Apply Now! Invite your youth to join us at The Confluence, June 23rd-28th, 2024

Written by Gretchen Roeck

Do you know a high school student who is trying to figure out who they are and what kind of life they want to live? Invite them to attend The Confluence!Ěý

The Confluence at Augsburg University is a week where high schoolers are invited to explore their vocation — that space where their personal story, God’s story and the world’s story converge.Ěý

Invite the youth you know to our weeklong, on-campus, summer program for high school students who have completed 9th-12th grades.Ěý

Students will learn through:

– vocational discernment

– meaningful peer relationshipsĚýĚý

– experiential learning with local leaders and organizations in the TwinCities

– personal reflection and discernment

– small group conversation led by current Augsburg student mentors

– spiritual practices and daily worship

– theological inquiry and study with Augsburg professor, Dr. Jeremy Myers.Ěý

We hope to reach curious youth who want to live purposefully in relationship with their neighbors, orientated to God’s vision of a just and sustainable world for all. Questions and doubts are welcome.Ěý

Cost: $400/participant. Participants are responsible for transportation to and from Augsburg University.Ěý

Apply now at: /confluence/join-us-this-summer/

Application Deadline: May 15th

Augsburg Scholarship Opportunity:Ěý Students who attend The Confluence and decide to attend Augsburg University as a full-time student will receive a minimum of $20,000 applied to their financial aid package for up to four years.

˛ĎłÜąđ˛őłŮžą´Ç˛Ô˛ő?Ěý

Please contact Gretchen Roeck, Program Director

roeck@augsburg.edu

612-330-1412

augsburg.edu/confluence

The post Apply Now! Invite Your Youth to Join Us at The Confluence, June 23rd-28th, 2024 appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

Making new connections and building on those relationships can be really exciting but also really scary. I got the opportunity to make new connections with high school youth at the 2023 Augsburg Youth Theology Institute: The Confluence! This program was filled with connections between our story, God’s story and The World’s story. We learned about our own spiritual gifts, practiced vocational discernment and heard stories from the neighbors in our community. Many memories, laughs, smiles, and even cries were shared. All of these things influenced why I chose to be a mentor this year. Having these connections with people who come from all over is a really important part of who we are. We get to hear each other’s stories, learn from them and grow because of them.

This weeklong program had a lot to offer to young people. However, as this week progressed there were some challenges that arose for us mentors. “Having the energy, the patience, and the positive attitude around the participants was the most challenging part” (A 2023 Mentor). But not only were there challenges, there were exciting moments. A fellow mentor said, “It was exciting to see the participants interact with guest pastors, speakers and teachers. Their curiosity was so inspiring and fun to watch.” As mentors, we realized that it was truly amazing to get to know each other and all the participants. We were able to create a relationship with everyone at this program. By having our own small groups, we got to know and understand participants at a deeper level spiritually and we were able to help each other grow in our faith”.ĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚýĚý

This week has helped all of us mentors in different ways. For some, it gave them a purpose and education that made them feel like they can make a difference in the community. For others, it helped gain a sense of their vocation and how that might impact what they pursue in the future. In our own ways, we were able to gain more experiences that contributed to a sense of our vocations. Being a mentor made a lot of us step out of our comfort zone and into a leadership role. Many of us realized how important being a leader can change a person in the community.Ěý

All of these participants had something in common. They all wanted to be the readers and listeners in our neighborhood to hear the stories our communities had to offer. We all have a different story, but it’s up to us if we want to tell it or not. Each of us can be the author, but not everyone wants to be the reader. It takes curiosity, motivation, and even experiences to bring us to our communities in our neighborhoods.Ěý

I am so glad I got to be a part of this amazing program and walk alongside these young people as we all discover our vocation and dive deeper into our own faith. As mentors, we will take this experience with us wherever we go and continue to make connections with those around us. We will grow not only individually, but as community members in our neighborhood.

The post The Confluence 2023 Mentor Experience appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

The CONFLUENCE

What a gift to host the 2023 Augsburg Youth Theology Institute: the Confluence! Our souls are refreshed, hearts are full, and bodies exhausted. On Sunday, June 25th, 20 high school students from Northfield, to North Minneapolis, to North Dakota and beyond, arrived on campus to spend a week focused on vocation, think theologically, and ask big questions about God’s purpose for their lives. This was the first in-person Institute we have been able to host in four years, and it was an incredible experience. Young people arrived eager to meet new people and share their stories, excited to learn more about themselves and the world around them, and dig deeper into God’s story.

WHAT DID WE DO?Ěý

Participants stayed on campus in Anderson Hall and spent the week eating in the dining hall. We woke up every morning and started the day with a devotion prepared by college mentors. Participants spent 1.5 hours each morning in a college classroom with a college professor, digging into theology and exploring the same biblical texts offered for daily devotions. We built relationships with others in our small groups, we played games, we told stories. We got out into the community and we ate delicious food. Every evening we worshiped, in unique and different ways each day. A favorite of all participants was Dinner Church where we shared communion, a meal, and a little karaoke! The song “Wade in the Water” was a constant throughout the week (Refrain: wade in the water, wade in the water children, wade in the water. Don’t you know that God’s gonna trouble the water.)Ěý

VOCATIONAL DISCERNMENT

Participants engaged in multiple activities designed to help them reflect on the God given gifts they have and get curious about how they might use them in the world. They started by mapping their life as if it were a river, what bends and turns has it taken, are there any rocks in the way, who are the people that waved from the river bank. Then they took the CliftonStrengths assessment and spent time learning about strengths and how to use them. Each participant took a spiritual gifts assessment and talked with other participants about what they have in common and how they use their gifts.Ěý

On Thursday, staff from the Riverside Innovation Hub joined participants to teach about the Ignatian Prayer practice of consolation and desolation. They gave directions for engaging in a Prayer Walk around the neighborhood, similar to what they use with congregations. Participants spent time walking through the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood focusing on where they experienced consolation and desolation. They returned to draw their own maps, share their stories, and make plans for a prayer walk in their own neighborhoods when they return home.Ěý

COMMUNITY ENGAGED LEARNING

What is the world’s story? Each afternoon, we ventured out into the city to learn from local leaders about the issues that break our hearts. We learned from a local Indigenous elder about the genesis and genocide of the Dakota people in Minnesota. We heard from local climate change activists about the devastating effects of the pipelines moving through northern Minnesota and how choosing solar power can make a lasting change. We were guided through the George Floyd Memorial site by local leaders on a pilgrimage journey of grief and pain that still impacts lives today. Each day was filled with powerful reflection and learning. Each participant was challenged and grew during this week.Ěý

STAY TUNED!

Our hope for participants is that this experience helped them to gain deeper insight into who they are and the life they want to live as children of God. Coming in August, we will be publishing a website with participant projects. Each participant has an opportunity to use the creative gifts God has given them to write a poem, sing a song, create art, use photography, make a video or something else to explore their own vocation following their experience at the Confluence. We look forward to celebrating the final projects these incredible young people develop!Ěý

P.S. We hope you go back and look at our daily pictures and videos from the week on our social media accounts – on or ! And if your congregation is supporting a young person in sharing their experience from this week, please tag us so we can help you celebrate!Ěý

The post The CONFLUENCE: a place where your story, the world’s story, and God’s story flow together. appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

Below you will meet our young adult writers that are leading this project. You can find the whole list of writers, their bios and headshots .

Young Adult Writers

Rev. Madeline Burbank (she/her) is a pastor serving congregational and campus ministry in southern Wisconsin. Bringing particular perspectives as a queer leader and young adult, she highlights how God embraces the diversity of human relationships and inherent worth of pleasure, which reinforce our path toward mutual liberation. In addition to writing and pastoral care, she enjoys connecting with people through tabletop and video games, or birdwatching for Sandhill Cranes. Madeline’s co-author is Kara Haug.Ěý

Shaya Aguilar was born and raised in Southern California. She has a B.A. in Psychology and Hispanic Studies and an M.S. in Ministry from Pepperdine University. Beyond the titles of friend, sister and daughter, she has served as an Assistant Chaplain in the spiritual life hub at Pepperdine and currently works as an Instructional Developer for Fuller Equip. She is grateful to be able to serve the church by making theological education accessible to those who may not be able to afford or invest in a seminary education. In her free time, she finds joy in exploring new hiking trails, cooking, and trying local coffee shops. She hopes to contribute to the dialogue that helps foster church communities that are known for being healing, hospitable and grace filled. Shaya’s co-author is Soong-Chan Rah.Ěý

J.D. Mechelke is a Ph.D. student at Drew University in the division of Theological and Philosophical Studies in Religion. His research centers around political theology, vocation, and ecology in the Anthropocene. He holds a M.A. from Luther Seminary and a B.A. from Augsburg University. J.D. is a nomad in the United States. J.D’s co-author is Talitha Amadea Aho.Ěý

Sarah Brock Iverson is a physician assistant in Minnesota where she has practiced in both Family Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology. She is passionate about patient education, women’s health, and fostering habits that promote long term health and wellness. Before becoming a PA, Sarah worked in a high school science lab in Rwanda, a dementia group home in rural Minnesota, and at Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Churchwide offices in Chicago. She enjoys running, cooking, traveling, and sailing on the Mississippi River with her husband, Andrew. Sarah’s co-author is Jia Johnson.

Catalina Morales Bahena is a community organizer currently located in Minnesota. She is about to receive her undergraduate degree in Theology and English from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is a proud DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient and fierce advocate for immigration rights. Catalina conducted a TEDxUMN in 2018 about the struggles of undocumented immigrants called “Why We Need to Stop Talking About DACA & Start Talking About Immigrants.” In 2019, she received the Immigrant of Distinction Award from American Immigration Lawyers Association for her work on Immigrant Sanctuary in Minnesota. Catalina’s co-author is Rozella HaydĂŠe White.

Amber Kalina serves as a pastor in rural Minnesota. She loves encouraging members of the Body of Christ to use their gifts and passions to serve God and neighbor. A Bible verse that guides her is, “Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Cor 16:13-14). Amber’s co-author is Reesheda N. Graham Washington.

Baird Linke attends Wartburg Theological Seminary to become a pastor. Baird has worked with ELCA Young Adults, the Riverside Innovation Hub, and Lutherans Restoring Creation. He is from Montana and loves spending time outside with his dog Kintla, reading, and playing music. Baird has found that young people have a very clear-eyed view of the world they are stepping into and the pains and joys it carries. He thinks that the church needs to listen to young adults if it hopes to stay meaningful for people’s lives. Baird’s co-author is Rev. Kristen Glass Perez.Ěý

The post Meet the Writers for the Book Project appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

One of the ways the Christensen Center for Vocation is engaging in vocational discernment with students is through the hiring and training of college mentors as facilitators for the annual Augsburg Youth Theology Institute. Mentors spend the spring semester discerning their own God given gifts, practicing small group facilitation, digging into theological texts with curiosity for how they might give us some insight into the questions we have about how to show up as neighbors in our own neighborhoods, churches, schools, and communities.Ěý

This year’s mentors are engaged, curious, and determined to create a community of belonging for our participants. And that means focusing on their own development. They are practicing leading prayer, asking questions, developing their strengths, understanding their spiritual gifts, and digging into texts. Stay tuned for our upcoming social media introductions and highlights from the end of the month training retreat – follow up on or to learn more!Ěý

APPLY TODAY!

Do you know high school students who would benefit from an experience like this?Ěý

The CONFLUENCE is an experience that empowers young people to be curious about how their personal story, the world’s story, and God’s story flow together to create a loving and just world. In June of each year, we invite high school students to spend a week living on campus with our college mentors, building relationships and getting to know one another, exploring theology and discerning vocation through experiential learning opportunities. Our hope is for them to gain deeper insight into who they are and the life they want to live as children of God. This learning happens through many forms: academic inquiry in the classroom, community engaged learning, a variety of worship styles and spiritual practices.Ěý

College mentors play an important role as facilitator and guide for the high school participants throughout the week as everyone leans into opportunities for vocational discernment.Ěý

Applications are open until May 15th – will you JOIN US THIS SUMMER!Ěý

MEET THE 2023 MENTORS FOR THE CONFLUENCE!

Jasmyn Kendall (she/her/hers)Ěý

• First, Major/Minor: 3rd year Biochemistry major
• Top 5 CliftonStrengths: Restorative, Learner, Achiever, Significance, Futuristic

Tell a story that was influential in your faith journey

I grew up going to church every Sunday, never really understanding it, just learnt the songs. After a couple years in Minnesota a lot of things changed for my family and my interest in learning and understanding the bible was triggered. I started going back to church to understand and live the gospel.

Sarah Runck (She/Her/Hers)

• Year/Major/Minor: 3rd year Music Therapy major, Psychology and Religion minors
• Top 5 CliftonStrengths: Includer, Developer, Positivity, Maximizer, InputĚý

Tell a story that was influential in your faith journey.

Growing up, I only went to church because I had to and I never understood why my parents liked it so much. In fifth grade all that changed because we found out my dad had cancer. At the time, I didn’t really understand what was happening and all my parents would say was “Just pray. Everything will be okay”. I still did not understand. One night I started crying and just began talking to myself. It was a weird feeling but I felt a presence, like someone was there listening. A few weeks passed and 2-3 times a week I had to go to my dad’s dialysis after school. I would sit with him and we would talk. Those conversations stick with me today as they helped influence my faith because he was getting strong in his faith. After three years, my dad sadly passed away. It wasn’t until the night he passed that I truly found my faith. I cried for days and nights and got so angry at God. But as time passed I was comforted, supported, and given signs by God. Shortly after, the anger went away and the part of me that was missing was finally discovered. But it took losing something to gain something more. My life was forever changed. I was able to meet some mentors who helped me and changed my life. I started teaching religious education to children and young adults. I became actively involved in several churches and organizations. I was able to help people get through losses because I experienced it. I even had people reach out to me saying that my faith had inspired them. When I look back at my fifth grade self, never would I imagine me to be where I am right now. My faith is a big part of my everyday life and I am proud to be the person who I am today because of it.

Carson Vincent (He/Him/They/Them)Ěý

• Year/Major/Minor: 3rd year Biochemistry and Religion major
• Top 5 CliftonStrengths: Analytical, Strategic, Individualization, Connectedness, learnerĚý

Tell a story that was influential in your faith journey.

Summer of 2022 I worked on weeklong staff at a bible camp. I worked as the waterfront coordinator. The experience of working at a bible camp was very transformative for me. I grew up attending bible camp every summer as a kid. I was always my happiest and most authentic self at bible camp. This rang true as a councilor. Being a part of such a charged faith space all summer really showed me that my call is to ministry. I’m currently planning on attending seminary after graduation, and working at a bible camp really solidified my plans to go into ministry.

Ella SutherlandĚý (she/her/hers)Ěý

• First, Major/Minor: 2nd year Elementary Education major
• Top 5 CliftonStrengths: Includer, restorative, Woo, Developer, and Futuristic

Tell a story that was influential in your faith journey.

Coming to Augsburg I was very introverted and shy. I did not enjoy public speaking. However, this year I wanted to take more risks and make more connections with people. Campus Ministries always hosts a block party in September. It sounded really fun so I decided to go. I tried to reach out more and talked to the pastors and the student deacons. They were very friendly and answered any questions that I had. Everyone was so friendly, it made me want to grow in my own faith and to regularly attend church and really become more involved on campus.

Bella Wizik (She/her/hers)Ěý

• First, Major/Minor: 1st year Film, Communications, and New Media major
• Top 5 CliftonStrengths: Discipline, Includer, Responsibility, Focus, Restorative

Tell a story that was influential in your faith journey.

In middle school I used to tag along with my friend to her youth group outings. I wasn’t raised religious so each time I went it was a new and unique experience. One night after some bible study and small group discussion we went to Mcdonalds and paid for the cars order behind us. After that we went down to Canal Park which is on the edge of Lake Superior, and we handed out fresh red roses to those that were passing by. I remember seeing the smiles on peoples faces and the joy that we brought to them. Seeing this, and being a part of a group that had good intentions in our community was empowering and fulfilling. So I continued to attend youth group with her and some of my other friends, and after many more joyous experiences similar to the roses, I had no plans to stop.Ěý

The post Mentors Practice Vocational Discernment In Preparation for the Institute! appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

Since 2005, Augsburg University has been gathering high school students from all over the country for an annual weeklong on-campus experience focused on theological exploration and vocational discernment. This gathering isĚý one of 90+ programs across the country.Ěý This program is a collaborative effort sponsored by Augsburg University’s Christensen Center for Vocation and supported by Lilly Endowment, Inc. What an incredible gift to be able to do this work with young people.

UNCERTAINTY ANDĚýHOPE

These last three years, young people have navigated online schooling, virtual meetings, programs ending and not returning, friends graduating and not returning, the staff that supported them being laid off or leaving positions. This has been difficult. We know that.

The impact of the pandemic has confirmed what we have known all along about young people, they want a place to belong and make sense of how to use the gifts God has given them for a more loving and just world. The places and spaces where they could co-create that beautiful world were shut down and in some cases never returned. Coming back from that feels like starting over. And that is hard. Yet, the youth theology institute at Augsburg has continued to be a place that offers hope and community for high school participants and college mentors. Read one story here from a former Augsburg student, institute mentor, and past participant.

THIS YEAR

We have always known that attending our program is an additional opportunity for young people. High school students are competing for for multiple activities demanding their time. We offer a place where they can authentically be themselves and the experience of belonging. No matter who they are, where they come from, how they identify, who they love – God has created them in God’s image and their story matters here.

This year more than ever we are reminded of our roots as a university; we are guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran Church and rooted in the place based neighborhood of in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood and alongside the Mississippi River. God has called us to this place and our vocation is to learn to love and serve our neighbor here. And we know how to teach young people to do that in their communities and neighborhoods.

This summer, we are excited to launch a new name for our summer Institute and bring the story back home:

THE CONFLUENCE Ěýis an experience that empowers young people to be curious about how their personal story, the world’s story, and God’s story flow together to create a loving and just world

WHY SHOULD YOUNG PEOPLE ATTEND?

We will start with your story, weave in the world’s story, and be guided by God’s story that all flow together. A confluence is defined as “the junction of two rivers, especially rivers of approximately equal width” and “an act or process of merging.” There are many confluence’s in our lives, this summer’s Institute will be just one place to explore how those stories flow together. This experience offers young leaders an opportunity to learn to love themselves more fully through discovering the gifts God has given them. Together in community, high school participants learn how to practice vocational discernment through a variety of experiences including:

• intentional community building with small groups led by college mentors
• daily spiritual practices of prayer, journaling, first word, and worship
• learning how spiritual gifts and strengths inventories can deepen our understanding of the gifts God has us
• reading books and articles that invite academic inquiry as a way of understanding theology and vocation
• community based learning in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood and the greater Twin Cities

HOPE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Our hope is that by the end of the CONFLUENCE, each participant will have gained a deeper insight into who they are and the life they want to lead as children of God. These stories all flow together – it’s simple.

APPLY TODAY!

Applications open on February 1st, 2023!

The Institute offers young people an environment with the freedom to discover who God has called them to be through building meaningful relationships, engaging in community, and practicing vocational discernment.

Who are you inviting to attend the CONFLUENCE?

Which high school students do you know that are longing for a faith community that will fully accept them?

We’ve got just the place for you!

The post Introducing THE CONFLUENCE! appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

Pause. /ąčĂ´łú/

a temporary stop in action or speech.Ěý

So many times in my work as a youth director, in my job as a high school career counselor, and my life as a mama, I have found myself pushing the pause button to explain a scene in a movie, describe the steps in a college application, or decipher a lyric in a song. According to Wikipedia, the pause button was invented in the 1960s “during that decade for use on reel-to-reel audio recorder controls” and was intended as an “indicator which stops operation intermittently and keeps the equipment in operating mode”. Today, we only have to look at the little two line symbol to know that once we hit that button, it’s just a momentary pause in whatever we are doing.

This summer, the staff at the Augsburg Youth Theology Institute had to make the difficult decision to cancel our summer institute due to low enrollment. This is the first time this significant decision has been made in our history. We are grieving. And yet with the hopefulness toward the future, we have energy for listening, dreaming, and creating. In order to do that, we are choosing to see this point in time as a pause in our regular communications. This pause will allow us to lean in, stop operations intermittently, and keep our program in operating mode as we discern the next steps on our journey. We are not “out” of this pandemic yet and we are not returning to any old “normal”. Our congregations, our communities, and our young people are experiencing a shift. In response, we are choosing to accompany our congregational partners as we first listen and then learn a different way forward.Ěý

We believe wholeheartedly in the mission of the Augsburg Youth Theology Institute (AYTI). To inspire emerging high school theologians to observe, interpret, and engage their world through Christ for the sake of their neighbor. Our participants learn how to reflect theologically on culture and find meaningful ways to respond to the call from God that happens in this process of reflection.Ěý

Our social media posts and stories will be on pause for the summer as we listen to all that is happening, moving, and changing around us and for the young people we serve. We will be spending our time accompanying congregational partners, learning from them about the changing landscape of the young people they serve, and discerning next steps for mutual aid in these partnerships. We will be thinking theologically about our work at the institute and discovering meaningful ways to respond to God’s call in the process of this reflection. We look forward to sharing what we have learned through this important time of intentional reflection later this fall.Ěý

How is God calling you to press pause this summer?Ěý

AYTI will see you in September!Ěý

The post The Pause Button appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

2022 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to Pastor John Schwehn and Pastoral Intern Tori Remer for their guidance and support as mentors prepared to write these devotions. The hours of conversation, prayer, theological reflection, and support that were given throughout the process is gratefully appreciated. We are proud of our college mentors and their work this spring.

PERMISSION

AYTI offers these themes and devotions for use by our partners. All credit should be given to the Augsburg Youth Theology Institute when using this material. Thank you.Ěý

MISSION OF AYTI

The Augsburg Youth Theology Institute (AYTI) inspires emerging high school theologians to observe, interpret, and engage their world through Christ for the sake of their neighbor. Our participants learn how to reflect theologically on culture and find meaningful ways to respond to the call from God that happens in this process of reflection.Ěý

To achieve this, we provide an intense, one-week residential experience with a new theme every year. Students read theological texts and experience a college classroom, participate in worship, explore diverse community-based learning, and have intentional small group conversations led by college mentors. Following their week on campus, students write a theological paper on the theme and their paper is published in a journal to be shared with congregations and the wider community.Ěý

MONDAY DEVOTION

Author: Blaine Schultz (they/them), 1st year Undecided major

Daily Theme: Separation

Daily Verse: Genesis 3:1-13 NIV

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Monday Questions

• Read the daily theme and the daily verse
• Can you think of a time where you might have done something different than what was asked of you?
• How did that affect you or make you feel? What about the others around you, or maybe the situation?

In these moments, we can find ourselves separated from others whether that is our own choosing or not. Even in times where we might find ourselves separated from others or from God, we can still remember that God walks through the garden to find us and be with us.

TUESDAY DEVOTIONS

Author: Carson Vincent (he/they), 2nd year Biochemistry major and Religion minor

Daily Theme: Covenant

Daily Verse: Genesis 9:8-17 NIV

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

Tuesday Questions

• Read the daily theme and the daily verse
• What are some words or ideas that stuck out to you from the bible verse?
  • Definition: A covenant is defined as an agreement between two people.Ěý
  • God made a lot of covenants in the bible and God also made a lot of promises. The difference between a covenant and a promise is two way vs one way.Ěý
• Is God’s love a covenant or a promise? In other words, do we need to do anything to receive God’s love?

WEDNESDAY DEVOTION

Author: Sarah Runck (she/her), 2nd year Music Therapy major

Daily Theme: Reunion

Daily Verse: Luke 15: 1-10 NIV

The Parable of the Lost Sheep – Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

The Parable of the Lost Coin – “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Wednesday Questions

• Read the daily theme and the daily verse
• Can you recall a story where you connected with a person you hadn’t seen in a long time and felt an instant reunion?Ěý
• We all have felt lost in our lives, but who was the person, people, or thing that made you feel found?Ěý

THURSDAY DEVOTION

Author: Aaron Puent (he/him), 3rd year Religion major w/concentration in Global Studies

Daily Theme: Breaking Bread

Daily Verse: John 6: 1-15 NRSV

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’ Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’

Thursday Questions

• Read the daily theme and the daily verse
• If you were in the crowd and Jesus asked you what you wanted him to cater for this group of people, what food would you choose?
• Why do you think it’s important for people to share a meal?
  • Before the meal…Jesus gets in trouble for healing a sick man on the sabbath. Jesus says that it was the will of the Father. The people want to kill him because he claimed to be equal to God. Jesus speaks about the authority of the Son and refers to himself as such.
  • After the sermon… Begin with an argument/major claim against the understood status quo. Discuss this difficult and controversial topic over a meal. Leave as people are beginning to see Jesus for who he is.

Invitation: At the next two meals, pick a favorite Bible verse or poem or other writtenĚýwork.Ěý Read it before your next meal and then eat, then contemplate it. Then, atĚýyour next meal, eat and then read the same work. Contemplate. When did itĚýspeak to you the most?

FRIDAY DEVOTION

Author: Renee Christensen (she/her), 3rd year Theology & Public Leadership major

Friday Theme: Companionship

Friday Verse: Luke 24:13-35 Inclusive Translation

“That same day, two of the disciples were making their way to a village called Emmaus -which was several miles from Jerusalem- discussing all that had happened as they went. While they were discussing these things, Jesus approached and began to walk with them, though they were kept from recognizing Jesus, who asked them, “What are you two discussing as you go your way?” They stopped and looked sad. One of them, Cleopas by name, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have happened these past few days?”Ěý

Jesus said to them, “What things?” They said, “About Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet powerful in word and deed in the eyes of God and all the people– who our chief priests and leaders delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him. We were hoping that he was the One who would set Israel free. Besides all this, today– the third day since these things happened– some women of our group have just brought us some astonishing news. They were at the tomb before dawn and didn’t find the body; they returned and informed us that they had seen a vision of angels, who declared that Jesus was alive. Some of our number went to the tomb and found it to be just as the women said, but they didn’t find Jesus.”Ěý

Then Jesus said to them, “What little sense you have! How slow are you to believe all that the prophets have answered! Didn’t the Messiah have to undergo all this to enter into glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus interpreted for them every passage of scripture which referred to the Messiah. By now they were near the village they were going to, and Jesus appeared to be going further. But they said eagerly, “Stay with us. It’s nearly evening– the day is practically over.” So the savior went in and stayed with them.Ěý

After sitting down with them to eat, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, then broke the bread and began to distribute it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus, who immediately vanished from their sight. They said to one another, “Weren’t our hearts burning inside us as this one talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?” They got up immediately and returned to Jerusalem, where they found the Eleven and the rest of the company assembled. They were greeted with “Christ has risen! It is true! Jesus has appeared to Simon!” Then the travelers recounted what had happened on the road, and how they had come to know Jesus in the breaking of the bread.”

Friday Questions

• Read the daily theme and the daily verse
• Think about a time where you were angry with someone or at something. How did that experience feel? Were you truly angry or were there other emotions hidden under anger?
• It says in the text, “Were not our hearts burning?”. Think about what these two disciples just went through. These are all things that can cause a lot of trauma. It’s very possible they were experiencing some feelings of anger.Ěý
  • What did these two do with all of those feelings? They did the one thing that they thought might help, walk away.Ěý
  • How do you handle situations like this?Ěý
• What are one or two things that ground you in the midst of big feelings? Maybe a walk in the woods, meditation, prayer, silence, a run, a swim, etc.Ěý
  • Take a few minutes of silence to write about those things that ground you. And you are encouraged to take some time today to practice one of them.Ěý

To stay up to date on the happenings of the Augsburg Youth Theology Institute, we invite you to follow one of our social media channels: , , and .

The post Daily Devotions: God’s People [re]connect! appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

THE BEGINNING…

The first version of what is known now as AYTI, began in 2009 when Augsburg University received its first grant from the Lilly Endowment. With over 100 schools across the country leading theological education and vocational discernment experiences for high school students, we are grateful to hold this history of commitment to vocational discernment with young people.Ěý

°Ő°żśŮ´ĄłŰ…

And today, the Augsburg Youth Theology Institute (AYTI) is an annual summer program for high school students (9th-12th grades). This experience aims to offer young leaders an opportunity for place-based vocational discernment around a theological and leadership focused theme. Students who attend AYTI take their questions and curiosity to the public square to learn, listen, pray, and play on the Augsburg campus, in the neighborhood, and in the city. Participants engage in daily reflection with a theologian, community based learning, small group relationship building, and worship. This commitment to wonder about how God is calling us to the common good for the sake of the world, is the reason why high school students leave AYTI inspired to be God’s hands and feet in the world.Ěý

THE INSTITUTE…

On the ground, AYTI is a place where staff and college mentors work diligently to create an inclusive and welcoming space for high school students to get really curious about all their big questions about God. And these days, and especially in these last few pandemic filled years, our young people have had a lot of big questions about God, the church and our call to be neighbor, racial injustice and how they should respond, mental health needs and the struggle to connect, a sense that they don’t belong, death and dying, health and living.Ěý

We are so grateful to be a community that welcomes these kinds of theological questions!Ěý

• AYTI is a community that makes claims about God – we live our theology.Ěý
• AYTI is a community that believes our vocation is to love and serve our neighbor. And we actively do that at the Institute.
• AYTI is a community that acknowledges racial injustices, particularly for black people as a result of white supremacy, and works to dismantle these systems in the small and significant ways we can.
• AYTI is a community that acknowledges individuals struggles to show up in places and spaces that do not accept them, and we strive to create an environment thatĚý
• AYTI is a community that is welcoming and affirming for all people, regardless of their gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation.Ěý
• AYTI is a community that believes we are made in God’s image to love and be loved!Ěý

COVENANTS OF PRESENCE…

During the Institute, our college mentors and participants agree to show up and abide by the Covenants of Presence as listed below. In all that we do: worship, classroom learning, community engagement, small groups, devotions and more, we agree to these commitments. These are some of the expectations participants can have when they show up for the AYTI.Ěý

WHAT DO YOUR YOUTH NEED?

Are you a pastor or youth director in the midst of all the changes the pandemic has brought? Are your high school students asking these questions but not showing up? Are you wondering what is next?Ěý

Do you just need a good meal and a listening ear? Adrienne, the AYTI program director, is eager to buy you a meal and lend a listening ear. Will you say yes to this accompaniment? Please send us an email and we’ll schedule a time! ayti@augsburg.edu

The post Augsburg Youth Theology Institute: A Place for Curiosity in the Public Square appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

The word spring comes from old English meaning to leap, burst forth, fly up; spread, grow. It’s roots go back to Sanskrit sprhayati “desires eagerly,” and Greek spekhesthai “to hurry up”. (Etymonline)

Spring felt like it took its sweet time this year. It was like expecting a child to be born and then the child is not ready to come out yet. You can’t force these things, you take it one moment at a time and breath. As we breathe into the fullness of spring and our work becomes more and more rooted, it is clear that this work requires us to slow down, to be patient and to move at the pace of a growing flower. It may look slow and arduous at times, and this is the work of sowing seeds; we are like community gardeners for the public church and we are learning that this project moves at the pace of building trustworthy relationships. You can’t force this to work, and you can’t just bypass any important part because it makes you uncomfortable or you don’t understand it. What I’m finding inside of most congregations is this sense of needing things to speed up, there is this deep eagerness to spring forth and jump into action. And on the other hand God is calling us to slow down. Yes, move forward and take action, and don’t move so fast that you can’t smell the spring flowers. Don’t move so fast that you forget or bypass why you’re even doing this work. This time and space of work requires us to trust the flow of the process; to do all we can and then let the spirit do what it’s capable of doing.

So, In-between our large learning events RIH hosts smaller cohort meetings. These meetings focus on the art forms of the public church framework. All of the cohorts met this April. The intentions of these meetings were to build and deepen relational trust, reflect on the process of sharing learnings with the leadership in each congregation and expand more into the art form: interpretation.Ěý

During our meeting, we spent a substantial time focused on our leadership summaries. These conversations had high energy and for the first time congregations were really engaged with each other and asking questions; bouncing ideas back and forth. It was empowering to see the groups move from me being the focal point, to the community being the focal point. Seeing the community build more trust, accountability, and support for each other was beautiful; I was moved. This energy is also showing up inside of our congregations individual teams. Through practicing accompaniment, rather consciously or unconsciously, we are listening to each other, really seeing each other, and acknowledging where we are right now. That power can be liberating. Most of our teams are seeing team members show up differently, where they are excited to do the work; showing up with enthusiasm and accepting their leadership role. It’s awesome seeing teams that at one time were struggling to work together and now they are really meshing and free to work together.

As the congregations are connecting inward and outwardly, our locus of focus was on interpretation. During this time I used, , a website used to collect individual data and share it creatively, as a way to share our thoughts on interpretation. Here is look at some of the responses:

What’s the most life giving part of interpretation:Ěý

-understanding

-ability to reflect

-being part of change – seeing God acting around or even through me.

-seeing things that seemed impossible

-learning I am not alone on this journey

-broad and deep listening

-the potential for finding common humanity with each other, in reciprocal relationships

As our cohorts go deeper and expand more into the heart of interpretation they are also taking a step back and leveraging the springtime. Teams realized that by doing accompaniment during spring, it will open up more space for stories and for the spirit to flow in a new way. So teams are continuing to do that work in their neighborhoods and to reflect together. All teams will be writing up a summary of their findings and sharing it with their church leadership teams later this spring.

One last thing to add, as congregations are moving through the art forms, a process of transformation. I am seeing how hard it is for us to really allow a whole new way of being and operating to happen. During these meetings it’s apparent to me that this is also a time for us to lament with each other; to grieve together. There is so much that God is calling us to let go of and it’s not easy to do so. So I want to take a moment to acknowledge all the congregations. They are truly facing themselves, their fears, and stepping up to make power moves. In general, I don’t think we leave enough space to acknowledge when we have faced our fear and overcome it. These congregations really embody what spring time is about, and by being led by the spirit, are bringing a sense of cleansing, freshness, and new vision for their personal churches and the church’s neighborhood.Ěý

Now, our next big gathering is in June. As we go deeper into the framework ofĚý interpretation and begin to open to the next art form: discernment, I am so excited about who we at RIH are becoming as leaders, who the congregations are becoming and how all this ripples out and impacts our neighborhood.

One more thing, to close out I will share a few powerful quotes from our last cohort meeting. I hope they inspire you:

⁃ sometimes our prayers are our questions

⁃ How do we walk with others without expectations? (the road to Emmaus)

⁃ Telling the stories, changing the narrative

⁃ Being a part of mutual transformation in our community

⁃ “Until the lion tells his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter” (Zimbabwean Proverb)

⁃ Being bold enough to just do it. Do what’s necessary and apologize later. Don’t wait for permission.

⁃ Creating opportunities to run into people.

I’m excited about what’s happening with RIH and our congregations, and my final words are,Ěý

…On the journey, it’s not about the destination, it’s always been about who we become on the journey.

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