AFFIRM 2010

So I am about to create the longest blog that you may ever see me write, it will cover the seven days that I spent on staff for AFFIRM at Berry College in Rome, GA. I had a blast, and I wrote in a little notebook every night so that I could remember what to post when I got back to my trusty little pc and write out the story for you.

So I arrived on Friday and I spent the weekend getting to know my fellow staff members (who, I assure you, are some of the most wonderful people you could hope to meet) and it involved a local ball game, time to get to know each other, riding in cars to the locations while we still could, and many coffee runs.
The youth started to pour in on Sunday around two thirty and from there on we meet all of our kids. I was worshiptivity staff, and we had 22 participants. The first night everyone was kind of tired and not quite ready to have to plan an entire service so we had parts of it already planed out for them with enough room for them to have a say so. Monday was the real test and they all more than passed it. This year's worship sessions were by far the best that anyone had ever seen, and for good reason, our group was great.

And now for my notes. :)

Monday
Today was amazing, the youth really pulled together and created one of the finest worship sessions I've ever seen. Though I have no set help position being the "floater" of the staff group I wound up working with was creative liturgy. The reason that I wound up settling here to begin with was because there were absolutely no youth lined up to help with it. ( I guess that liturgy doesn't excite everyone in the same way. lol ) Luckily for myself and the other staff, looking sad sitting on the front of the stage eventually brought around a few (4) kids.

The first road block that we hit was that no one understood what creative liturgy even was. Once we explained to them that they were "directing the service" then the planing picked up a bit. The four who volunteered did a wonderful job and the only other issue that we had was that they were trying to plan every single detail, when they were only supposed to outline things. (This wasn't the last time that this would happen during the week.) Eventually Ed got them back on track though and it was good.

So I've noticed that as a leader I hold a lot more authority over the 6th to 9th grade crowd than anyone else. In a way that makes sense because I am only nineteen myself and a friend to a lot of the people in the 10th to 12th grade range. One of the issues this has created for me is the "staff side hug issue." Remember how when you were a camper and you so terribly wanted to give that cool councilor a hug? Remember how they gave you that fake side hug? I now know why, and just how hard it is to stop one of your long time friends from tackling you.

Ok, I"m exhausted...more later.

Affirm

So I'm in the middle of staff weekend right now at affirm and I'm Noreen than excited to be here. The kids haven't arrived and I'm sure that this is going to be the highlight of everyone's year. :) more later

No Title

So my camera broke and it's almost time for AFFIRM. So much for bringing back pretty pic's for everyone. *sigh* I'll get it fixed though when I come back

This Friday I leave out for Synod Assembly, which is where all of the Lutheran churches are going to get together and discuss issues. "Discuss" could be a lose term this weekend, as the leading topic will be whether or not we continue to ordain openly gay and lesbian pastors. I think that screaming may more accurately describe what I'm going to see this weekend. It's going to be my first real look at what church business is like. I'm perplexed to be honest.

So after this weekend it'll only be two weeks until I go to that wonderful event that we in the southeastern synod refer to as AFFIRM. When I go to AFFIRM this year I was supposed to be in a class of about 10 or so "young adults" who all undergo training to be qualified as camp councilors and possible church leaders for the future. Yesterday my youth leader came up to me and informed me that my class actually wouldn't exist. I freaked. (By freaked I mean that I had a blank and confused look on my face.) She quickly followed by telling me that I was still going, but that I was the only one who had signed up so they were going to put me at a "half staff" level. I"m apparently going to to have one-on-one time with the Bishop and special training with the leaders. They've put me with worshiptivity so I have the suspicion that I may be helping lead worship for 300 people....this is going to be an experience.