June 2025 News
Prioritize Your Well-Being and Support Pride Month
Professional Wellness month focuses on the importance of mental, emotional, and physical health in the workplace. Whether you work for a church or volunteer, work at a corporation, or maybe you have retired, you should always prioritize your well-being. Take time to do one of the following:
- Read our Scriptures of Reassurance
- Watch our video on “The Science of Well-Being” with Dr. Laurie Santos. Santos is known for teaching others how to live happier and more fulfilled lives.
- Start meditating with one of our meditations
- Explore the importance of sabbath-keeping
June is also LGBTQIA+ Pride month. We have a variety resources, including:
- Accompanying LGBTQ+ Youth Curriculum
- Books, Websites and Podcasts
- A Journey with LGBTQ+ and Immigrant Youth Video
- Adventures in Space-Making Video
Read the Latest Edition of Reflections
Yale Divinity School faculty and students address the shift in American Christianity and faith in the latest edition of Reflections. Explore their thoughts at reflections.yale.edu.
Congratulations, Rev. Dr. Jill!
The Rev. Jill Olds, Director of the Yale Youth Ministry Institute, earned her Doctorate of Ministry from Duke Divinity School in May. Her program focused on Christian leadership, and her doctoral thesis is entitled, “Trauma, Conflict, and Grief in Churches: Unearthing Leadership Strategies for Congregational Flourishing.” Please join us in congratulating the Reverend Dr. Olds on her achievement.
From the YMI Director: Kairos Gratitude
Dear youth ministry friends,
On May 8, 2025, the first cohort of participants in the Yale Divinity School Certificate in Youth Ministry Leadership program gathered for the first time in person.
Free Event This Monday! – Summer Study Keynote Address
Summer Study features a keynote lecture on Monday, June 2 with YDS Professor Bruce Gordon on “The Global Bible and the Necessity of Humility.” This event is free and open to the public. To join us for the keynote click here.
What Do We Do with a Book Like Revelation?
with Dr. Yii-Jan Lin
Zoom | September 16 – October 21 | 7:30 pm | 6 Sessions
The Book of Revelation is a strange book, full of conflicting timelines, bizarre images, and coded language. This course will look at the many different ways to read and interpret this ancient text by analyzing its historical and literary context and exploring the many different ways people have used the book.
The 6 sessions will occur on September 16, 23, 30, and October 7, 14, and 21 at 7:30 pm Eastern on Zoom.
Register at What Do We Do with a Book Like Revelation?
We also offer a self-guided Bible Study on the Book of Revelation that is free. Yale Divinity School’s Professors Harold Attridge and David Bartlett examine the context, origin, and history of this genre in the experience of the nation of Israel. This is followed by a look at the overall design and complex structure of the piece. No registration needed. Take the self-guided Book of Revelation Bible Study here.
Love of Children Program
We are excited about the YMI Fall lineup, which will include three events for the Love of Children program.
These events were made possible by the Justice and Local Church Ministries of the United Church of Christ, who awarded a grant from the Lilly Endowment through its Nurturing Children Through Worship & Prayer Initiative. This series allows the denomination to engage in thorough research to assess the state of Children’s Ministry in the United Church of Christ and then take that information and create a dynamic program to strengthen our local congregations in the work of children’s faith formation.
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Addressing Childhood Trauma with Liberation Psychology and Theology with Dr. Thema Bryant This presentation explores pathways that can benefit the trauma recovery process of children, especially for marginalized survivors. The trauma and healing-informed liberation pathways which emerge from the literature are culture as medicine, community support, spirituality and religiosity, expressive arts, and resistance. A more inclusive view of trauma and trauma recovery can both heal and empower individuals and society as a whole. |
Passing on the Faith to Children: Supporting Caregivers with the Process with Dr. Amy Adamczyk, Ph.D. This webinar will explore how congregations can better understand and support caregivers raising children aged 0–12 in a religious tradition. The session aims to equip faith communities with insights to more intentionally and effectively support the spiritual formation of young children through the caregivers who guide them. |
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Leadership Lessons from Thomas Merton: Riding a Wave of Joy Apply Backstory Preaching’s foundational sermon prep framework to crafting sermons throughout the Easter season you believe in and can’t wait to preach. In this process, rooted in prayer and practical tools, you will discover a framework you can rely on week after week to prepare sermons more efficiently and with more joy. You will discover how to experience sermon prep as a spiritual respite, versus as a purely academic exercise. |
Healing Along our Dangerous Roads & Finding Mercy by the Sea Come walk along the shoreline, breathe in salt air, and let the ocean’s vastness guide you towards deeper compassion and trust in the God who continues to call and equip you in new ways. Through prayer, deep rest, and shared reflections, we trust that new seeds we plant together will produce new fruits as we return to our ministries to love and serve our people with renewed vision and vocation. |
| If you’d like to help support our mission, you can make a donation here. There is joy to be found in practicing generosity. Your gift will enable us to continue to provide the necessary tools and resources that support life changing ministries. | 
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