Saturday, October 30, 2010

Beyond Games and Soup Kitchens with Rodger Nishioka

A couple of weeks ago, several of us from the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia attended a seminar at Union Presbyterian Seminary with Rodger Nishioka, Benton Family Chair in Christian Education, Columbia Theological Seminary.  The title of the seminar, "Beyond Games and Soup Kitchens: Nurturing a Passionate Spirituality in Youth Ministry," didn't begin to cover the treasures unfolded in the two days spent in dialogue together. 

I must admit that I LOVE learning.  Crave new information like others crave chocolate.  I took 13 pages of notes over the two days.  I'm still transcribing those notes, so let me share what some others took away from our time with Rodger Nishioka:

The one thing Rodger said that really stuck with me was, and I’m paraphrasing, “the Golden Rule is well and good to get us started, but what I think God is really calling us to do is love our neighbor as they want to be loved. This means we must get to know them enough to know how best they are loved, not simply place our own wants and needs on them.”

What a fascinating idea! I’ve already shared this with my youth and they also had a really positive reaction to the idea. I hope that in my ministry, I am loving these youth as they need to be loved!

Sarah Ramsey
Director of Youth Ministries
Williamsburg Presbyterian Church

I think the thing that intrigued me the most was the discussion of moral realism vs moral relativism and our role in guiding them through this shift.  Not that I was completely oblivious to these different ways of thinking, but the emphasis on this helped me to think about the way that I interact with my youth group.  It also forces me to gauge the expectations I have for my kids and will allow me to adjust accordingly.
Sherri Egerton
Program Director
Makemie Woods Camp and Conference Center

During the seminar, resources for further reading were recommended... this one is currently available for checkout from the Resource Center:

Kenda Creasy Dean's "Practicing Passion: Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church" - this book offers a compelling new model for reaching, discipling, and empowering today's youth. The uniqueness of this book lies in its relocating youth ministry in practical theology rather than in educational theory or psychological or social development. It pays attention to the theological mooring that youth need to connect with the church and hold firm amid the growing demands of popular culture by focusing on the theological resonance between the passion of Christ and adolescents' experience of passion. She uses this to develop a framework for youth ministry that draws on the historic practices of the Christian community as a 'curriculum of passion."

Want to learn more?  Rodger Nishioka is coming to our area!  He'll be at Makemie Woods March 18-19.  Mark your calendars now and look for more information to come.

No comments: