Welcome to May, everyone! Hello to all the end-of-school-year activities, including some well-earned senioritis!

VOLUME ONE ISSUE TWENTY-TWO of 5PF will appear on May 24th as mysteriously as usual in your email. If you haven't subscribed yet, click the box at the bottom. If you need to UN-subscribe, please send a request to our circulation department at delaney@vasynod.org.

Well! We certainly received an honest opinion from our readers about the long-term viability of this publication! We asked whether it was likely that 5PF would still be around to cover the *next* North American solar eclipse in 2044. I suppose it's good that we received more "yes"s (57%) than "no"s (43%), but that's not exactly a ringing vote of confidence. Nevertheless, challenge accepted.

And now, in the spirit of the phenomenon that first gave rise to the concept of Random Debates - that is, the Youth Assembly chat rooms - we present something truly random.

THIS WEEK'S RANDOM DEBATE:

Sports drinks (Gatorade, etc.) or soft drinks (Coke, Pepsi, etc.)?

Sports Drinks

Soft Drinks

The 5 Petals for Vol. 1 Issue 21 of 5PF:

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER FOR YOUTH ASSEMBLY!

We've extended the Youth Assembly deadline to Sunday May 13th.

This is our annual gathering of Youth in grades 7-12 (up to four delegates from each congregation plus an adult) to learn about the work of the church beyond the congregation and elect the Youth Organization Board leadership for the coming year. This year it is being held on Saturday, May 25th from 10:00-3:30 at four locations around the Synod, all connected by Zoom. We'll hear from church leaders, sing and have fun, and get to know Lutheran youth from other congregations.

Go to the Virginia Synod website, click on the Youth Ministry tab and select "Youth Assembly" (or click here) for complete information and registration instructions.

Contact Dave Delaney (delaney@vasynod.org; cell: 540-529-6893) with any questions.

Announcements & Reminders

--> We will need at least a dozen adults to provide Small Group Leadership at this year's Kairos. Adults who will be group leaders at Youth Events must complete the Information Sheet and Background Check permission form each year. Here are links to those forms and additional information:

-Opportunities for Small Group Leaders in 2023-2024

-2023-2024 Small Group Leader Information Sheet

-Permission to Conduct a Background Check

-What it means to be a (Young) Adult at a Synod Youth Event

--> IF YOU ARE HOPING TO ATTEND LAUNCH, our 4-day event for just-graduated high school seniors, PLEASE REGISTER RIGHT AWAY! ... or at least respond to the interest form. The dates are July 7-11, 2024 (Sunday evening to Thursday noon) at Roanoke College. Here is a link to the information page at the Synod website, which includes a link to the registration form.

--> WE OWE SPECIAL THANKS TO LILY HARMISON, who has just graduated from Roanoke College. Lily has served in the Virginia Synod office in Bittle Hall on the Roanoke campus for years, both as summer youth ministry intern and general staff assistant. Lily was also instrumental in developing the initial design of Five Petal Friday and even came up with our distinctive Luther Seal logo. So from the entire world-wide staff of 5PF, we bid you God's blessings and enthusiastic gratitude for your work!

VIRGINIA SYNOD YOUTH EVENT SCHEDULE FOR 2024-2025:

-Lost and Found (7th-8th graders): Nov. 22-24, 2024

-Winter Celebration (9th-12th graders): Jan. 24-26, 2025

-Seventh Day (5th-6th graders): March 1-3, 2025

-Youth Assembly (7th-12th graders): date/place TBA

-Kairos (rising 9th-12th graders): June 22-29, 2025

-LAUNCH (graduated 12th graders): July, 2025, details TBA

WHY KIDS NEED SUMMER CAMP.

This is a very compelling essay by a veteran Christian camp director named Steve Baskin, who suggests that now more than ever the young people who are in our care - in churches and elsewhere - are in desperate need of the kind of experience that is best (or only!) provided by what we in the Lutheran context call "Outdoor Ministry." Click here to access the entire essay, including an introduction from the editor whose site published it.

Keep up with all things VA Synod Youth and Young Adult Ministry by following us on Instagram and liking our Facebook page! Snapshots of each edition of 5PF will be posted there on publication day!

If you liked what you read here, don't forget to subscribe to receive 5PF issues bi-weekly! You don't want to miss out on a single issue! Share with your friends and on social media!

Subscribe to 5PF!

To provide feedback ... ask questions ... obtain more info on any of this ... contact Dave Delaney, Virginia Synod Director for Youth and Young Adult Ministries: delaney@vasynod.org