2019 LCMS Ohio District Jr High Youth Gathering

LCMS Ohio District Jr. High Youth Gathering

 

The weekend of March 8-10 3 of our youth and 2 adult chaperones attended the Ohio District Jr. High Youth Gathering in Columbus OH.  The weekend was filled with breakout sessions, games, Bible Studies, crafts, guest speakers, LOTS of singing, and a dance.  The two guest Pastors were Pastor Derrick Hurst out of Columbus OH, and Pastor Jeffrey Meinz out of Colorado Springs, CO.  The theme was Strength Training and revolved around the Bible verse “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”  Philippians 4:13.  In talking with our youth after the gathering, they felt the best part of the gathering were the speakers, games, and the music.  Pastor Jeffrey did a great job about bringing kids out of the audience to participate in his telling of the story.  His teaching style, which included comedy and life examples that then translated into a Bible story/lesson, spoke volumes to our youth as well as adults.  I will never forget his story of Jesus healing the man with leprosy.  The man with leprosy came into the crowd, where he was not allowed.  He went against everyone because he knew if he could just see Jesus, Jesus could heal him.  To illustrate this Jeffrey took a youth and turned him into a human banana split to show how gross and disgusting this man with leprosy was.  Pastor Jeffrey then took the boy and embraced him, demonstrating what our heavenly father does for us.  This man with leprosy was gross and in public, a place he was not supposed to be, but Jesus healed him.  We are full of sin, and not worthy of God’s love, but he embraces us and calls us his own.

 

 

 

Another highlight of the weekend was singing along with Peder Eide to his upbeat and crazy songs.  He does a great job of getting the kids involved.  This is the second gathering I have been to in which he has been the performer.  Both times he did a great job getting all of the kids hugging each other, dancing with each other, and interacting with people they did not even know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last highlight was getting to watch one of our Sr. High Youth assist in leading the conference.  Every year we have attended we have had one of our youth on the leadership team.  It is pretty cool to watch a child you have seen grow up, get in front of all of these people and lead and participate in sharing the love of Christ.  This year the youth was Katelyn Aragon.  She has been on the YMT team for two years, and has been talking to her younger brother about possibly being on the team next year.  Our younger youth really enjoyed the YMT leaders and a few of them asked how old they have to be to do that.

 

 

 

All in all, it was a great weekend!

 

2019 Spring Federation Seminar

Annual Federation Seminar

March 30, 2019 9:00 am – 12:15 pm

Grace Lutheran Church

3628 Boudinot Ave, Cincinnati, OH

"Hope If Your Heart Is Breaking" (based on the Book of Job)

Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing

For additional information contact:

Robert Mercer at: rmercer@zoomtown.com

Schedule

Registration 8:45 –9:15 am

Seminar 9:30 –10:30 am

Break 10:30 –11:00 am

Seminar 11:00 –12:15

Robert Reed Lessing was ordained in 1986. He received his M.Div., S.T.M., & Ph.D. from Concordia Seminary. In 1999 he was installed as assistant professor of exegetical theology at Concordia Seminary. In 2005 he became an associate professor. In 2007 he became the director of the seminary’s graduate school. In 2010 he became Professor of Exegetical Theology. In 2013 he returned to parish ministry as senior pastor of St. Michael Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

He has taught courses on books in the Old Testament, Hebrew, Homiletics, Biblical Hermeneutics, & Preaching. He has published five books and written over 20 articles for religious journals.

Thrivent Choice Dollars

Your Thrivent Choice Dollars for 2018 will expire March 31, 2019.  If you have not already designated them for 2018, please consider Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Florence, KY .  At present, we monitor all funds coming into our designated Thrivent Money account and use this for special projects around our church and sometimes use the money for “grants” for those that might need some assistance in going on a church field trip or Youth gathering. We have several sanctuary items also that were purchased with the past Thrivent Choice Dollars. If you need assistance in donating funds please call:

Thrivent at 800-847-4836 and say “Choice Dollars” –it take about 3 minutes to have the Thrivent Representative assist you or you may log on to

www.thrivent.com/thriventchoice, and when prompted enter Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Florence, KY—please make sure to check the correct Good Shepherd Church.  Thank you for all of your kind donations to GSLC.  

Your Thrivent Advocate,

Tammy Woolley