October is a huge month in the church and at 5PF, so please take a close look at the motherlode of information in this issue and watch for the next one - VOLUME TWO ISSUE SEVEN - on Oct. 25th. We cannot emphasize enough that if for some unfathomable reason you need to unsubscribe, do NOT hit the tiny unsubscribe button at the bottom! Instead, send a request to our circulation department at delaney@vasynod.org. Trust us on this one.

The results are in folks! We wanted to know what your favorite thing about fall is. Pumpkin spice and everything nice seems like the way to go for 15% of our bi-weekly voters! Following with double that at 33%, the cooler weather seems to be pretty popular. But taking the cake with a whopping 52% for our favorite part of fall is the changing of the leaves! Bright colors and gorgeous Virginia mountains for the win!

Now as we welcome in the season of back to back holidays, the age old debate of Christmas! The stores seem to think October is a great time to start putting up decorations and blasting "Jingle Bells" over the sound system, but what do we say? After all, there are only 12 weeks until Christmas!

THIS WEEK'S RANDOM DEBATE:

When is it appropriate to start listening to Christmas music?

Too early? No such thing! All year round!

ONLY after Thanksgiving, no sooner, no later!

December and December alone!

The 5 Petals for Vol. 2 Issue 6 of 5PF:

The EARLY REGISTRATION DISCOUNT for Lost and Found 2024 ends on October 28th, so NOW is a great time to get your online or paper forms submitted!

LOST AND FOUND is the name of our weekend faith sharing retreat for Virginia Synod 7th and 8th graders and the adults who attend with them. It goes from Friday evening to Sunday noon at Eagle Eyrie retreat center in Lynchburg and includes lots of friend-making, song-singing, small-grouping, fun-having, and talent-sharing, and we're sure that's not even the whole list!

Here is the link to the Lost and Found webpage (for full info and registration instructions) at the Virginia Synod website.

And here is the link directly to the video that shows a little more about Lost and Found.

And AND here is the direct link to a video tour of Eagle Eyrie!

Reminders & Announcements

>>> CONGREGATIONAL AND YOUTH LEADERS! WE NEED TO KNOW WHO THE BEST CONTACT PERSON IN YOUR CONGREGATION IS TO RECEIVE INFORMATION ABOUT SYNOD YOUTH MINISTRY !

It's easy to respond, but someone in your setting has to do it! The code to the right leads to a simple survey that allows you to enter the name and contact information for your congregational youth leader. (If you have more than one, you can do the survey more than once!) If you would like go directly to the site, click here.

>>> FOR ADULTS WHO PLAN TO BE GROUP LEADERS AT SYNOD YOUTH EVENTS!

Here are links to the essential 2024-2025 forms:

>Cover letter for adults who will be leading at 2024-2025 Synod Youth events

>2024-2025 Opportunities for adults to serve as Small Group leaders at youth events

>Small Group Leader Information Sheet (2024-2025)

>Permission to Conduct a Background Check Form

>What it Means to be an Adult at Youth Events

>>>Winter Celebration Registration is Open!

Winter Celebration is a weekend gathering of a whole bunch of Virginia Synod 9th through 12th graders and their adult advisors for Large Group and Small Group experiences with lots of worship, singing, and faith sharing. There is also a big chunk of free time on Saturday when we have our “Open Mic / Talent Show” and time late in the evening to relax and talk with the other youth and adults from your congregation. The early registration discount deadline of Dec. 16 will be here quicker than you think!

Click Here for complete information and links to registration!

Young Adults in Global Mission ("YAGM") is a ministry of the ELCA where young adults can spend a year in a different country working alongside Lutherans and other Christians in service to church and community. This year, two of our Virginia Synod young adults - Carolina Bowen and Tim Hoffstaetter - are participating in the program, both in Cambodia! They will be publishing regular updates of their life and work throughout the year. Click here to read Carolina's "Witness and Wonder" newsletter and here to read Tim's "Tim Tells Tales" newsletter. Both of them include instructions for how to subscribe!

Youth are involved in Lutheran Disaster Response!

Long before this year's massive storms hit Appalachia and Florida, the youth of the ELCA have been deeply committed partners with our church's office for providing assistance in these and other kinds of situations where long-term presence is required. At our New Orleans Youth Gathering this past July, participants assembled more than 3,000 disaster relief kits, sometimes called "relief buckets," which contain various survival items that can be quickly handed to people who have been displaced by something like a hurricane.

Disaster Response leaders emphasize that youth have many more options for engaging in this ministry, first by visiting https://elca.org/ldr to learn what kind of donations are needed and how they can be made, then developing a local plan for fund-raising, organizing a prayer vigil, or raising awareness of how effective and efficient the ELCA's disaster response is so that the wider community can be invited to participate.

5PF Youth Ministry tip for October!

Have an All Saints Party!

Instead of observing Halloween, give your youth group a chance to come to a gathering dressed as their favorite patron saint (since All Saints Day is Nov. 1)! We don't really have "patron saints" that we pray to in the Lutheran tradition, but for centuries our Roman Catholic siblings have been honoring people who lived out their faith in their daily vocations and circumstances, whatever they were. So we have inherited faith examples for nurses, snakebite victims, barbers, prisoners, metal-workers, theologians, and on! An internet search will generate numerous lists of such saints that you can give to your group members to choose from, but here's an example that's pretty good!

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!

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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