Renew…Educate…Connect…
Every Extravaganza has a theme. A theme gives direction and guidance to the planing team. A theme gives context for participants. And a theme gives space for the Holy Spirit to work within us…to move us together. Because we can ...
The Extravaganza planning team leaders just completed their annual meeting to review and debrief from the 2023 Extravaganza, and to launch the planning process for Extravaganza 2024. The planning team is thankful for all of the people who chose to ...
In the movie “Jerry McGuire,” the title character, played by Tom Cruise, says at one point “We live in a cynical world.” It was a moment of deep truth in an otherwise funny but pretty forgettable movie. We live in ...
CHICAGO (Jan. 18, 2023) — The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), partnered with the ELCA Youth Ministry Network, has received a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the Formation Lab Project. The goal of the project ...
Every Extravaganza has a theme. A theme gives direction and guidance to the planing team. A theme gives context for participants. And a theme gives space for the Holy Spirit to work within us…to move us together. Because we can cover great distance when we travel together. The theme for Extravaganza 2024 is “Dream”. Every ...
The Extravaganza planning team leaders just completed their annual meeting to review and debrief from the 2023 Extravaganza, and to launch the planning process for Extravaganza 2024. The planning team is thankful for all of the people who chose to participate in the 2023 event, either in person or online. And we are grateful to ...
In the movie “Jerry McGuire,” the title character, played by Tom Cruise, says at one point “We live in a cynical world.” It was a moment of deep truth in an otherwise funny but pretty forgettable movie. We live in a cynical world. We all see it. Everyday. All around us. In our community, I ...
CHICAGO (Jan. 18, 2023) — The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), partnered with the ELCA Youth Ministry Network, has received a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the Formation Lab Project. The goal of the project is to help congregations move past prescriptive, outdated models of youth ministry that often separate ...
The Network is excited to welcome Alyssa Engedal to the Network leadership team. This Fall, Alyssa will begin serving as the Network’s finance director. Alyssa currently serves as the Faith Formation Minister at Immanuel Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. In that role, Alyssa provides leadership for ministries with children, youth and ...
Extravaganza 2023 participants will have an opportunity to learn how to stretch their thinking and tap into their imagination as they wonder about new directions for their ministry. One of the Intensive Care Courses being offered this year is “Imagination: The Curiosity Tour” and is being taught by former Disney Imagineer, C. McNair Wilson. This Intensive Care Course ...
Hello Network! Members of the Network community are invited to come together for “Oasis: A Place Between” on November 10. Oasis is a digital webinar and a time of learning and connection that is designed for both volunteers and professionals who work in children, youth and family ministry. And for members of the Network at ...
This is the time of year that people are making decision about whether they will be joining their community at Extravaganza. I hear from people all the time about what an important time it is for them. The personal spiritual renewal, the quality continuing education and the networking and connections that are made are invaluable. Unfortunately, ...
Hello friends! The Network is searching for an individual who can take on the role of Financial Director for our organization. We need to fill this position because our current Financial Director, Debbie Clipson, is retiring. (There will be more about her retirement, and our deep gratitude to her in an upcoming blog post, when ...
Hello friends! I hope your summer is off to a great start and that mixed in with VBS, mission trips, camp, campfires, worship and “all the things,” you also get a chance for some rest and re-creation. The last two+ years have been…something…and taking an opportunity to breathe and rest is a critical part of ...
Network is a Verb 