LAUMC’s Team Possible and our consultants from Ministry Incubators hosted an online Pitch-n-Partner event on May 3 to introduce four youth-led teams and the projects they have developed. Each team pitched its project and invited those who were interested to sign up as partners to support the team’s work. Thank you to everyone who supporter our youth by participating in the event! In case you missed it or you want a refresher, Kim Jones outlines the four team projects in the below video, followed by videos and more details about each project and links to sign up if you are inspired to support a project.
Archive for youth
LAUMC’s Confirmation Class, an experience for eighth graders to explore Christian faith and take ownership of their beliefs and growth, begins on January 12 and meets weekly on Sundays at 10:00am. Confirmation is one of the most important steps in one’s faith journey. Facilitated by Robert Wigington and Raymond Lockley, this class will be centered on interactive experiences and reflective journaling. Each student will be paired with a mentor for weekly deeper conversations, enabling the student and adult to learn together. Confirmation culminates in a special weekend, April 18–19, with an opportunity to join the church as a full member. Registration for Confirmation Class costs $50. Please register online. If you are an interested high school youth who did not participate in confirmation in the past, or if you are in need of scholarship in order to participate, contact Kim Jones. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, contact Senior Pastor Kathi McShane.
Celebrate with us as we kick off this year of youth’s ministry! All youth and their parents are invited on Sunday, August 25, to share in a catered taco dinner at 6:00pm in Creekside, followed by some energizing intergenerational activities. Then at 7:00pm youth will head to youth group (Journey for middle schoolers in Room 7 and Mosaic for high schoolers in the Youth Room) and parents will stay in Creekside for some fun of their own. Learn what will happen this year: What is changing and what is not, who is doing what, and how to get and stay connected. Be part of the party! Please register so that the organizers can get a head count for dinner. Contact Sam Pompei or Kim Jones with any questions.
As we move into the next chapter of excellent youth ministry here at Los Altos UMC, we have entered a consulting arrangement with the firm Ministry Incubators. Over the next three years, the consultants will help us align our youth ministry with the innovative changemaking that has become part of our church’s culture and help us build a model that invites young people to be agents of ministry as much as they are recipients of ministry.
The consulting process begins with a visit here by the principals of Ministry Incubators on May 29–31. They will spend most of that time listening to members of the LAUMC community—parents, youth, volunteers, and people who love our youth—as they get a good, starting sense of who we are as a church and devise a plan for moving forward into a strong program to begin this fall.
If you would like to be part of this process and have your voice heard, please contact Linda Nordmann, Coordinator of Congregational Connections, by May 22. Let her know which of the below times (as many as possible would be helpful, to help our scheduling!) you could attend.
On Friday, May 31, the consulting team will present a report, laying out specific recommendations and a blueprint for how we might move forward. You are welcome to join us for that presentation as well. Watch for details in the weeks ahead.
Listening Group Schedule
Wednesday, May 29:
- 1:30–2:45pm
- 3:00–4:15pm
- 6:00–7:15pm
- 7:30–8:45pm
Thursday, May 30:
- 7:30–8:45am
- 9:00–10:15am
Middle schoolers are invited to a new summer opportunity created by Changemaker Fellows, designed for young people to find a passion, explore purpose, and tap into their power to make a difference in the world. For one week, June 24–28, 9:00am–3:00pm, this new kind of summer camp will offer middle schoolers an opportunity to explore their own spark. The Spark Experience is open to those entering 7th, 8th, or 9th grade in the fall and costs $300 per person. Register now or contact Karen Kehlet with questions.
We believe that faith deepens when we engage together in learning and discussion about who God is and how we are called to live. You are invited to engage meaningful content, wherever you are in your faith journey, and deepen your walk with Christ through a regular, intentional, authentic community space. The next School of Christian Living session begins January 9 and goes for seven weeks, ending February 20. Each evening starts at 6:00pm with dinner together, followed by several class options at 7:00pm for youth and adults. Children are supervised during the class hour, and those youth who are in choir may come just for dinner before or after their rehearsal time. Select one of the following classes to attend:
Survey 103: I Saw God at the Movies: Movie Class (ends February 27, without dinner on the last evening)
Application 103: Good Grief
Theology 103: Faith You Can Give Away (This class has been canceled and will be rescheduled at a later date)
Bible Literacy 102: A Historical Introduction to the New Testament
Read the full class descriptions here. Whether you are new to exploring your faith or a long-time practitioner, we invite you to find something of interest.
Dinner costs $10 for adults and $5 for children, up to a maximum of $25 per family. Please register online for the class/dates that interest you so that we may prepare dinner quantities.
We believe that faith deepens when we engage together in learning and discussion about who God is and how we are called to live. You are invited to engage meaningful content, wherever you are in your faith journey, and deepen your walk with Christ through a regular, intentional, authentic community space. The next School of Christian Living session begins November 28 and goes for four weeks, ending December 19. Each evening starts at 6:00pm with dinner together, followed by several class options at 7:00pm for youth and adults. Children are supervised during the class hour, and those youth who are in choir may come just for dinner before or after their rehearsal time. Select one of the following classes to attend:
Survey 102: The Hopes and Fears of All the Years
Application 102: Improving Listening, Improving Relationship
Theology 102: What Is Advent? A Deep Dive Into the Christian Calendar
Bible Literacy 102: Analyzing the Bible: Sharp Tools for Digging In the First Time
Read the full class descriptions here. Whether you are new to exploring your faith or a long-time practitioner, we invite you to find something of interest.
Dinner costs $10 for adults and $5 for children, up to a maximum of $25 per family. Please register online for the classes/dates that interest you so that we may prepare dinner quantities. If you prefer, printed registration cards will be available soon.
Parents of middle and high schoolers are invited on Sunday, October 14, 7:00–8:30pm in the Resource Center to an engaging workshop with Susie Buchholz, PhD. She will lead an interactive session on “What is going on inside my teenager’s brain? How can we communicate better?” This workshop is sponsored by The Village, a project empowered by The Changemaker Initiative. For more information, contact Changemaker Fellow Kim Jones.
The Changemaker Initiative recently hosted our Ashoka partners for a 
public workshop to empower young people to thrive. More than 80 people—from LAUMC as well as schools and the larger community—engaged in discussions about how the world is changing and how that affects us, our young people, and our interactions with them as parent, teacher, or community member. Being a changemaker allows people to adapt to a changing world and includes empathy, teamwork, leadership, and creative problem-solving skills. Anne Evans of Ashoka shared some of the ingredients of raising a changemaker:
- Exposure to alternative lifestyles and cultures at a very early age
- Opportunities to take on leadership and responsibility at a very early age
- Deepening the curiosity in your child
LAUMC Changemaker Fellow and high school student Moorea Mitchell demonstrated the power of a young changemaker when she shared her inspirational project relating to technology addiction. Participants formed small groups to brainstorm ways to support young changemakers, including “encourage boredom to spark creativity” and asking young people, “What are you doing to do about that?” rather than providing solutions for them. The energy and buzz continued long after the program concluded. More conversations will be forthcoming, including a community dinner during Compassion Week. Additional resources are available at the Ashoka site.
We believe that faith deepens when we engage together in learning and discussion about who God is and how we are called to live. Starting October 3, the Deepening Faith committee and Ministry Team are excited to reintroduce an older LAUMC concept, the School of Christian Living, as a new opportunity to deepen your walk with Christ through a regular, intentional, authentic community space. You are invited to engage meaningful content, wherever you are in your faith journey.
The School of Christian Living will be held on Wednesday evenings, 6:00–8:00pm. Each evening starts with dinner together in Creekside, followed by several class options for youth and adults. Children have their own programming during class time, and those youth who are in choir may come just for dinner before or after their rehearsal time. The classes last for a session of several weeks, followed by a short break before the next session of classes begins.
Session Schedule:
October 3 – November 14
November 28 – December 19
January 9 – February 20
March 13 – April 10
May 1–29
Whether you are new to exploring your faith or a long-time practitioner, we invite you to find something of interest in the class offerings. Courses fit into the areas of theology, Bible, practical application, and a survey class for drop-in participation. Some courses will have no homework and no prerequisites, others will involve some homework, while a few will be part of a series and require that you have taken an earlier class in the series before participating.
Dinner costs $10 for adults and $5 for children, or $25 per family. Please register for the classes/dates that interest you so that the organizers may get a total head count for dinner and plan the room size for each class. Check out the schedule for the first session and register online, or look for course catalogs and paper registration cards at church.