{"id":5690,"date":"2014-09-02T15:26:04","date_gmt":"2014-09-02T20:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/ywupdate\/?p=5690"},"modified":"2014-09-02T15:26:04","modified_gmt":"2014-09-02T20:26:04","slug":"september-is-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/ywupdate\/2014\/09\/02\/september-is-here\/","title":{"rendered":"September Is Here!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greetings Fellow Youth Workers!<\/h4>\n

Welcome to SEPTEMBER where we say goodbye to the rhythm of summer and hello to the craziness of fall kickoffs! \u00a0May 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. \u00a0May you have excellent creativity, deep patience for the not yet, and a vision for ministry inspired by God. \u00a0You are a gift to your community, and I am praying for you.<\/p>\n

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. \u00a0I have enjoyed connecting with many of you this summer and look forward to continued adventures in this new season of ECC youth ministry.<\/p>\n

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. \u00a0First, I was able to attend the Sankofa Journey sponsored by the ECC — a truly life changing adventure that I\u2019ll be reflecting on more this upcoming year with you. \u00a0I 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). \u00a0It truly is an honor to serve you in this position. \u00a0I\u2019m excited to connect with all of you in your \u201cbackyard\u201d as best I can in the future.<\/p>\n

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. \u00a0My email is tim.ciccone@covchurch.org<\/a>, and please feel free to use my cell phone – 913.909.9757.<\/p>\n

You are a gift!<\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/p>\n

Tim Ciccone<\/p>\n

Youth Ministry Leader for the Evangelical Covenant Church<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This Month…<\/h4>\n

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. \u00a0We realize that your time is valuable, and every minute you give us is a gift. \u00a0With that in mind, we are working to \u201cre-launch\u201d our communication strategy, packed with some fresh ideas. \u00a0September\u2019s initiative is to roll those ideas and vision out to you. \u00a0You can best experience this vision if you bookmark and follow the following:<\/p>\n

\n

The ECC Covenant Youth Ministry Facebook Page: \u00a0facebook.com\/CovYouth<\/a><\/p>\n

The ECC Covenant Youth Workers Facebook Page: facebook.com\/groups\/ECCYouthWorkers\/<\/a><\/p>\n

The official Covenant Youth Twitter Feed: \u00a0twitter.com\/cov_youth<\/a><\/p>\n

The official Covenant Youth Instagram Feed: instagram.com\/covyouth<\/a><\/p>\n

The ECC Youth Ministry Blog: blogs.covchurch.org\/ywupdate\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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. \u00a0You don\u2019t 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. \u00a0If you are interested in contributing to our youth ministry update\/blog, please email me at tim.ciccone@covchurch.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We hope this new boost in vision is a welcome addition to your daily routine and not just simply \u201cnoise\u201d that gets in the way. \u00a0We 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. \u00a0Please jump in and be a part of the community!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

News and Events\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Travel to India<\/strong> <\/span>— Merge Ministry is rolling out a new opportunity for you to consider. \u00a0This is a sponsored trip in collaboration with Covenant Youth Ministry\/CHIC\/Merge to India, open to individuals as well as groups. \u00a0\u00a0Contact Dale Lusk (dale.lusk@covchurch.org<\/a>) for more information.<\/p>\n

Trip Dates: June 30-July 10, 2016<\/p>\n

Ages: 16 years old and up<\/p>\n

Location: Solapur, Maharashtra, India (city of about 1 million in an agricultural area)<\/p>\n

Flight Arrival Destination: Mumbai<\/p>\n

Ministry opportunities in partnership with Hindustani Covenant Church (HCC):<\/p>\n