You are invited to our in-person workshop for story-telling with Mark Yaconelli. The pandemic, climate change disasters, racism, political vitriol, misogyny, the erosion of rights and mass death is taking an overwhelming toll on American families, churches, and communities. Recent studies reveal an unprecedented rate of adolescent depression, anxiety, and loneliness leading to high rates of suicide and substance abuse. How do we minister among young people (and families) who no longer experience God’s peace in the world? How can we develop counter-cultural ministries that offer young people the rest and resiliency of Jesus? In a retreat-like atmosphere, author, youth worker, and community activist Mark Yaconelli will invite participants to recover the pure medicines of Christian formation: silence, story, and service.
8:30am – Registration
9am – Opening Session: “Wonder, Fear, and Longing: The Spiritual Lives of Teens” Young people are trained to no longer see the presence of God in the world and within themselves. How do we awaken young people to their identity in God and the freedom of the Christian path?
10:45am – Second Session: “A Ministry of Presence” Richard Rohr says that a Christian is a person who has met a Christian. In other words, faith is “caught not taught.” How do we practice the presence of Jesus in a way that calls forth the Divine Image in the young people we serve? Through interactive exercises and discussion we will discover relational methods that cultivate life in the Spirit.
12pm – Lunch is provided
1pm – Third Session: “Jailbreak” creative, countercultural, contemplative practices that provide young people with the tools, settings, and spiritual leisure necessary for following Jesus.
2:45pm – Closing
