Long Weeks

Sometimes it seems like a week will never end. Going to classes, working around 30 hours, being in and out of ER's with your roommates, and trying to maintain a relationship with your roommates, friends, and boyfriend, all while attempting to have some time for yourself can be exhausting. So exhausting that it's Monday and you realize you just spent an entire week moving so non-stop that you didn't notice a full week had gone by. Sitting behind a cash register, nursing your first of several cups of coffee, you relish the moment of calm and try to find some moments that God was present in the craziness of the past 7 days. You realize that the trips to the hospital all ended with everyone's loved ones returning home. You realize that even a simple, insignificant gesture can change the way someone thinks. You realize that while emotionally you have been struggling, physically you are doing okay, and even the psychological warfare you managed to wage against yourself is nothing compared to that of those you've known in the past. You realize that no matter how long you go without talking to loved ones, no matter how hurt any of them might be, they will always be there for you, and you for them, because they are the people you need to have in your life- and He knows that. You have all these revelations, thinking back on the "week from hell" you've just endured when the rest of campus was out partying, and you write the word 'blog' on your palm, hoping you will remember to write before it washes off.

Then, before you know it, your shift ends. You leave the building, intending to check out the latest sale merchandise on campus, and you run into someone you haven't seen much of this year. He looks as beat-down as you do. He asks, but no you haven't heard about this weekend. You think you may have read something vague, but you were wrapped up in your own life. Now you realize what you've missed. She's gone. Someone so loved by so many, now gone forever. Suddenly all of your problems vanish, just for a moment, while you try to figure out what to do next. It won't hit you until hours later, sitting at your desk. Even as you move on to all the things that need to be done before you go to sleep tonight, her beautiful face will be in your mind, laughing, singing, walking down the hallway, surviving until she just couldn't hold on anymore. And now and then other faces will show up as well. Is this how He wants to remind you to pay more attention to those you care about? Slow down and breathe once in a while? Perhaps. More likely, it was just about the time He needed his next angel, and you couldn't ask for many better ones than her. Through all her pain and suffering, whether she intended to or not, she was a light for her community and will not be forgotten.

Youth Ministry 2011 Flashback

So every year I am asked to write an annual report for the 50+ page Annual Report. While I appreciate that people care, I always wonder who actually reads it. So this year, I spiced it up a bit and made it more interesting to read.


Church, in January 2012, I was in the middle of my 7^th year as youth director at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church. Now, UDLC had been through some pretty big changes in 2011. The first was a building expansion program that allowed for more meeting spaces and a way for members to gather after worship and enjoy each others company. The second was the fact that Pastor Douglass retired.

These both are important, but the reason I tell you about them is because YOUTH were big parts of both of these things. In, 2011 during the winter a few teenagers got together with Andrew McMaster and made some UDLC History when they created a song that would be brought out again at Pastor Douglass’s retirement celebration.

In 2011, there were the annual trips; SEPA Sr. High Youth Gathering, Appalachia Service Project, Laser Tag, and even a rescheduled camping trip for the Tweens. There were also new things the youth brought to the congregation. A youth band, two Christmas musical celebrations (thanks to Music and Christian Ed), increased involvement in Chosen 300, and all of the ministries at UDLC. However, the most exciting thing is a visible presence on Sunday’s and at church events. The youth have gone from the children of the congregations members to “members” involved in all areas. Cheryl Rozinski is a High School Sr. who is finishing a term on council. Melanie Fry, Kendall Couch, and Marissa Irizarry have become the go to youth for child care for Couple Relationship Club and Financial Peace University. You will find a few youth serving as assistant ministers, running power point of videos during worship, crucifers, and acolytes. We even have youth preachers on Youth Sunday and you can find many teens in Sunday school each week. I know this is nothing surprising, until I report they are not students, but rather teachers for younger students.

Youth have also worked to be some of UDLC’s best and most active friends on Facebook. In 2011, UDLC has taken on Social Media more intentionally and the influx of web presence has allowed teens to identify with UDLC publicly and that in itself is a big shift. Teens post photos of events, will talk to each other, make plans to meet at Church Sunday mornings, and check in on each other when someone was missing that week. What more can you want from a Youth Ministry than a community of young people being involved in a church, identifying with the church community, and inviting others to come? Maybe as adults we should take a lesson or two from them?

In past years I had told you about members coming to me and telling me wonderful things about our youth. You may also remember for the past few years I have asked people to tell the youth and you know what? People have started to tell the youth directly. Now I am not saying this alone has increased interest and involvement of our teens, but I am sure it has helped. They feel validated and welcome to many places they had not before. Can I, youth director, take credit? Not really, but one of my goals was to take youth from “EVENTS” for teens, to an infusion of the youth in the church ministries at large and this is what we see happening now.

In 2012, we will have an Appalachia trip, we will go to ELCA Senior High Youth Gathering (with 30,000+ other youth), our lock-ins, but an exciting new event will be 30 hour hunger awareness fundraiser in March. This will be in cooperation with global mission to raise money and awareness for hunger world wide.

One other new part of the youth ministry is a new program dreamed up by and chaired by Chris Couch. This program “Helping Hands of UDLC” would be an extension of youth ministry and supported by volunteers from the church. Adult team members will evaluate small jobs and teams of youth and adults (similar to ASP) will work on local projects one Saturday per month. Funding for projects would be raised by free will donations from those benefiting from the acts of service and other funds raised by this ministry.

This new program is not only a way for UDLC to give back to the community more locally, but it is will be a way to help our member begin a more direct intergenerational program and take the skills youth are learning on the summer mission trip and improve them, develop new ones, and learn some life skills that will benefit them and the communities they will live in as they grow.

With so much happening this year, it is hard to imagine what 2013 will bring, but I am sure there will be plenty of to report on then as more youth talents are discovered and nourished.

Respectfully Submitted,

Raymond Hopkins

Director of Youth Ministry

End of one, beginning to another...

2011 will end. There is nothing we can all do to stop time, it is inevitable that they year ends as we track it on the calendar. It not only will end, it will end in a little under 45 hours. These 45 hours will be spent doing millions of things, working, spending time with family and friends, sleeping, in the bathroom, and blogging on the Internet.

I am presently sitting in the basement of my house with my wife and we are spending time together awaiting a trip to Bellefonte, PA to visit friends for New Years. We will spend the remaining hours together with them and their son watching the ball drop in New York, watching time pass and 2011 become 2012.

Now, as years pass their is a tradition in place, that people will set resolutions for themselves. Maybe it is to eat better. To be a better person or parent or child. Maybe it is to exercise or do something good for you. It may be to take up a new hobby. However we all seem to set them.

In 2012, there is a movement online called 365 Days. It is intended for people to do something each day. Sometimes it is photos, journal, or making something. The most recent I saw was 365 days of Blogging and it is intended for people to not just blog everyday, but on some topic. Now, I am not claiming to be able to be able to keep up with 365 posts or some of them will be the equivalent of "HI"! What I am proposing is that this blog be updated every week at least.

Now the question is, "what do you write about for a year"? Not just that, but "how do we make it interesting"?

Well here is what I propose....YOU ALL CHECK IN JANUARY 1, 2012 and see what topic is chosen and see what youth have to say and what is on their minds on the topic.

See you in the NEW YEAR!

So this is Christmas

I began as the youth director at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in 2004. Before I joined UDLC, in the Middle East, a war had been underway for a little over a year. A friend of mine, Chris had joined 1,000's of other men and women who went over seas to fight for his country.

Over the past, 7.5 years, I have seen men and women leave and come back. I have talked to and met some of these returning vets and seen what fighting can do to a person.

In the last year, I saw one of the students, who traveled with our group to multiple summer projects, who I worked with in catechism classes. I watched him then stand up and in front of the congregation announce that in the face of all the conflict world wide and after a year in college he was joining the Army. Not just join the Army, but the infantry. Not to just join the fight, but to be on the ground fighting. He was willing to put his life in harms way for his country.

Sam is not alone. Now, I don't mean joining the Army, but in looking beyond himself to see how he could help the greater good, the world, and serve his fellow man. Many times our students see things bigger than themselves. They see how the world needs them and they answer.

Now, not everyone is joining the military, but they hear a call. A call to serve with Chosen 300 or to travel down to the Appalachian Communities and meet the families and learn from them, work and serve with them. They take up causes, walk to raise money for charity or just offer a listening ear or hug when needed.

So this Christmas and what have you done? Another day is over and new one is, well beginning. What will you do before the year is out and what will you do next year? What will you do to make this world better?

People often talk about all the bad, but often we stop before we can look to the good and what good we can bring. So as we all open gifts, serve food, enjoy time together and take time to enjoy what we have this year, maybe find a way to bring that to others who may or may not have it.

• Open and hold a door for someone.
• Smile and say hello to a stranger (in appropriate situations)
• Carry bags to a car or the house for a neighbor or someone you can see who needs it.
• Take the time to ask and then listen to how someone's day is going.
• Use basic manners. Hello, thank you; You're Welcome will do more than you know to brighten people's spirits.

I opened this post with a video by John Lennon about War being over and now I leave you to ponder another song by Lennon and sung by someone it affected deeply.

Time for a break?

No, we are not going to stop updating the blog, it is more time for a break from the hustle and bustle of the season and crowds. We all need to take time to stop and take a break and remember why we as Christians celebrate Christmas. Not the secular Santa, Reindeer, decorations, and the like, but the birth of Jesus.

I found an interesting post by someone else and rather than go on about this, I think this sums it up nicely.

God is Love

Christmas is all about love

Christmas is thus about God and Love

Love is the key to peace among all mankind

Love is the key to peace and happiness within all creation

Love needs to be practiced - love needs to flow - love needs to make happy

Love starts with your partner, children, and friends and expands to all world

God bless

all mankind

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.