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Welcome to Lent, 5PF readers! Here in our editorial offices, we have plenty to be penitent about, so we will present these next four issues with an extra dose of humility.
5PF VOLUME ONE ISSUE SIXTEEN will land in your inbox on Friday, March 1st, 2024, the day before our Seventh Day event!
Last issue proved that we do have attentive and thorough readers, because we intentionally left in a factual error on the "Petal #5" to see who would catch it, and quite a few did! The claim in the "And finally ..." column was that "Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day are sharing the same date for the first time since 1945," which is of course incorrect. It happened just a few years ago, in 2018. Hmmm, we wonder what you will find in this issue that needs fixing ...
But you'll never get the chance to check if you don't confirm your subscription to keep receiving 5PF fortnightly. To do so, please scroll to the bottom and find the blue subscribe button. To UN-subscribe, please send a request to our circulation department at delaney@vasynod.org.
Our last Random Debate was about Groundhog Day and whether its most enduring tradition represents accurate and responsible meteorology or is just a crock of nonsense. Among our readers, Punxsutawney's most famous resident commands a healthy following - 40% believe him without hesitation. But of course, that leaves the other 60% who would prefer to make their own equally suspect predictions about when Spring will arrive.
| THIS WEEK'S RANDOM DEBATE: | |
| What's a good greeting for Lent, since "happy Lent" doesn't seem right at all? | | | |
The 5 Petals for Vol. 1 Issue 15 of 5PF... | |
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There is still time to register for this year's Seventh Day (or "7th Day"), our annual faith-sharing event for 5th-6th graders and their adult leaders! More than 80 youth and adults will gather at Eagle Eyrie conference center in Lynchburg on March 2-3 (noon Saturday to early Sunday afternoon) for this weekend of friend-making, story telling, singing, moving around, and worshiping together.
If you or your group are not registered yet, you can go directly to the registration page for youth and adults here or go first to the 7th Day information page here (it also includes photos from last year's event!), from which you can easily click through to registration information.
You can also check out our video tour of Eagle Eyrie here.
NOTE: Starting this Monday, Feb. 19th, please contact Dave Delaney (delaney@vasynod.org / cell / text: 540-529-6893) before registering to get instructions and so we can make sure we have sufficient supplies!
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Announcements & Reminders
-->BISHOP'S DAY is an opportunity for youth in 7th-12th grades and their pastors or youth leaders to spend an afternoon with Bishop Milton, Dave Delaney, and members of the Synod Staff to discuss our vocation as Christians and discern where God may be calling us, especially if they may be thinking about the possibility of public ministry as a pastor, deacon, or other professional leadership in the church. This year's March 16 event, Saturday from 1:30-4:00, will be at Grace Lutheran Church in Waynesboro. There is no cost, but we're asking for pre-registration so that we can plan for enough materials. For more details and a link to the pre-registration page, click here and scroll down to the "Bishop's Day" section.
--> The Virginia Synod and the Synod's Lutheran Youth Organization Board will be offering our Youth Assembly for 7th-12th graders and adults who come with them on Saturday, May 25th from 9:30am-3:30pm! The event will allow youth to gather at one of four places around the Synod and be linked via Zoom for our worship, singing, and discussion! Our four locations are:
-College Lutheran, Salem
-Christ the King, Richmond
-Muhlenberg, Harrisonburg
-Trinity, Newport News
More information about cost, who attends, and links for registration will be sent out and published in 5PF very soon!
--> 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
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If you were at Winter Celebration this year, you met Cam Haggett, who was on the WC Planning Group. Cam is a member of College Lutheran in Salem and a senior at Cave Spring High School in Roanoke. Cam also serves as an Assisting Minister for worship at College Lutheran and is currently participating in our Synod's program for preparing Lay Ministers. Read our blockbuster interview with Cam here!
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For anyone who is looking for a useful and easy-to-use resource for Sunday School or other faith conversation gatherings for teens, be sure to check out "Faith Lens," a weekly guide for those who lead teens. It is written each week by a different youth leader in our church and features plenty of conversation-starting suggestions for the lectionary readings for the day. Here is a recent example, and from this page you can also subscribe to the weekly feature that will come directly to your email.
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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! | |
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 | | | | |
