by Summer Youth Minister Tim Lenz
This summer has brought many recreational and learning opportunities for many
of the youth at Christ the King Lutheran Church. A few of the Luther Leaguers
had a great opportunity to become involved and establish greater connections
with the Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) by attending the Disciple Project.
The Disciple Project is a cross-generational, cross-cultural, cross-synodical
leadership week-long school at Texas Lutheran University. The goal is to provide
the skills and training necessary to explore and discover the spiritual gifts
in ministry and leadership in high school youth and adults. It is designed to
help us become Disciples of Christ not just at our home, school, or church,
but everywhere.
The theme for the week was ‘His story our life.’ This focuses on Christ’s life and allows us to personally discover where and how we can fit and compare Christ’s works into our lives. Andrea Salas, Heather Scruggs, and Nathaniel Winston, and I took this challenge and went a little out of our comfort zone to explore and embrace this wonderful opportunity. The three youth were enrolled in the ‘Exploring Leadership’ track which focused on discovering and investigating the art of leadership and bringing each person’s gifts into their community. I took a course which explored the rapidly growing field of youth ministry entitled ‘The Spirit of Youth and Culture,’ which focuses on developed research and theories on improving and understanding youth ministry.
Heather described this learning opportunity by stating, “I learned so much about myself as a person, and how to take what I now know about myself, to become a better leader to all different kinds of people.” The LYO provides many opportunities for youth and adults such as gatherings and camps every year with a focus on youth ministry, leadership, peer-ministry, and event planning. Nathaniel said, “I had fun learning about leadership in an upbeat environment. I highly encourage others to go.”
The LYO also provides a link from the youth of this church to other organizations, bringing the voice of the ELCA’s young people to adult groups and boards. Andrea took advantage of this opportunity and wrapped up her experience by saying “It helped me realize the abilities and talents I have to make powerful changes in the world for the better.”
As I come to the conclusion on yet another wonderful summer at Christ the King Church I realize how blessed I am to be given this tremendous opportunity to serve and obtain more experience and familiarity in youth ministry. I feel like my experiences this summer have helped me to rediscover myself and the calling I have received. The constant exposure to youth ministry and involvement in the church has enriched my beliefs, faith and education greatly. In life I will always be a student trying to expand my knowledge and education in many different ways, and my experiences at Christ the King Lutheran Church have helped me do so. I am very grateful to the staff, council, parents, and youth for allowing me to be a part of the ministry and church family at Christ the King Lutheran Church. I look forward to many more visits and connections with you. Good luck and may the Lord be with you in everything you do.
Peace,
Tim Lenz