AFFIRM

Silver Wars!

During AFFIRM, there's a friendly little competition between the units called ―Silver Wars to raise money for Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) for the Southeastern Storms. You might have heard of ―Penny wars - well here is how Silver Wars works… Bring all your change and dollars you want to donate to LDR. Each unit will have a jar for you to put ― money in, dimes, nickels, and quarters. The more ―silver you have in your unit’s jar, the more points the said unit will receive. BUT…you can put dollars, fives, tens, and pennies in other units' jars and a point will be taken away for anything other than ―silver. Last year AFFIRM gave $1002 to Lutheranch from our donation jars, and they’re hoping to top that this year for LDR! So, bring your silver to help out anyone you know who's going to AFFIRM. There will be a jar in the narthex for donations to be put in. If you have any questions please see Suzanne Taylor or Jenna Butz.

Click here for a video about AFFIRM

Affirm nurtures faith, equips youth leaders for today and tomorrow, and trains youth in discipleship skills. Affirm is for grades 7th – 12th as well as trains college freshman and sophomores for youth ministry in a unit called YAYMI, Young Adult Youth Ministry Institute. YAYMI gives young adults training in peer ministry, small groups, hands on leadership and much more! Affirm is based on 10 different “units”. Each of these units are staffed by small group leaders and a pair of unit directors. Most of our 85 staff members are small group leaders.

“Affirm is Great!” - AFFIRM 2011

AFFIRM 2011 is a five-day youth event of faith, fellowship, and friends sponsored by the ELCA Southeastern Synod. Grounded in Scripture, the event offers youth the opportunity to develop the ministry/life skills that allow each individual to know and live out God’s affirming touch in Jesus Christ. Affirm nurtures faith and equips youth leaders for today and tomorrow.

When and Where: June 19 – 24 at Berry College in Rome, GA (Transportation TBD)

Cost: This year the cost is $350.00. The deposit is $200.00. The cost includes lodging, all meals from Sunday supper through Friday breakfast, an event T-shirt, and all program costs. If you register after May 1, the cost goes up to $400. After June 1, please contact the registrar to see if there is space available.

Please note: St. Timothy will pay the remainder of the balance for each youth attending, after the deposit of $200 has been paid for by the youth. If you are in need of further financial assistance, please contact Pastor Groce.

Who Can Go: Youth who have completed 6th – 12th grades. YAYMI – Young Adult Youth Ministry Institute is for youth who have completed their freshman or sophomore year of college.

How Do I Register: Go to www.sesyouth.org and register online! You will need to create a user account first. At the website, you will have access to Affirm and other events, you’ll be able to leave messages for friends, share prayer requests with the community, you’ll know about the latest youth news around the synod and ELCA and much more! So go to www.sesyouth.org and set up your profile now!

The registrar, Gail Pittman, would prefer that you register online so she can quickly see what the numbers look like; however, there are hardcopy forms in the church office if you would like to do it that way. After you complete the online form, you will receive an email with all of the paperwork attached. (There are a couple of forms that require parent and pastor signatures.)

Very Important Information: You will not be assigned a unit until you mail the forms that require signatures in and pay the deposit. You can pay using Paypal or choose pay later and mail a check. $50 of this fee is a NON-Refundable processing fee. $150 can be refunded BEFORE May 1, 2011. Review the Unit Descriptions carefully. You will be asked to make a 1st and 2nd choice.

For YAYMI applicants only: You will have additional paperwork to fill out as well as a letter of reference that will need to be included with your application. Participants accepted into YAYMI will receive a $150 scholarship for the balance of the registration fee after the $200 deposit is paid.

UNIT DESCRIPTIONS 2011

GENESIS - for youth who have completed 6th - 7th grade and are new to the event
Genesis (a new creation) is a high energy, fun, "feel good" unit, designed to help 6th and 7th graders see that they are special and unique children of God who can have fun being Christians. They will be able to see how fellow Christians can work together to share the Good News. They will see themselves as God's work of art, created to live the Good Life through Jesus Christ and the Church. LIMIT-72 youth

MISSIONARIES - for youth who have completed 7th grade AND Genesis & 8th grade
Missionaries will provide youth the opportunity to explore issues of Christian living as they relate to service and witness. Youth will be invited to see themselves as an integral part of God's family and to see every person as someone whom God loves. We hope youth will grow in their understanding of God's call to be missionaries in their daily lives. Youth will be participating in off-campus service projects in the local Rome community. LIMIT-60 youth

JOURNEYS - for youth who have completed 8th - 9th grade
Journeys will provide youth with the opportunity to be led to the intersections where their lives will meet Christ's in a radical new way. The Gospel story will come alive as youth engage in creative communica-tion and small group activities. Youth will leave with a better knowledge of Jesus' journey and what mean-ing it has for their lives. LIMIT - 36 youth

SHEPHERDS – for youth who have completed 8th – 10th grades
Shepherds is an introduction to Christian Leadership. The Shepherd is the one who tends to and cares for the group. This unit will help individuals identify leadership styles and skills, enabling them to develop a greater understanding and confidence in their role as leaders. LIMIT – 48 youth

BRIDGES - for youth who have completed 10th - 12th grades
Bridges will provide an opportunity for high school youth to learn and experience the history and culture of all Americans - their music, spirituality, and struggle - as a gift. Bridges explores how barriers separate cultural groups from one another. Drawing on multi-media--MTV, popular movies, and cutting-edge music--participants will also learn creative ways to "build bridges," seeking to discover that which unites, rather than di-vides. LIMIT - 24 youth

EXODUS - for youth who have completed 10th - 12th grade
Exodus is "A Journey from Sin and Death to Resurrection and Everlasting Life." Participants will see and experience the abundance of God's love and grace given to us through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Exodus journey will help the participants grow spiritu-ally and be equipped to daily live the journey of living the faith and the grace God gives to us. LIMIT-48 youth

WORSHIPTIVITY- for youth who have completed 10th - 12th grade
Worshiptivity =Worship and Creativity. This unit is designed to help individuals faithfully combine their gifts of music, drama, and art to create the worship experience for the AFFIRM community. Through planning and leading worship during the week, individuals will grow in their own spirituality and gifts. LIMIT - 16 youth

REVELATIONS - for youth who have completed 11th - 12th grade
Revelations is an experiential lab in daily living. We seek to discover revelations and creative insights to help Senior High youth identify the many forces -- both good and bad-- which influence their lives. The pri-mary objective of this unit is to help the participants experience spiritual and emotional growth in a positive and affirming community of grace. LIMIT- 36 youth

YAYMI – Young Adult Youth Ministry Institute who have completed their freshman or sophomore year of collegeYAYMI is a small group experience for young adults who are called to be youth leaders. This unit uses an internship model whereby youth will work with mentors and units at Affirm to develop their skills in small group leadership, peer ministry, leading games, Lutheran perspectives, creative Bible Study and discussion, and much more. Limit-12 young adults

ELCA Youth Ministries

Southeastern Synod SES Youth