YDS Summer Study – Online in 2021
Save the Date! You can now enjoy YDS Summer Study from the comfort of home, June 7-11, 2021. Taught by renowned YDS faculty, Summer Study offers an opportunity to immerse yourself in courses essential to practical church ministry and personal enrichment. Courses will meet Monday – Friday, either 9:00-11:30 am or 1:30-4:00 pm. Participants receive a Yale Certificate of Completion at the end of the course week.
Find information on courses, costs and more here: summerstudy.yale.edu. Registration opens in late February.
Yale Bible Study Website – Updated for Even Easier Use!
The Yale Bible Study website has been updated to make it even easier to search the site for the resources you need. Find Bible studies, Lectionary resources, sermons, articles, maps, charts, artwork and upcoming events. Join the more than 1,300 people engaged in our public discussion forum. And coming soon – the Yale Divinity School Sermon collection. Find everything you need for your next Bible Study and more at Yale Bible Study.
New Sermon Resources on the YMI Website
YMI Founder Skip Masback has generously shared several of his sermons focusing on faith formation for youth and families, and how the health of our children impacts the health of congregations and communities. Scroll down to the “Articles and Readings” section of our resources on Worship, Bible Study and Formation to read them here.
2021 Upcoming Events and Offerings
February 3; 12 – 1:30pm: A Journey with LGBTQ+ and Immigrant Youth with Yadi Martínez-Reyna
Through presentation and open conversation, Yadi will provide resources and ideas on how to crate a safe space for all young people and will share with you their social, academic, and ethical experiences working with LGBTQ+ and immigrant youth.
Register for this webinar at A Journey with LGBTQ+ and Immigrant Youth
March 3; 12 – 1:30pm: Innovation, Imagination, and Frustration with Rev. Matt Overton
This webinar will stimulate your imagination about how to best engage the teens/young adults in your community. We will look at an innovative model of ministry that has been developed in the Pacific Northwest and it’s engagement in the world of social enterprise. We’ll also explore how to finance new forms of ministry to help reach and enrich the lives of your youth.
Register for this webinar at Innovation, Imagination, and Frustration
Upcoming Lunch & Lecture Webinars
April 7; 12 – 1:30pm: Adventures in Space-Making with the Rev. Phiwa Langeni
Rev. Phiwa Langeni shares their experiences in youth ministry and, most recently, founding Salus Center, Lansing, Michigan’s only LGBTQ+ resource and community center. In addition to learning practical tips regarding language, pronouns, and other queer-related issues, you’ll gain insights on simple changes you can make in your own practices to create space for LGBTQ+ youth and others you intend to serve.
Youth Ministry, Mental Health, & The Value of Rest
Our very own, Rev. Jill Olds, YMI Director, joined the podcast, Lady Preacher, to offer us a message rooted in the idea that we are all beloved. So much of what youth need, and what all of us need, is genuine connection and space to be vulnerable. We need to know it’s okay to not be okay, it’s okay to ask for what we need, and it’s okay to rest. It’s all about asking the question, what do I really need? Hear more here.
YDS News From OASIS
by Tori Crook
On January 6th, I sat in my parent’s kitchen, glued to my computer as I watched protestors and violence storm the steps of our capitol. For a time, I was stunned and scared, texting my friends, looking over multiple news sources and refreshing my social media feeds to “doom-scroll”. It sucked my attention for hours, becoming the only thing my family and friends could really talk about.A few days later I was preparing to lead a theological reflection for our youth and turned over the questions of how to discuss the events with our youth. I didn’t want to ignore it completely, it felt wrong to not address the state of our nation – we want to be a space that encourages justice and works toward goodness, not one that ignores what we see on the news. But then again, all of our youth had to go to school the next day, their social media feeds were flooded with information about the insurrection, friends and parents were talking about it nonstop. Would we just be repeating what they have already heard before? What if what they really need is an escape? What if there is something bigger going on in their lives that this seemed inconsequential at this point? Read more here.
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