Abandon hope all ye who enter here because we've got too much stuff to do to be ready for the future to be sitting around hoping
(StoryPeople)
Hey All-
So I apologize for possibly being the worst blogger ever. It has been a crazy couple of months since Thanksgiving. I wish I could catch you up on all that has happened but for right now I want to share with you some excited happenings from two weekends ago.
Two weekends ago, Jan 13-15, I attended the ELCA’s Glocal Missions Gathering in Chicago. No, that was not a spelling error. Glocal=Global + Local. Heading in I didn’t really know what to expect. After the first night, I had a bit of a better idea but it was still unfolding.
“Glocal Events” are held in synods all over the states. These are events are a chance for these synods to talk about bringing global missions to a local level and the ELCA’s philosophy on mission.
The gathering I attended in Chicago was a chance for people who would possibly be involved with the upcoming events to connect. It turned out to be a fantastic networking and connection opportunity. I spent a lot of my time talking with three alums from the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Missions (YAGM) program and we talked about everything under the sun.
One idea that we spend a fair amount of time talking about was trying to figure out how to start getting young adults more involved with their faith and the church. In some ways it was a very draining and depressing conversation. We have all heard the question, and many of us have wondered it ourselves- “where are the young adults in our church” and “why aren’t they more involved.” There is a seemingly easy answer to this question-“We are right here and there is no space for us.” This answer is incredibly easy, but it leaves us with few options and no responsibility.
The harder, but perhaps more accurate answer is, “we are right here and we are going to try to make space for ourselves.” Rather than trying to squeeze into a definition that is to small for us. We are going to work to find space for ourselves and connect with each other to bring out faith out of the church and into the world around us.
This is an answer that a really awesome and inspiring group of people called “The 99 Collective” are offering. Check them out here: http://the99collective.com. They are a group of young adults who are working to help their fellow young adults reconnect with their faith and help connect these young adults with other young adults. (*Disclaimer* I feel like this previous statement does not quite do justice to the amazing things that these guys are going to do so you should check out their website and follow them on Facebook to get a better idea and get involved.)
One of the things I particularly love about the 99 is their focus on telling the stories of people. They believe, and know, that each one of us can be, and are, a part of this movement and that we are indeed better together. That this is not a time to sit around hoping but to come together and start creating a better future by creating a better today.
