Advent. Week 2. Day 9.

This week, the second week in Advent, is the week of Peace.

Given the recent death of Nelson Mandela, I would like to point your attention to his life and legacy of seeking, searching for, and working toward peace and social justice.

Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. Throughout his life, he served as an inspiration to many for his fight for peace and justice in South Africa and around the world. He is honored with receiving the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, and the US Presidential Medal of Freedom. Here is a look at Nelson Mandela's life, and a few quotes:

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
~ Nelson Mandela

If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.
~ Nelson Mandela
 Mini Advent Challenge:
Research people who have earned the Nobel Peace Prize. Pick one and find out more about their life. How can you mirror their peace-promoting actions in your own life?

Advent. Week 2. Day 8.

Welcome to the second week of Advent!

The four Advent candles, along with the Christ candle, are lit on the Advent wreath each year at Christmastime. They represent the foundations of faith that Jesus made manifest in the world that night in Bethlehem.

Last week, we talked about Hope, and the hope that Christ brings to the world.

This week, the second week in Advent, we will talk about Peace.

This Sunday in The F.L.Y. Café, we held an open house and invited our congregation to come downstairs after worship, visit our classroom and see what our youth have been up to. Many renovations took place this summer in order to make The F.L.Y. Café a comfortable, fun, interactive and engaging space where teens and college-aged youth could worship and study the word, grow closer to God, grow deeper in faith, and gain a stronger understanding of God's plan and purpose for their lives.

Here are some of the renovations we made:

We prepared a slideshow, got three times as many doughnuts as usual and made about a pound more coffee! We also displayed some of the work that the students have been doing. One of the pieces that was displayed was a contrast piece that depicted, through the students' own interpretation and media (songs, writing, typography, collage, drawing, etc...) the contrast between God's plans and promises for us, an the result of sin in the world. These pieces were created following a series of lessons on the Creation and the Fall, up to and including the Flood and the Abrahamic Covenant. The students also participated in an Awareness Examen activity, in which they were provided silhouetted images of trees and asked to draw the details that were NOT there, in order to focus there attention on the moments in their lives where God is present.

Here are some samples of the students' work:

For this week's lesson, we took a look at Peace, and how in many cases, peace seems an oddly distant feeling around this time of the year. The hectic pace that takes over our lives around the holiday season seem to invade our every move. There also many people around the world who are suffering through hardship, heartbreak, loneliness, and war this time of the year. We discussed the peace that the Lord brings, and how it is different than the peace that the world provides and promises; how God's peace surpasses all understanding and logic.

We participated in an object lesson where the students had to take part in one of the least peaceful activities of the holiday season....untangling Christmas lights! There was a catch, though. Students had to sit in a circle, and place their dominant hands behind their backs, working together as a team with only their non-dominant hands to untangle the balled up mess of lights together. this was to illustrated that working together for "peaceful resolutions" is not always an easy task, and that it takes patience, communication and involvement to work toward a common goal.

We also watched a YouTube video of one of my favorite Christmas songs. The song is "Christmas Lights" by Coldplay. I got this idea from the AMAZING youth resource: Rethinking Youth Ministry.
We watched the video of this rather melancholy Christmas tune about a broken relationship at Christmastime. We discussed how it related to unrest in the world and how the broken relationship in the song could be paralleled to our broken relationship with God, prior to the coming of Christ at Christmas. We discussed the meaning of the end of the song, when hope seems to filter in and what the "Christmas Lights" in the song might symbolize.

At the end of the lesson, the students wrote letters to themselves listing ways that they would plan to contribute to spreading hope, peace, joy and love within their own families, communities and the world in 2014. They were encouraged to place the envelopes in a safe place and open them next Advent to assess how they did with keeping their promises.

We also had the privilege of having the Confirmation students visit our class during Sunday school and take part in our lesson. We were thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity to the Confirmation students in order to show them that there is faith life after Confirmation!!! :-)
We at the F.L.Y. Café want to be an encouragement to the younger youth in the church, and we were glad to be able to host their class for a day!

For those who wish to watch the Coldplay: Christmas Lights video, it is posted below:

 

 

Peace be with you.

Advent. Week 1. Day 7.

Hope.

We have spent the last week talking about hope, but what is hope, really?

Jesus.

Our hope comes from the Lord.

Advent Mini challenge:
Today, say a prayer for your community, as well as your spiritual and political leaders.

Advent. Week 1. Day 6.

Santa Claus.

This one name stirs up images of Christmas, presents, a jolly old man with a beard and a red suit, a naught and nice list, flying reindeer, the north pole and a plate of milk and cookies. Children all around the world wait patiently (or impatiently) for Santa Claus to visit their home on Christmas Eve and deliver their most coveted gadgets, toys and knick-knacks, in reward for being good little boys and girls. People of all ages sing songs and read stories and poetry about Santa Claus' visit on Christmas Eve. The giddy, magical feeling of waiting on pins and needles to hear the small sound of reindeer hooves on the roof is something that a lot of people have experienced in some form or another throughout their lives, or have at least heard the stories., but where did this story come from?

how many of you have ever heard of Saint Nicholas? Well if you haven't, you are going to get a mini-lesson about the origin of Santa Claus!

Saint Nicholas was a devout Christian of the early church and became the Bishop of Myrna. He was known for his intense generosity, taking all of his belongings and giving them to the poor and needy, especially children.

To find out more about St. Nicholas, his history and the traditions, legends and origins of Santa Claus, check out the Saint Nicholas Center


Mini Advent Challenge:
Today, smile and say “hello” to at least five people that you cross paths with today.

Advent. Week 1. Day 5.

As we stated before, Advent is about preparation. The first week of Advent is also about hope. Sometimes in life, we are overwhelmed with the amount of preparation that must go into making big decisions or major life choices. many times we get scared of the unknown and the uncertain. We worry about what might happen, we get anxious about what is to come. Sometimes we stand at a crossroads, not knowing where to turn, or which direction we take and when this happens, we can get stuck. the great news, the news that is proclaimed during this week in Advent is that of hope. Hope helps us to be brave in the face of tough choices. Hope helps us to be brave even when we are scared, or anxious. Hope helps to ease our fears and worries. Hope promises that God is working in our lives and that he will not ever leave us to fend for ourselves. He is by our side, always. That is our hope...it comes from the Lord.

read this quote from our First Lady: "You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once, but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have, because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own." — Michelle Obama

Be Courageous. Be Hopeful. Be Brave.





 Advent Mini Challenge:
 Today, be brave. Gather the courage to take action on something you’ve been putting off.

Advent. Week 1. Day 4.

Adoration......what does it mean? What does it mean when we say that we adore something?

Wikipedia says this:

Adoration: Adoration is to respect; reverence; strong admiration or devotion. The term comes from the Latin adōrātiō, meaning "to give homage or worship to someone or something

The Oxford-English Dictionary says:

Adoration:

noun - deep love and respect; worship; veneration

Either way you look at it, adoration is a special gift of love to bestow upon someone or something, and no one is more deserving of our adoration than Christ. 

During this first week of Advent, is seems fitting, as stated previously, to prepare our hearts for Christmas. What better way to start than to decide right now how we will spend our prep time in adoration of Christ. Just as the 3 Wise Men, or Magi, did so many years ago....just as the angels encouraged the shepherds...just as the Christmas hymn states...we are invited to "come and adore him". Whether this is done through prayer, attending worship, attending Sunday School, reading the Bible, talking to others about Christ, or simply reflecting on your own relationship with Christ, take the time to prepare your heart. "Oh come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant. Oh come ye, Oh come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold him, born the King of angels. Oh come, let us adore him. Oh come, let us adore him. Oh come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord."

Advent Mini-Challenge:  Try not to immediately respond to texts, phone calls or the need to report your every move on your social media accounts today. It can wait. Instead, make an effort to be present in the moment and pay attention to who you’re with.

Advent. Week 1. Day 3.

Thanksgiving and Black Friday are over. After spending the weekend, well, spending....it's time to kick off the Advent season right with #GivingTuesday!



Advent Mini challenge:
Set aside $10 to donate to a charity of your choice. It can be an organization or even a friend of family member who is in need. 

Advent. Week 1. Day 2.

What does it take to make you happy? What brings a smile to your face?

Money?
Possessions?
A nice car...nice house...nice clothes?
Books?
Pets?
Family?
Friends?


Consider what brings you happiness as you listen to this song by India.Arie:

Today's Mini Advent Challenge:
Make a list of alternative Christmas gifts or gifts that won’t cost a thing to give this year. think about how you could use what you have to make a gift for someone special.

Here are some ideas to get you started:
Click here!

Wait For It....

Well folks, it's Decembrrrrrrr! Winter's chill is upon us, the scent of snow is in the air, and the season of Advent is upon us! The church year begins today, December 1, 2013 with the first Sunday of Advent, in preparation for Christmas.

Advent, in the church, is the time of year when we begin to prepare for the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ. Advent is a beginning. Literally translated, it means "coming", and it a season of anticipation and waiting.

In the secular world, Advent is often seen as that time before Christmas when Christmas carols begin playing, Christmas decorating takes place and everything goes on sale for the Christmas shopping season. This often begins before Thanksgiving is even over!

In the church, Advent is the four weeks prior to Christmas. It is often marked by the lighting of a Advent wreath. In the Lutheran church (ELCA), Advent is celebrated with the color blue, which symbolizes hope. Some people may use an Advent calendar in their homes to mark the passing of each day before Christmas. These calendars often have little doors that open and have small surprises inside them, such as chocolate pieces, or scriptures.

Today, in the F.L.Y. Cafe, we studied the first week in Advent, the week of hope. We focused on Isaiah 2. We talked about the Jesuits practice of "The Awareness Examen", and how the Jesuits utilize this practice to focus on the "God details" in their daily lives that we sometimes miss. We talked about prayer practices and preparing the heart of Jesus' arrival. This year, we will be participating, as a class, in a virtual advent calendar. each day during Advent, The F.L.Y. Cafe will be posting an "Advent surprise" of sorts, with a video, a challenge, a verse or some other resource for spiritual growth and preparation for the coming Christ. Please come and participate in our Advent calendar!  visit each day for a reflection on Advent.

Day 1:

December 1, 2013

Pope Frances I, the leader of the Catholic church, a minister of the faith, defender of the poor and upstanding spiritual example, spoke at world youth day this year and said the following;

"Do not let yourselves be robbed of hope! And not only that, but I say to us all: let us not rob others of hope, let us become bearers of hope!"

Lutheran Youth...let us remember this first day of Advent to be bearers of hope. Carry hope with you and spread the message of hope into the world.

Check out this awesome video that a group of children from Australia created to retell the story of Christmas:

Today, as your advent mini-challenge:
***Send a message of encouragement (email, text, Facebook, twitter, snail mail, etc...) to someone who is going through a tough time.

Recap and what's to come!

Hey there fellow F.L.Y. Cafe frequenters!

Over the last few weeks, we have had some amazing interactive lessons covering the creation of the universe and humankind, through the disruption of paradise, Noah's amazing rescue during the flood, and the promises and covenant made to Abraham and Sarah to be the father and mother of many nations, beginning with the Israelites.

During these studies, our students have engaged in some pretty cool lessons and intense discussion about their faith, making sense of the Bible and relating it to their own lives. We have worked hard to create a space that is accepting, and that is filled with enthusiasm for God's Word. We wish to convey an atmosphere of curiosity about ones faith, encouraging our students to look deeply at their faith in order to better understand why they believe what they believe and what it means for them personally, as well as what it means on a global scale.

Our students have been working hard on individual projects, which will culminate in one large group gallery exhibition to be displayed for the F.L.Y. Cafe's first open house on Sunday, December 1st. The entire congregation is invited following the 8:15 AM worship service, as well as after the 10:45 worship service.

This week, we will be studying the Exodus, the Israelites' escape from Egypt. This story begins with finding out exactly what became of Abraham and his decedents, the enslavement of a people, an unlikely but nonetheless chosen hero, and an ordained escape to freedom. It is an epic tale, one full of intrigue and action, which concludes with the establishment of the Jewish tradition of Passover.

In order to prepare for this week's lesson, and as a way to review, I have included a virtual Seder plate (Seder is the traditional feast celebrated by the Jewish community during Passover, to commemorate and zakhor, or "remember/re-live" events from their history) and a video depicting a shortened virtual Seder. Please take time to explore these important pieces of our faith's history and "zakhor" with us.

 Interactive Seder Plate | Reform Judaism

First Day

Today was the "Grand Opening" of The F.L.Y. Cafe!

I arrived bright and early at 7 AM, arms full of lesson materials and Dunkin' Doughnuts paraphernalia, in order to get the classroom up and running. I had created a Sunday Morning worship playlist full of some of my favorite uplifting and fun contemporary Christian songs, that I played as I was preparing the space. My awesome fiance came with me to help set up the space, the projector, the coffee, etc...the energy was high and I was ready for my students.

I was nervous, but full of energy, optimism and expectation. I knew that the students weren't quite sure what to make of everything yet, because we have never really done anything like this...but I was ready to make it work. I was excited to share my love of the Lord and the awesomeness of god's story with these amazing teens.

Finally, it was time. My fiance and I joined hands and prayed over the space, asking God to work, through me, through this place, through the students...to create a space that is pure Truth, pure Love, pure Acceptance, pure Faith, pure God. We opened the doors...

I thought the response was great and the first lesson went without too many glitches. :)

We studied Creation,and what it means to be made in God's image.What does it mean to you???

Students: You were AWESOME today. You participated and shared, you were engaged, and you posed some really GREAT questions. I am so looking forward to working with you this year!

To quote one of you "I think it's going to be a good year"......

I think so, too!

In case you wanted to re-visit the lesson, or reflect on stuff that we talked about today...here is the video (created by Inspire Church) that I shared in class:

 (Thanks to Ben Guise and Inspire Church for creating such an AMAZING video)!!!!

It's Almost Here!

T-minus two days until the grand opening of The F.L.Y. Café, and I am diligently working away to get everything up and running!

This week has been kind of hectic and apparently I ran into some kind of irritant because my face is covered in poison, or a rash of some sort. I pretty much want to rip my face off...but If I did that, then I wouldn't be able to come and hang out with all of my awesome students on Sunday!

I am looking forward to seeing all of you on Sunday morning at 9:30a.m. for some doughnuts and coffee (or cocoa, or tea if you prefer), and even more than that, I am looking forward to sharing the love of Christ with you in a new and exciting way! This year is going to be epic.

Just a little preview on how this blog will work:

Each Saturday morning, I will post our lesson topic for the week. I might pose questions, or post a YouTube video, maybe a picture or a song, just to get you thinking about the topic. I will also include the focus verse of the week. This blog is interactive, so please feel free to comment if you have questions about the lesson, of just a thought that you would like to share. Later in the year, we will be posting stuff as a class, so I will give you more details about that as we go along.

Be Prepaaaaaaared!

This week, if you have a Bible of your own, please bring it with you. We are going to learn a super easy, super fantastic skill for using your Bible as more than a pretty book to display on your shelf. If you do not have one, that is totally fine. We have TONS around here...but I would like you to try to get your own at some point, because it's a pretty spectacular book.

The only other thing you have to bring is yourself, just as your are :)

You don't have to be as prepared as Japeth the Goat:

Rally Recreation Day

Hey everyone!

Summer is quickly drawing to a close and many students have already gone back to school. I have been in class for almost three weeks now, and just recently returned from Virginia for an on-campus intensive course that was...shall we say...intense.

With school back in session, and fall fast approaching it seems only fitting that we, here at First, return to Sunday School. Each year, our church starts the Sunday School year off with bang at Rally Recreation Day, and this year is no different! Well, that's not entirely true...this year is a LOT different!

This year, unlike in the past, we have our very own park!

Rally Recreation Day will take place in our park this year and boy, do we have fun planned for you! It's going to be a carnival!!!

Families, Adults, Children, Teens, people of all ages are invited to worship with us in the park at 10:00 AM this Sunday, September 8, 2013. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket, and come join us under the tents for a Rally Day like no other! We will have carnival food, carnival games, prizes, music and fellowship!

Also, the new Sunday School teachers will be commissioned at the service, and each teacher invites the students and families to each with them and get to know them better. I am looking forward to meeting you, high school students! your room is ALMOST ready to go...just have a few more demolition-type projects to fit in this week :)

Hope to see you at Rally Day so I can get to know you all better! Bring your families and have a GREAT time!

Welcome to The F.L.Y. Café!

I have a dream...

   ...a hope...

      ...a vision.


That dream, hope and vision is this: getting teens EXCITED about God, Christ's message, and their role in the mission of the Church.

God tells us that he has a plan for all of us, and that we have each been made for a very special purpose. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.  Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God has a plan for our lives and that it is a good one! Unfortunately, when teens are muddling through the sometimes rough waters of teenage life, they can often feel excited, lonely, oppressed, independent, angry, accomplished, rejected, happy, and sad all at the same time. Being a teenager or early 20-something can be one of the most enjoyable and simultaneously difficult times in a person’s life. It is the point in life when people go through some of the most rapid and dramatic changes on their way to becoming an independent adult. Growing up, forming “forever friendships”, moving to high school, learning to drive, dating for the first time, breaking up for the first time, graduating, preparing for  college or trade school, starting a job…these are all life-altering events and many decisions and emotions go into each of these moments.

A teen’s quest to discovering God’s purpose can be daunting and a lot more difficult that they expected. Hearing God’s voice above all the other noise becomes quite a task and then confusion sets in.  Often times, this is a “make it or break it” point in the life of a teenager or early 20- something concerning their relationship with the church.

That is what The Fly Café is all about!

Matthew 5:6 tells us that those who hunger and thirst for “God’s way” will be filled to the brim! Isaiah 40:31 tells us that if we hope and trust in the Lord, he will lift us up on wings like eagles and give us the freedom to soar, never growing tired or weak!

These two verses are central to the mission of The Fly Café, the new Sunday school class for high school and young adults ages 18-21. Beginning September 15th 2013 at 9:30 AM in the Fly Café (located in the fellowship hall basement – high school room), will serve as a place of study and worship on a reinvigorated level, where teens and early 20-somethings can come to learn about God in a way they have never experienced before.

I am truly passionate about reaching teens for Christ and helping them to find their place in the Church, so that they can take God out into the world with confidence as young adults. I have been blessed with the wonderfully amazing opportunity to serve as the new high school Sunday School teacher at First Lutheran. As the new High School SCS teacher, I wanted to bring an excitement and life into the Sunday School classroom. I got the idea to turn the classroom into a café when I overheard a group of teenagers talking in Panera Bread over coffee. They were comfortable, laughing, talking openly about all sorts of things. I, being a very brave person (lol), walked up to the table and asked the group if they would mind answering a question for me. I told them I was doing "research"; which in a way, I was. they looked confused and a little uncomfortable, but they agreed to answer my question. I asked them if any of them attended church Sunday School. Two of the five said yes, occasionally. I asked them to go into a little more detail about what they liked, what they didn't like, why the ones who did not attend decided not to go, and what they would change if they could. One of the teenagers simply didn't believe in going to church. The two that attended stated that they were often bored, but they went because their parents went. The other two stated that they often felt uncomfortable or treated like they were "babies" and so they stopped attending. One of the girls stated the she really "believed" in God, but just didn't feel like she could get anything out of Sunday School anymore, since it is "the same stuff over and over, year after year". This was an eye opening experience for me. Their feelings didn't surprise me all that much (I was a teenager once too!), but it DID surprise me that they were so ready and willing to answer, very bluntly, about their feelings toward Sunday School for their age group. I asked the group one last question..."what would make you WANT to come to Sunday School"? One of the more vocal individuals said, "well, if it was more like this, I would probably come". I asked her to clarify, and she essentially told me that she would come if it were more laid back and comfortable...more conversational; if she could just talk things out and make sense of it without feeling like her opinions or thoughts didn't count. She stated that she talks with some of her friends about their faith, but it's usually over coffee or when they are out to eat or just "hanging out". This made something click, and soon after...The F.L.Y. Café was born.  The logo and mission verses came to me one day when I was driving to work. I had thought and thought about what do for a logo and which verses to use to emphasize the mission. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, and as I was pulling into the parking lot, a bird almost few directly into my windshield. It scared me half to death, but in that split second, Isaiah 40:31 popped into my head. God speaks in mysterious ways! What a perfect vision for a teen Sunday School class......using scripture to help them find their wings. (PS...no birds were harmed during this epiphany!)

The purpose of this blog is to take The F.L.Y. Café out into the world and show others what we are up to! I will periodically be posting themes and upcoming lesson topics on here, and my students will be posting some of their projects as well. This blog will function as a way for the congregation of our church, our community and the world take a look at what we are doing here at First, and for us to spread the excitement of Christ's message in accordance with the great commission of the Church.

It is my hope and vision that, in conjunction with the youth ministry team at First Lutheran, The Fly Café will create a Sunday school space where teens can feel free to be themselves in a friendly atmosphere. I hope they will discover a place where they can learn about God and how truly relevant Christ’s message is to today’s culture, learn that all those lessons actually are applicable to daily life, form genuine friendships, and truly discover who they are in Christ.

 

Be Blessed!

Ms. Shultz
High School Sunday School Teacher
The Fly Café