Curveball

Sometimes life throws you a curveball. You get up to the plate, fully expecting to knock one out of the park, and instead you strike out. While the sports metaphor needs to end there, the sentiment holds true. Life, as a sentient entity (say that one ten times fast....), can sometimes hit you with something that makes you re-evaluate several other things in your life. Maybe you meet a handsome, successful stranger at a bus stop who turns out to be everything you need in your life, but there's just one thing you know a lot of your friends won't be able to look past. Maybe your knee gives out on you unexpectedly and your potentially limited years of unassisted movement flash through your mind. Maybe that class you needed to schedule is unavailable and you spend days thinking about other paths to take in life. In any case, that one event happens when you aren't expecting it, and it causes you to consider multiple other aspects of your life and how that event may or may not effect them. Will I be happy if ____ ? The mark of a strong individual, in my mind at least, is the ability to adapt to these so-called "curveball" situations, rather than letting them defeat you. It doesn't matter if you need friends, family, God, or nothing besides your thoughts to overcome them, as long as you do. It is the "Will I" or "Can I" be happy if's that often dictate how you handle a situation. So the class is unavailable, maybe you delay your original plans, pick a different route, or give up (not advised). Maybe it took teary eyed calls to mom, discussions in the arms of a loved on, or simply the logical portion of your brain... whatever the case, you reached a decision to overcome the most recent curveball life threw your way, and can now move on with you life.

Use the resources you have at hand (community, knowledge, music, etc) to face these situations and anything can be overcome. But always be prepared for the next pitch.

The Youth Band is practicing again....

For those of you who may not have heard them before...here are some examples....

Grenade Cover - Bruno Mars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2r4JMlWV8c&feature=related

SWEET HOME UPPER DUBLIN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2r4JMlWV8c&feature=related

We have some surprises coming this January and for Choosen 300 in March.

Want to be a part of the Youth Band, come on out. We presently meet on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the Month in the Sanctuary.

UDLC youth and adults climb a tree and jump out...KIND OF...

UDLC's Coffee House

UDLC's Coffee House
Saturday, November 5 6:30 - 8:30 PM
FELLOWSHIP HALL

The Youth of UDLC will be hosting a Coffee House for the COMMUNITY. We are looking for performers from all age ranges and performance levels.

Are you an adult who likes to perform as a hobby, GREAT! Let us know.

Are you a teen who wants to perform with friends? GREAT! Let us know.

We have had people ask, Do you want adults, do you want poets, do you want, singers. The answer is YES.

We want this to be of interest to the largest cross section of the Ambler and surrounding communities. We hope to have an audience of ALL AGES coming out for this.

If you have a desire to play or perform, please contact Ray Hopkins or Cheryl Rozinski. We can only make this a sucess if we performers for the community to come see.

Where is your talent?

To follow up on how can I get involved at UDLC? Here is an example of how Upper Dublin Lutheran Church is already out in the world.

What do you do at Youth in UDLC or"INSERT CLEVER TITLE HERE"!

So people sometimes ask in one way or another, "what do you do at youth group"? or "when does the youth group meet"? Well I am never sure how to answer that and I will explain why.

About 9 years ago another youth worker introduced me to the concept that "YOUTH GROUP" could be seen by some as a cliques and some youth may feel odd about trying to come check it out. I found this interesting but thought, church kids don't really do that...BUT THEN I SAW THEY DO AND SO DO THE ADULTS IN YOUTH MINISTRY!

I started to see teens would be open to new people, but then would sit in groups and not always include new people. Not intentionally, but because the idea for some kids was "THESE ARE MY FRIENDS". So when I moved churches in 2004, I wanted to make sure as I worked to rebuild the youth program looking to make all feel welcome.

Now, many adults think that all youth groups are welcoming places and often people don't see it like a youth outsider when we are inside. From the outside people see smiling laughing teens and adults and they think. WHAT A GREAT YOUTH MINISTRY AT THIS CHURCH! Yet a teenager can see a place where everyone is already in a place and they are not sure where they would fit in and being the new kid is hard, like it can be for adults who are in the same place when the family joins.

In UDLC we have what we call SUNDAY NIGHT AT CHURCH. You come, hang out, play games, eat snacks. Sometimes it is 10 people sometimes it is 5. More often than not, there is a 1 to 1 youth to adult ratio. Yet, the laughter and smiles don't seem in anyway diminished. That is because it is SUPER CASUAL. I mean, when people show up we all figure out what to do. Sometimes it is Apples to Apples and others it is just listening to music and looking up odd youtube videos.

We also have Lock In's where friends are welcome and we encourage youth to bring friends who are of any faith. Why? Because what better way to be closer friends then to meet your church family, see what worship is like for your family, and just get to know people you may never have before. Last year we even invited the teens from our refugee family and they were a catalyst that got everyone involved in the TWISTER tournament. They broke down walls of other teens in ways adults can't. they wanted to know them and talk and from that point through our LION KING viewing, everyone laughed, talked, and just were together.

Our Mission trip each summer is usually always attended by one youth who is not a member. People will ask me why I would give this spot away and I often point to the fact that we have non member youth more involved then youth who's family are members. I don't try to defend who is going, I let people think about the group going and if someone feels called to go, why should we tell them no, if there is a spot open? Every year these groups come back even stronger and I now have college students looking to go this summer, who go with their college campus groups, and who look for other service while away at school.

I don't want to make it seem like what we do is right or wrong. It is what works best for our church. It is what keeps people coming and teens at church building relationships. I will also point out, that this was not overnight. I have been doing this 7 years and for some groups 7 years is still a newbie. Will this work for 7 more years? I don't know, but what I do know is that I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE!

Are you new to UDLC? Did you visit and want to know more about us? Shoot me a message on facebook or email me @ raymondhopkins@comcast.net and I would love to tell you more. I am sitting in diner in Oreland, PA waiting for a Synod Youth Ministry meeting and look forward to working with other youth workers who if I do the math correctly have approximately 80 years of experience between us and yet at times this never seems like enough. We just do what we think God is calling us to do and hope we stay humble enough.

What do you think of when you think of Youth Ministry?

Fall is coming....

Are you ready for the fall?

UDLC Youth is getting ready...

Fall Kick Off, Sunday School, Sunday Night at Church, Fall Lock In.

Check in later for the schedule in August.