GC77: House of Deputies supports Youth Ministry

Thursday was a busy day in the House of Deputies. Our opening legislative session at 8AM was a short one-hour of getting all 800+ deputies organized and ready to tackle the hundreds of resolutions expected to be addressed, debated, and voted upon during the remaining eight days of General Convention.

One of our first actions in the morning session was to elect a new Vice President of the House of Deputies. Upon the recommendation by Bonnie Anderson, President of the House of Deputies, we elected the Very Rev. H. Scott Kirby of the Diocese of Eau Claire to fill this position, which has been vacant since Brian Prior became bishop of the Diocese of Minnesota in 2010. The remainder of this organizing session was to elect a Secretary for the House and several other officers that will be required for the House to operate efficiently.

Bonnie Anderson also made that statement this morning that “I won’t be the electronic police,” in response to concerns regarding the use of electronic devices during the Convention (particularly in the House and on the floor itself). Deputies were asked to remain focused upon and attentive to the business of the House, and not let technology interfere with that focus (or the attentiveness of their colleagues).

This year more than in the past three Conventions I have attended, it is easy to see the explosion of electronic devices being utilized. There are plenty of deputies with tablet devices like the iPad, laptops, and smartphones. And with so much Convention content being published online at generalconvention.org, and so many people who are live-tweeting and blogging, it will be an interesting experiment.

Then we broke for our first Eucharist at Convention. It is always an awesome thing to see over 1,000 Episcopalians gathered together to proclaim the Good News and celebrate at the Lord's Table.

In our afternoon legislative session, one of our first resolutions of note was C100, which calls for restoring the $300,000 in funding for the triennial Episcopal Youth Event (EYE) to the Youth Ministries budget. ENS writes, "The every-three-year gathering of youth of the Episcopal Church had been slated for elimination in previously released draft budgets. Several young deputies, along with members of the Official Youth Presence, described the impact attending EYE had on them and its value in energizing a new generation of leaders for the church. Deputies voted to direct the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance to place the funding in the youth ministries budget."

As a Youth Minister, this was a significant win for me. I have personally experienced how the spirit, fellowship, and witness that happens during EYE impacts the lives and spiritual formation of youth in our Church. There are usually 1,500 youth from across the Episcopal Church gathered during EYE, which offers a wide variety of workshops, programs, and formation opportunities as well as plenty of time for fellowship, worship, and fun.

The decision is not set in stone yet, however, The resolution still has to go to the House of Bishops for their consideration. I fully expect that they will concur with the House of Deputies. Then, the larger hurdle will be within the PB&F, where although they are being 'directed' to restore the funds, they have to 'find' those funds (likely at the expense of other budgetary line items). It remains to be seen whether PB&F will be successful. We won't know that until next week. I pray that they see the wisdom of the vote today and find the means to implement it.

Location:Indianapolis, IN

The Episcopal Youth Event 2011!

Every three years, the Episcopal Church hosts the Episcopal Youth Event (EYE). This youth conference is attended by youth from across the United States as well as many international churches who belong to the Episcopal Church (Taiwan, Haiti, Virgin Islands, Navajoland, Paris, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Honduras, among others). This usually means that between 1100-1500 youth and their adult leaders come together to work on leadership development, program and curriculum, mission opportunities, and experience amazing worship and engaging fellowship.

This year, the conference was held in Bethel University in Minneapolis, MN on June 22-26. And after the formal conference concluded, there was an additional 3-day mission trip opportunity for those who wished to participate. And during the conference itself, many attendees helped to build an energy self-sustaining house for a family in the city. It was designed with solar panels to generate more energy than was consumed by the homeowner. We worked with Habitat for Humanity on this project. What an awesome ministry to be a part of.

For me, it was such a treat, and something I had been waiting for since the last "EYE" back in 2008. It is a chance to reconnect with youth and adults involved in youth ministry from all over the place. The chance to see friends from other dioceses that I only get to see every couple of years is just priceless. And you learn so much from just talking and sharing stories and ideas! The workshops were numerous and I attended many of them. I particularly enjoyed the workshops on game leadership and 'dorky dancing' (yeah, it sounds funny but it was an awesome workshop on movement and engaging youth in fun activities that build community). These kinds of events really recharge my batteries for mission and remind me why I love Youth Ministry and the Episcopal Church.

The Diocese of Chicago brought a group of 11 to the conference this year, along with several others who were there serving in staff roles for the event. The Bishop of Chicago, the Rt. Reverend Jeffrey Lee was also with us -- how cool is that!! But more than anything, I love the young people that came on this trip. They are fun, smart, crazy, faith-filled, and amazing! And, we were lucky enough to pick up youth from the Diocese of Milwaukee on our way so the bus was full of cool people!

We got there on Wednesday the 22nd, just in time for dinner. Our first 'adventure' was at 2AM on Thursday, when the fire alarm in our building/dorm went off. We did not know it at the time, but a tree had fallen outside the building and hit an external gas line. Some kids smelled gas and the staff immediately went into action, getting everyone out of the building and alterting the fire department/police. The end result was that no one was hurt and after 1.5 bours, we were allowed to return to our beds and try to get some sleep. Sleep was fleeting; so Thursday was tough since I hadn't gotten enough sleep, AND, I ran 2.5 miles in the early morning before breakfast. (The campus at Bethel is beautiful; with running paths through green grass, tall trees, and besides a lake. It was a nice run. In fact, I ran another 3.5 miles on Saturday just because it was such a relaxing location.)

Our opening Worship on Thursday morning was celebrated by our Presiding Bishop. the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori. Her sermon was inspiring and her presence among us just electrified the entire community. The cool thing about our worship together was that all the services were fantastic! The music was awesome! What a music team! And the speakers were all great, especially Rodger Nishioka who spoke on Friday and really energized the faithful!

On Saturday, we enjoyed an outdoor cookout for dinner, followed by the Episcopal Olympics. I have to admit that by Saturday evening, I was really tired so I opted to take a little nap while everyone else jumped into the games. I wanted to be awake for the closing liturgy that night. And it did not disappoint. Wow!! I have a bunch of video from the worship services which I will work on getting published on my YouTube channel and FaceBook when I can find a good chunk of editing time. I also have around 600 photos to weed through so I can put together a nice photo album on FaceBook for everyone to enjoy.

The bus ride home was fun but a bit subdued. Everyone was tired and little sad that we were leaving all the friends that we had made during the conference. Most of the youth were staying and working at our Diocesan Summer Camp so that was something they were looking forward to (the bus was taking us to the Camp).

EYE was exciting, exhausting, energizing, and enriching! I cannot WAIT for EYE 2014!! No date or location have been announced yet but I plan on being there!

Thoughts to catch up on

Bet you thought I had dropped off the blogosphere, eh? Yeah, well it has been exactly a month since my last post on this blog, but a lot of stuff has been going on in my life which has been keeping me so busy that I kinda let the blog dangle for a bit. But now I am back!

So what have I been up to? Well, I will attempt to recount some of the more interestings things and leave the rest on the editing floor.

Ryan made Honor Roll! Yep! Ryan was on the Honor Roll for the Fall Semester at his middle school. I was bursting with pride at his achievement. He worked very hard this school year and it really paid off for him. Last month, he asked me to go with him to the school's Honor Roll Breakfast for family. We enjoyed a nice pancake breakfast together and I got to watch him get his certificate. It was a special day for him (and for me too)!

Getting Fit! Starting this year, I decided to start working out -- walking, strength training, etc. In March, I added running to my list of activities. I am finding that I really enjoy running. First on the treadmill and now outdoors. I even ran (well actually ran some, walked some) my first 5K in April! I think I am hooked! In fact, I am running another 5K this Sunday, May 22. I feel good, and it adds to my overall goal of living a more healthy, active lifestype. I even set up a second blog just to chronicle my journey down this path: rickpeete.squarespace.com. In fact, I have been posting to it more often than I have here this past month. (Oops!) Check it out!

A few Hospitalizations Not me, but in my family. Ryan had to go into Children's Hospital for a week in early May to address some gastronomical issues. He was a real trooper and got through the experience alright. He was discharged on Mother's Day, which was awesome because it made that day even more special for my wife Christi. He is back to his old bouncy self now!

Unfortunately, Christi ended up in the hospital exactly a week after Mother's Day. Go figure! She is still being treated and I ask your prayers as we work through this difficult time. She is improving but it is still unclear as to what the doctors are going to do and when she might be coming home.

Entertainment So in the midst of all of these things, we have tried to find ways to have a little fun! In April, Christi and I went to see a good friend (and Ryan's Godfather) in the musical "Guys and Dolls". A really fun show. And Tony, the lead male role, was fantastic! In May, we all went to see a CYT Production of "Godspell" which was very well done as well! It was nice seeing so many friends from CYT there and watch the young performers! Brought back good memories of Laura when she performed with the group.

We also saw quite a few movies over the last month: Fast Five (Cars!), Thor 3D (Awesome!), Rio (Fun!), Source Code (Great!), The Conspirator (Intriguing!), Battle: Los Angeles, and The Adjustment Bureau. Yeah, we like to see movies as a family or on 'date nights'. We are looking forward to seeing Pirates of the Caribbean 4, The Hangover Part II, X-Men: First Class, Captain America, Super 8, Harry Potter, Green Lantern, and The Tree of Life.

Graduations! I have lots of great young adults who have graduated this year so far that I want to send a 'shout out' to: Corey Noe, Amanda Ossler, and Kylie Noe. Congratulations to you all! And there are more coming in June as well -- Abbey Kolarczyk, Kirsten Noe, Carol Koelling, Bryan Jones, Matt Andrews, and so many others! It is always a joy to watch kids from your youth programs grow up into amazing adults!

--------

Well, I think those are the major events in the past month. Stay tuned for what's coming up in June. The biggie? The Episcopal Youth Event (EYE) in Minnesota!! I am going and it is going to be phenomenal!!! And I will totally be blogging about that right here!