life and how they came to know Jesus. It’s an incredible opportunity to hear and ask questions about their stories.

W: Soup Kitchen—we will be volunteering at two local soup kitchens in Milwaukee to understand more about what it’s like to eat there and prepare a meal for others less fortunate than ourselves. Some of your students will be doing this in the morning during the week and others in the evening as part of the activity. You will find out more about this once you get onsite.

Th: We will have a community prayer service at Scott Christian, one of our ministries. We will have the chance to pray for the ministries that we’ve been working with during the week. Afterwards, we will head to Leon’s which is a local custard place to eat custard together.

Confirmation Sunday

On May 22nd at the 10:45 service, we had confirmation. Above is a picture of the students who participoated in the service.

I want to thank all 29 students for a great year. I want to give a huge shout out to the 6 adult leaders who invested two years with them and the 15 high school peer guides who helped them out along their journey.

I look forward to seeing what God has in stored for you.

Make Up: May 1st, Stewardshop: Money

Make-Up:

We ask you to read the material below. The material will include "deep thought", our key words (definition), scripture (link - please read) and some general thoughts and video(s). We ask you to read all material and then comment in the comments section. Share one key thought or concept that came to you and how it will make a difference.

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May 1st was our last confirmation class of the year. We finished it up on Stewardship: Money. Big group time was minimized so small groups could enjoy their last class together for longer period of time; especially with it being communion Sunday. Here is a breakdown of the lesson:

Stewardship of Money

Bible Text:
Matthew 6:1–4, 19–21; 2 Corinthians 9:6–15; Luke 11:37–42; 1 Timothy 6:6–10

Lesson Focus:
Christians give in obedience and in gratitude.

Big Question:
How do Christians use money?

Key Words:
STEWARDSHIP, LAW, GOSPEL, FIRST FRUITS, TITHE

Definitions of Key Words

STEWARDSHIP: the use and care of God's gifts. Since all that we are and all that we have is a gift from God, this term is also used to refer specifically to the Christian use of money.

LAW: rules to live by that are given by God. Laws can be difficult to follow and may make us feel uncomfortable.

GOSPEL: the good news that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we live a new kind of life. In this new life we are able to give generously.

FIRST FRUITS: the very first crops harvested, which in ancient Israel were given as a sacrifice to God.

TITHE: a gift given to God comprising 10 percent of one's income or assets.

THE DEEP INFORMATION

The Bible is full of examples and teachings about giving. Jesus tells the rich young ruler to sell everything he has, give the money to the poor, and follow him (Luke 18:18–23). When Zacchaeus pledges to sell half of his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor, Jesus responds positively (Luke 19:1–10). In the Old Testament we find instructions to give one-tenth of one's possessions (Leviticus 27:30–32; 2 Chronicles 31:5). Paul writes that "God loves a cheerful giver," and he doesn't want any to give unwillingly (2 Corinthians 9:7). Clearly giving is part of the Christian life, something we do in response to God's law and gospel.

God instructed Moses that the people were to give the "first fruits" of their harvest to the priest, to be offered to the Lord (Leviticus 23:9–14). That is, before setting fruit or grain aside for consumption or for storage, the first fruits that were harvested were to be given as an offering. Then, as was the usual practice of the day, those offerings were burned as a sacrifice on the altar of the Lord. If these gifts were simply burned up, why did God's people even bother to give?

Giving was considered an act of worship, not a fund-raising effort. The emphasis was on giving from, the act of parting with the valuable gift, rather than on giving to, or the one who would receive the gift. By taking what was valuable to them and freely burning a portion of it, the ancient Jews were making a commitment to the Lord their God (see the First Commandment in Luther's Small Catechism and/or in Exodus 20:1–3) while reducing their inventory of goods that could too easily become a false god. (For more on giving as an act of sacrifice and worship, see Mark Allen Powell, Giving to God: The Bible's Good News about Living a Generous Life [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006], 9–13).

Parting with a portion of our income is not easy. However, once we are able to wrap our heads around the fact that everything we have comes from God—see Genesis 1:29–30 and also Luther's explanation of the fourth article of the Lord's Prayer—we are more able to see ourselves as caretakers of God's stuff rather than owners of our own stuff. None of what we have—money, housing, possessions—is ours. It all comes from God and will go back to God. We just get to use it for a short time while we are here on earth.

Jesus doesn't make a general claim about how much money a Christian should give (note the seemingly contradictory examples of the young ruler and Zacchaeus, above), though using the Old Testament precedent, many Christians set a goal of giving 10 percent of their income to God's work. Though Jesus doesn't give us a percentage amount, his various teachings about living and discipleship make it clear that sacrifice and charity are part of the Christian life. His many references to economic matters—from his concern for the poor to his parables about the use of money—teach us that God calls us to use our money in God-pleasing ways, both in how we spend it for personal use (caring for self and family by buying food and paying for shelter, for example) and in how we share it with others (giving to those who are poor and for the mission of the church, for example).

A classic law/gospel dynamic is at work in Christian stewardship. Christians give out of obedience to the law, but also in grateful response to what God has done for us through his Son, Jesus Christ. On the cross Christ frees us from the consumerist and materialistic impulses of this world and leads us to live a new life in Him. Liberated from the trappings of money and consumption, we can freely and joyfully share a portion of what God has given to us with others. Yet the law remains, for the sin of self-interest also remains. When the sin of self-interest rears its ugly head, the law is there to remind us of our calling to give and to share what God has first given us.