Welcome back to 5 Petal Friday!

This is our new bi-weekly (that’s every other week) newsletter from the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries of your own Virginia Synod ELCA. In each issue we’ll have five items - one for each of the five petals of the Luther Rose: announcements, reminders, tips, celebrations, Q&A, and whatever else we can think of every time. Thanks to the very many (okay, we didn't really count, but it seemed like a lot) people who sent positive reviews on our first issue!

5PF VOLUME ONE ISSUE THREE comes out September 1! To get it delivered to your inbox, make sure you subscribe to receive every issue of this newsletter (p.s. don't worry, we won't spam your inbox) (p.p.s. you're not gonna want to miss out!)

The results of last week's Random Debate question, "What does bi-weekly mean?":

-88.6% of respondents said “every other week”

-11.4% said “twice a week”

Does that settle it?

THIS WEEK'S RANDOM DEBATE:

Which festival of the Church Year do you love more?

Easter

Christmas

Something else (Presentation of our Lord, Commemoration of the Cappadocian Theologians, etc.)

The 5 Petals for Issue Two of 5PF...

Attention Adult Event Leaders!

Every fall as we prepare for our upcoming program year of Synod Youth Events, we ask adults who may serve as small group leaders to complete two forms and review our event safety practices. Emails have been sent to many of the adults who have done this in the past, but others may be planning to be part of this ministry in the coming year. The links below take you to those forms and resources.

Completed forms should be returned by U.S. Mail if possible, but they can also be scanned and sent if you're comfortable doing that.

-Opportunities for Small Group Leaders in 2023-2024

2023-2024 Program Year Required Sheets for Small Group Leaders:

-Small Group Leader Information Sheet

-Permission to Conduct a Background Check

Reminder of our Safety Practices

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

Announcements & Reminders

--> RC Lutheran Visit Day - Saturday, Sept. 2

10am-2pm

Roanoke College in Salem is *your* Lutheran College on the territory of the Virginia Synod! Every year we co-sponsor a day when our high-schoolers who are considering college can pay a visit to campus along with their families and get a sense of the distinctive experience that Roanoke offers. The day includes brunch, presentations, a campus tour, Q&A with students, visits with your friends from Synod Youth Events, and is co-hosted by Dave Delaney and the RC Admissions staff.

Get complete information and instructions for pre-registering at this link

--> If you would like to receive some guidance and training on prevention of suicide among youth and adults, an opportunity is available at Christ Lutheran Church in Staunton on August 28-29.

Complete information and instructions for pre-registration (required) are available here.

Update on the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering

If you are in grades 8-12, you may already be planning to attend the ELCA Youth Gathering - July 16-20, 2024 in New Orleans. This is the first gathering since before the pandemic, so it is especially exciting and will include a parallel gathering of Youth Adults who could not attend the canceled 2021 Gathering.

All the information you need, including the chance to sign up to receive updates is at elca.church/gathering.

2024 Youth Ministry Extravaganza

ATTENTION ADULTS WHO WORK WITH YOUTH MINISTRY! We have a group called the ELCA Youth Ministry Network (which is worth joining just for the resources and networking), which hosts an "Extravaganza" (aka "The E") conference every year for mutual inspiration, education, and refreshment for JUST ADULTS! This year's "E" (Jan. 18-21) will include the added bonus of being held in New Orleans, so that if you are bringing a group of youth to the Gathering (see above!) you can get the best possible feel for how to prepare yourself and your youth for that event.

--> REGISTRATION FOR "THE E" IS OPEN! ... and the early bird discount deadline is Oct. 15! All the necessary information and links for registration are available here.

Meet the 2023-24 Virginia Synod Lutheran Youth Organization Board!

This is our team of youth and adults (elected or appointed annually) who plan our annual Synod Youth Assembly and represent the Synod beyond our borders. They also serve on our Youth Ministry Committee, the group that oversees the quality of the event planning and the larger mission and ministry with youth and young adults in Virginia.

Here are the 2023-2024 Board members:

12th Grade Rep. & President: Asher Porter (Our Saviour, Christiansburg)

11th Grade Rep. & Vice President: Susanna Carr (First English, Richmond)

10th Grade Rep: Kat Kolodinsky (Muhlenberg, Harrisonburg)

9th Grade Rep: Caroline Griffin (First, Norfolk)

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 an issue of 5PF. Share with your friends and on social media! We will be sending these first few issues to our larger list, but later in the fall, you will need to subscribe to continue receiving them!

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