ELCA NEWS SERVICE
January 25, 2005
ELCA Youth Ministry Workers Gather For 2005 'Extravaganza'
05-011-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Members of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) who work to further the mission of youth
and family ministries of the church will gather for the ninth
annual "Extravaganza" Feb. 4-7. The conference, which will draw
more than 800 paid and volunteer youth leaders from across the
country, will take place at the Hyatt Hotel Orange County,
Anaheim, Calif.
Extravaganza 2005 is sponsored by the ELCA Youth Ministry
Network, an organization committed to strengthening and
empowering adults who work with young people in congregations of
the ELCA.
"The Extravaganza is designed to educate, inspire and
support," said Todd Buegler, president of the ELCA Youth Ministry
Network and youth minister at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Maple
Grove, Minn.
"People in youth and family ministry are often those in the
church who have to do the most with the least amount of
resources. There is an incredibly high burnout rate. Many are
volunteers working like they are paid. Our goal is to train and
value these people. We want them to know that they are gifts to
the church and to the young people they serve. The training and
education [provided at Extravaganzas are] the best available in
the Lutheran church, and the opportunities to network and support
are unparalleled in any branch of the church," Buegler said.
The theme for Extravaganza 2005 is "iCall," developed by the
Rev. Scott J. Maxwell-Doherty and Rev. Melissa M. Maxwell-
Doherty, campus chaplains at California Lutheran University
(CLU), Thousand Oaks, Calif. CLU is one of 28 colleges and
universities of the ELCA.
"We live in an 'i' centered culture. At every turn our
culture twists the focus and bends its beam on the individual,"
said Scott Maxwell-Doherty, who serves on the Extravaganza's
conference planning team. "Against our culture's staggering
fascination with the 'i' world stands the unflinching and
omnipotent presence of a good and gracious God who declares a
different 'i' message," he said.
The Extravaganza will offer 30 workshops plus six "intensive
care" courses, which are full-day workshops preceding the event.
The workshops "are where we get into the nuts and bolts of youth
and family ministry. They are very skill oriented," according to
Buegler.
"Helping Teens Find Their Fit" is an intensive care course
designed for youth ministry leaders to guide teenaged Lutherans
through a comprehensive self-discovery process that identifies
their God-given gifts.
Keynote presentations, business sessions and music are also
highlights of the Extravaganza. Dr. Tony Campolo, professor
emeritus of sociology, Eastern University, St. Davids, Pa., and
founder of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of
Education, and the Rev. Doug Fields, youth pastor, Saddleback
Church, Lake Forest, Calif., will deliver keynote presentations.
Fields is the author of the book, "Purpose Driven Youth
Ministry."
Other speakers include the Rev. Stephen P. Bouman, bishop of
the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod, New York; the Rev. David D.
Daubert, executive for renewal of congregations, ELCA Division
for Outreach; and Dr. Kirk Jones, professor, Andover Newton
Theological Seminary, Newton Centre, Mass. The Rev. Andrea L.
Walker, St. John's Lutheran Church, Summit, N.J., will serve as
the Extravaganza's chaplain.
Participants will have the opportunity to attend business
sessions of the ELCA Youth Ministry Network. The sessions "are
opportunities for those in the network leadership to listen to
and tend to the needs of its members. This year we will be
talking about the future of the organization. We have gotten to
a point where we cannot continue to survive as a purely volunteer-
driven organization, and we are beginning to execute plans to
move into a staffing model. We want to inform our membership of
that and collect feedback. Ultimately, our mission is to serve
our membership and all adults working with young people in the
church. This meeting is an important time to reflect and work on
that," Buegler said.
A special feature of the Extravaganza is the gathering of
our community," said Buegler. "This is the only time each year
that adult leaders in youth and family ministry in the ELCA can
gather to learn, worship, network and support each other in a
large group. Just being a part of the emerging movement in youth
and family ministry is significant," he said.
"Youth workers come for the educational experience and value
of the event," said Buegler. "They return every year because of
the supportive relationships that they make there," he said.
The Extravaganza will feature music from Sarah Hart, Lost
and Found, Perry and the Poorboys, and Daniel's Window. Daren
Streblow, stand-up comedian, will also perform.
-- -- --
Information about the ELCA Youth Ministry Network is
available at http://www.elcaymnet.org/ on the Internet.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
