Contacts:
For general inquiries, questions or information about registration: Heather Burton, Project Manager of Justice Camp hburton@toronto.anglican.ca or phone 905-668-1558
For Funding: Please contact Rev Joel Crouse jcrouse@elcic.ca
Shalom Justice Camp: Uniting us all, Rural and Urban-Peterborough, ON (August 19-24, 2012) This summer, Justice Camp will be hosted by the Eastern Synod, ELCIC and the Diocese of Toronto, ACC. The goal of the camp is to enable individuals and communities of faith to be agents of transformation and reconciliation. Justice camps ensure that 50% of participants are between the ages of 18-30. This is a perfect opportunity for young adults to learn more about justice issues in an environment that is intentionally inclusive, and promotes their insight and full participation. For more info, visit www.justicecamp.ca
Contacts: For general inquiries, questions or information about registration: Heather Burton, Project Manager of Justice Camp hburton@toronto.anglican.ca or phone 905-668-1558 For Funding: Please contact Rev Joel Crouse jcrouse@elcic.ca
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Chaplain Clem Mehlman At a recent meeting in Halifax it was obvious to me that Atlantic Lutheran Campus Ministry is alive and well. When you meet the chaplain, Clem Mehlman, you immediately see the care and concern that he has for young adults on campus. He treats his community like a family. Above his desk on the wall is a family tree of students over the years who have been impacted by this ministry. He nurtures that tree well beyond the parameters of Dalhousie University. Among the other chaplains in the office he is known as the ‘Papa Smurf’ of student ministry in that context. Atlantic Lutheran Ministry operates under the Committee for Youth and Young Adult Ministry in the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. A local council which meets in Halifax sets and administers the goals and procedures of Atlantic Lutheran Ministry. The chair of the local council is Rev. Kimber McNabb, the pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Halifax. The other members of this council are Marguerite Joudrey, Joyce Norwood, and Virve Sandstrom. Clem Mehlman, who has an office on the Dalhousie Campus in the Dalhousie Multifaith Centre at 1321 Edward Street, is a member of an interfaith and ecumenical team of thirteen chaplains. These chaplains works on campus with a wide range of campus students, staff, and faculty. The Lutheran chaplain also works closely with the Justice and Action Student or Students. If you, or someone you know, is going to attend Dalhousie University this Fall please contact Lutheran Students Atlantic: http://www.lutheranstudentsatlantic.com/ You will not be disappointed with this community of faith. The Eastern Synod is finding new ways to engage youth and young adults in a meaningful way. Watch this for a fresh new vision for YAYA ministry. This past Sunday morning marked the 40th hour youth from St John and the neighbourhood had been together learning how to be heroes. We spent our time defining who heroes were and why. We watched films like The Help and The Great Debaters. We met real heroes like Dr. Tanner who serves the homeless women a few blocks away from our church, and Jesse who hosts Ottawa International Drumming Festival events that serve youth in Liberia. We talked about our heroic God and the incredible acts of Jesus, big and small. And we took all that we learned together and wrote it up as a play and those same sleep-deprived youth got up there on Sunday morning and shared it with the rest of us. In the middle of the play, which was in place of the sermon for worship, a police officer came up the middle isle to the front pew where I was sitting. With his loud fluorescent vest on he tapped me on the shoulder and asked that I come outside with him. People often say, “How does this stuff happen to you?” Well it just does. And it did again on Sunday morning as I was led down the centre of the church in front of all the youth leading worship and the people gathered. This was not exactly the image that worshippers were looking for on Sunday morning. The reason for the intrusion was due to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s departure. They were using our street to get him to the airport and all cars needed to be removed. The police assumed that the bulk of the cars were due to people coming to St John. They were right in their assumption. Their approach…well that is a post for another time since Netanyahu didn’t leave until 8:30pm. The point of sharing this story with you is twofold: The play was a big hit. The youth loved doing it and the people wanted more. It is a wonderful idea to let youth put themselves into a play like this. It makes it more authentic for everyone. The play is attached to this post. The second reason is to tell you that despite the glaring intrusion into a place of worship by two police officers, our youth did not skip a beat in that play. Where many of us would have stopped or at the very least stumbled, these youth kept on leading the people of God with a message worth hearing. Oftentimes I hear people say, “our youth are the leaders of tomorrow”. I disagree. Our youth are leaders today!
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Joel CrouseArchives
December 2016
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