Okay, so I’m an event curmudgeon.  But in my ministry role, I find myself attending events like this on a pretty regular basis.  So I thought I’d share with you what I’ve learned about how even an “event curmudgeon” can get something out of attending an event like Reclaim.  If you’re an event-lover, I’m guessing you’re already registered for Reclaim.  If you’re like me, and were thinking of NOT coming, I hope you’ll plan to join us, and give these tips a try.

1)      Come with a focused goal.  Most of us young adults are faced with frequent change and decisions, right?  What to do after graduation?  What’s my next career move?  To end a relationship, or to start a new one?  Whether to move to a new city?  Whether to get engaged, when to start a family, the questions go on and on.  I find that if I don’t take intentional time for discernment, I just end up taking the path that seems easiest or best to me at the time, rather than gaining a clear sense of what God wants me to do.   Attending an event like Reclaim can be an intentional time for you to pray about what’s next in your life.  You’ll step out of your everyday routine, spend time in worship and prayer, dialogue with other young adults, and listen to some amazing speakers whom God might use to speak a word of guidance to YOU.

2)      Build one relationship.   Young adults who are passionate about faith as Christians, and as United Methodists, are relatively few and far between.  Your co-workers, classmates, friends, family, or even fellow church members may not totally “get” it.  But Reclaim will bring together people from all over Florida who do.  Our faith is a communal one; God uses our relationships to help us grow.  God might use one new friendship, contact, or conversation to do something new and exciting in your life.

3)      Have one experience of God.   I am not a person who very regularly and frequently has “mountaintop” experiences of God.  Sometimes I do.  But often, my faith is a day-to-day process of trusting that God is present even when I don’t necessarily feel it.  And so in times of uncertainty, it can be helpful to remember the marking-points in our lives when we know that we experienced God.  The hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” uses the Old Testament word “Ebenezer” (which means “stone of help”); God’s people erected these marking stones as monuments to God’s faithfulness, so that in times of uncertainty, they could have a visual reminder that God had helped them in the past, and would help them again.  Attending an event like Reclaim, setting aside a weekend of your life to connect with God, can become an Ebenezer for you.  I’m not promising you’ll have a mountaintop experience of emotion, but I believe that God has promised to be present when we gather together for worship, prayer, and Sacrament, and I trust that you’ll experience that in SOME way at Reclaim.  And once you do, you will have that experience to sustain you on the next phase of your journey.

Hate events?  Me too.  You’ll find me in the back row, probably not clapping along to the music, but looking for God’s guidance, God’s community, God’s presence in Reclaim.  Come join me.

Anyone who registers for Reclaim 2012, as a part of conference registration, will automatically receive tickets to this exclusive event! The screening will be held on the Friday evening of Reclaim.

If you’re interested in checking out more about the film or seeing a trailer, visit http://www.bluelikejazzthemovie.com.

We hope you’ll decide to join us at the Gathering in March!  It’s going to be a really awesome weekend! Check out the registration page to sign up today!

See you there!
The Reclaim Team

This is a weekend to reclaim our place in the life of the Church, but it is not an exclusive gathering.

Often, the terms, calling or vocation are attached to thoughts of ordination and full time ministry. But what about the rest of us? What about young teachers and future CEO’s? Shouldn’t our law enforcement officials and health care workers feel a sense of kingdom calling in what they do everyday? Are scientists, politicians and free-lance artists exempt from exploring spirit-inspired vocations as they live in this world? If we are the Church, the “priesthood of all believers” and the “sent-out ones”, shouldn’t that sense of mission be felt by every single man and woman who call themselves a Christ-follower? I think so…and Reclaim is for everyone, especially those who feel called to careers outside the walls and structure of the Church.

Reclaim 2012 will be an environment for all young adults, and those who want to reach them. The goal is to create a space where all attending can remember and re-embrace the call that has been given to us in Christ, at our baptism and as the Church. We invite all who want to see this generation reclaim their role in the story of God, to join us for two days of inspiration, challenge and community. We believe that the Church’s best days are ahead and this generation has a role to play.

Of the counselors I work with, the ones who are in involved in young adult ministry during the year, are more likely to take on leadership roles, strive for excellence, and seek ministry opportunities while at camp. Each year we interview our returning staff in February. At that interview, it is clearly visible who is thriving in their faith life and feeling fulfilled, and who is struggling to find direction. Those who are thriving are always involved in a young adult ministry—particularly one that encourages service and leadership opportunities and promotes Christian community.

Young adult ministry matters because it provides community, provides opportunities of service, and promotes leadership. Out of high school these students need to be challenged, they need to exercise their faith, and they need to be a part of a community where they learn to take initiative through leadership and exploration of ideas and concepts that help form their faith.

Young adults! It is so easy to be discouraged when you look around at so many churches and don’t see a single young person there.  I (as a young adult myself) know what it’s like to go to a church, thoroughly look through the bulletin (and/or website), and not find a single thing for post-college young people; and what it’s like to want to plug in and find a community of people who are your age and in a somewhat similar period of life as you, but there’s nothing like that around.  It can be very discouraging to go to church after church and feel like there’s nowhere for you to be.

But, even in all of that, there is another thing I know.  I know that whether or not your church has “a place” for you, God wants to use you.  As a young adult, you can and should be in ministry, even when there seems to be no ministry for you.  Stop waiting for someone to lead a Bible study for you, or to host an event for you, or to pour their time and resources into you before you begin leveraging your life for the Kingdom of God!

In Exodus 33, we see that Joshua, “a young man”, stayed in the tent of the Lord, seeking the face of God for himself, even after Moses had gone home.  He did this of his own initiative.  He didn’t wait for Moses to teach him how to talk to God, or for someone to give him five points on how to hear from God, or even for a community of people to come around him and encourage him… he simply desired to know the Lord more, and so that’s what he did!  Young adults, why don’t we do that?  Why don’t we take the initiative to seek God, and then do the work of His Kingdom?  Why do we feel like we have to wait to minister until we have been ministered to?  It seems that if the rest of the Church looked around and saw young adults doing ministry, in droves, then maybe they would be more inspired to join in that. We (young adults) should be setting an example for the believers in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity!

And yes, we do need to be encouraged, we need community, we need all of the things that a young adult ministry can offer (hence the reason Young Adult Ministry Matters!).  But we also need to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus to a dying and broken world.  And when I look at what I already have in Jesus, I think it’s more than enough to get started doing just that!

- Anna Frederick – Reclaim 2012 Coordinator

There are few congregations that do not want fresh faces in their worshiping community. In fact, the reason why young adult ministry is so important is that most of us are interested in doing it. We consume books, conferences, and podcasts hoping to find tools and tips. Knowledge, however, is not the thing that brings young adults through the door. The other option is to start some kind of event for young adults. Far too many local churches have started contemporary services thinking that young adults will be “attracted” to them by simply putting it on the sign out front. We argue for designated space in the building and better media equipment hoping that some extra lights and a few couches will be the key to engaging the next generation. All of these things are good and helpful, but they do not ensure a vibrant ministry to young adults. In fact, you can have lots of relevant knowledge of the demographic and the best show in town, and still have a problem of reaching and keeping young adults. So what might be a better strategy?

Years ago, Gee and Sandy Sprague, the pastors of CrossRoad Church, used to open their home on Tuesday nights for a college/young adult Bible Study. Every week, they would provide a meal for twenty-somethings which was followed by a Bible Study and conversation. When it first began, it had a handful of people. It was not odd for the 7pm Bible Study crowd to still be at the house as late as 1am. Within three years, you would have found over 50 young adults crammed into their house. Due to the large numbers, we eventually started a college/young adult worship service on Tuesday nights at the church. The important thing we need to see in this example though, is how it all started.

A couple from the local church opened up their home to a handful of young adults EVERY WEEK. During the rest of the week, you were sure to find young adults just hanging out at their house. Sandy would take girls to lunch. Gee would ask the guys to come help him with household chores. They were really intentional about reaching out on an individual level. And why did they do this? They were not in charge of young adult ministry and it was not their job, it was what they did. They believed that young adult ministry mattered, so they invested hours and square footage. It was one life reaching out to another. That is how the young adult ministry started, grew and expanded.

Again, the point of this example is not for you to go find a home and have a weekly Bible Study that lasts till the wee hours of the morning. The point is that no bulletin announcement or website can take the place of one person authentically and consistently reaching out to young adults. It is not enough to talk about wanting to reach young adults. If you really want twenty-thirty somethings to be a part of your local church, your foundational strategy must be to reach out to them and pursue them as individuals. This way is harder, more time consuming, and more rewarding in the long run.

- Derrick Scott III – Leader, Reclaim Planning Team

Brian Johnson serves as Associate Pastor at First United Methodist Church of Orlando. He feels a specific call within his ministry to help the local church reengage with young adults. Connect with him @JohnsonBrian

Most churches do a great job of nurturing children and youth. Even the smallest membership churches find a way to provide ministry for children and youth. We recognize these age groups are important. Then, when these kids reach 18, we set them free into the world and hope they will fly. Some will fly away to college. Others will fly away to work in the real world. We stop seeing them in church. In our subconscious, we know they are busy and hope we will see them again. Statically, they return to have their first child baptized. When young adults do come back to the church they are often emotionally weary, spiritually dry, and battered by the world. Even worse, some do not return.

I am convinced that young adulthood is the most difficult age group to minister to. They do not fit into neat categories. You cannot structure them by grades. Some go to college, others do not. Some are single, others are married. Still others have kids. Some of those will be married, and some will be single parents. To further complicate the issue, the spiritual and developmental needs of a 21 year old are much different than a 31 year old. Yet both are young adults.

Young Adult ministry is not neat and tidy precisely because young adulthood is not tidy. I sense that many churches and leaders shy away from engaging this demographic because it is complicated. However, it is because of the complication that we need to step up, in the boldness of the Spirit, and reclaim young adulthood. We have allowed the world to train and nurture our young adults, and it has left them shipwrecked.

The good news Mary heard from the angel, speaks good news to us today. “Do not be afraid, for nothing will be impossible with God.” Not even ministry to young adults!

The first step to reclaiming young adulthood is prayerful engagement. Our church is situated in the heart of downtown. Orlando is a city growing younger at a surprisingly quick pace. There is a large influx of young adults age 18-24. God’s call to us is to reflect the city. We do not need to pray about whether or not to open our doors to young adults. It is clear the body of Christ includes all life stages. Our prayer involves us connecting our current young adults while engaging the thousands who call Orlando home.

Young adult ministry matters because young adults matter to God. Young adult ministry is essential because we are not the complete body of Christ without them. Young adult ministry is possible because nothing is impossible with God.