Greetings Fellow Youth Workers!
Welcome to SEPTEMBER where we say goodbye to the rhythm of summer and hello to the craziness of fall kickoffs! May each of you experience an energy for ministry this season like never before—fueled by the passion and love for youth that only the Holy Spirit can provide. May you have excellent creativity, deep patience for the not yet, and a vision for ministry inspired by God. You are a gift to your community, and I am praying for you.
As this fall rolls in, I am humbled and thankful for many things — especially the opportunity to serve and care for you, our valued Covenant Youth Workers. I have enjoyed connecting with many of you this summer and look forward to continued adventures in this new season of ECC youth ministry.
August brought, for me, several great journeys to different regions of our denomination and opportunities to see, firsthand, how God is at work in those places. First, I was able to attend the Sankofa Journey sponsored by the ECC — a truly life changing adventure that I’ll be reflecting on more this upcoming year with you. I was also blessed to travel and join with our Alaska and Pacific Northwest youth workers (shout out to our Anchorage youth workers, the good people at Alaska Christian College, the CYAK staff and their efforts across all of Alaska, and of course all the Washington/Oregon youth workers that welcomed me to their fall retreat at Cascades). It truly is an honor to serve you in this position. I’m excited to connect with all of you in your “backyard” as best I can in the future.
Please feel free to contact me anytime if there is a way either I or the people at Covenant offices can care, resource, or encourage you. My email is tim.ciccone@covchurch.org, and please feel free to use my cell phone – 913.909.9757.
You are a gift!
Sincerely,
Tim Ciccone
Youth Ministry Leader for the Evangelical Covenant Church
This Month…
This past summer a small team of Covenant Youth Workers met (virtually) several times to discuss how we can communicate with you more effectively and how that communication can be even more significant. We realize that your time is valuable, and every minute you give us is a gift. With that in mind, we are working to “re-launch” our communication strategy, packed with some fresh ideas. September’s initiative is to roll those ideas and vision out to you. You can best experience this vision if you bookmark and follow the following:
The ECC Covenant Youth Ministry Facebook Page: facebook.com/CovYouth
The ECC Covenant Youth Workers Facebook Page: facebook.com/groups/ECCYouthWorkers/
The official Covenant Youth Twitter Feed: twitter.com/cov_youth
The official Covenant Youth Instagram Feed: instagram.com/covyouth
The ECC Youth Ministry Blog: blogs.covchurch.org/ywupdate/
And, speaking of the blog, starting this year we are going to theme the posts that go out on the blog (Youth Worker Update), and we are looking for contributors. You don’t have to be an amazing author to write on our blog, just willing to reflect from your ministry experience and context on a topic provided. If you are interested in contributing to our youth ministry update/blog, please email me at tim.ciccone@covchurch.org.
We hope this new boost in vision is a welcome addition to your daily routine and not just simply “noise” that gets in the way. We want to tell your story, encourage one another, give glory to God in all things, and connect this vast and wonderful group of Covenant Youth Workers like never before. Please jump in and be a part of the community!
News and Events
Travel to India — Merge Ministry is rolling out a new opportunity for you to consider. This is a sponsored trip in collaboration with Covenant Youth Ministry/CHIC/Merge to India, open to individuals as well as groups. Contact Dale Lusk (dale.lusk@covchurch.org) for more information.
Trip Dates: June 30-July 10, 2016
Ages: 16 years old and up
Location: Solapur, Maharashtra, India (city of about 1 million in an agricultural area)
Flight Arrival Destination: Mumbai
Ministry opportunities in partnership with Hindustani Covenant Church (HCC):
- HCC schools – special presentations, sports programs, young child ministry
- HCC churches – children’s ministry & English conversation classes
- HCC development programs – village clean up
Learning Opportunities: community development programs in agricultural regions by HCC
Visit to HCC headquarters in Pune and local development projects (microloan programs,
sex slavery rehabilitation program, children’s education programs in slums, etc.)
Cost: Approx. $750 per person plus flight to Mumbai (this has not been finalized)
Visas are required for travel to India – costs can be $85-200 per person for tourist visas
CHIC 2015 — Register your group today at CHIC2015.org
Also, be sure to follow the CHIC social media movement: facebook.com/CHICconference, twitter.com/CHICconference, instagram.com/chicstagram.
Youth Worker Connection 2015 — Save the date! January 24 – 26. Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel – 1550 Court Place, Denver, CO 80202
