YOUTH CONFERENCE chapter 193

I found my teaching schedule for my first year this morning. I was able to count my time with Portrait Players and Youth Conference as teaching hours (I think). My actual classes were Discover in Christian Education right after chapel. Then for some reason I was always given the first hour after lunch. I think it was a test to see if I could keep the students awake. I mostly succeeded. Lots of questions, small group discussions and story telling works – at least for me. The after lunch class was CE of Children, which alternated with CE of Youth. I also had a class called contemporary Issues in Christian Education. I have no memory of that class. The children’s class was my least favorite. I only taught it for one year.

I have been digging around to find the posters and workbooks for each of the six Youth Conferences I directed. I can only find three. I know I have them, but where? The story of my life! Later I will be looking for something else and then I will find them I regret that I don’t remember the theme or the leadership team for 1975. That really bothers me. I remember the process as I used it throughout my life. I learned it from Miss A while working on youth conferences under her leadership. It fits with my philosophy. The goal was always to involve as many people as possible and give everyone as meaningful responsibility as possible, using both volunteers and those recruited. If you are going to work in a church, not everyone who is capable and talented will volunteer. Learn to recognize them and win them over.

I began with twelve volunteers. After the first year it became a class limited to twelve. We always started with understanding the philosophy while learning and discussing our own strengths and weaknesses. Each member was responsible to lead another team that may have sub teams all the way down to worker bees. Everyone is important. Everyone is critical to the success of the ministry. Everyone deserves encouragement. If the committee succeeds, the team will get plenty of encouragement, but our teams may only get that from us. That means working with and understanding team relationships.

I came to believe that more spiritual grown may occur though serving God together than most preaching. Iron sharpens iron. Even the conflicts teach us a great deal.

From there we worked on a theme. That always took longer than any of us expected. Then we reevaluated the recommendations from the previous year and determine which of the previous committees we would need. Youth conference that was pretty well set from year to year. But once in a while we found another branch. The students carried the load. I acted as a coordinator. I wanted all of them to know everything I did so they would have the big picture.

We gradually selected all the committees: promotion, registration, housing, individual and group Bible study, programming, public services, set-up and take down, activities, entertainment and whatever else was needed.

We had the gym form large group meetings and sports. The biggest problem was it had to be set and taken down four times a day. The new dining room made coordination meals much easier.

The closer we would get to the YC more and more people would be drawn upon to help with all the details. The primary committee held training and information meetings for those working on their team. They often wrote and distributed directions and guidelines so everyone knew what was needed.

We began praying in September and when it was over we thanked God. We took several classes to celebrate, gather evaluations and put together a report for the next year’s committee. The program was the exam. I thing everyone always got an A. If they were not working hard enough, I pushed them until they did.

I remember for one entertainment section, the Portrait Players were performing Rinse the Blood of My Toga and got five or six laughs off one line with multiple double takes. Leon as a Greek toga-wearing detective said, “Lend me your ears.” Eric ran in appearing very humble with a paper bag and the laughs would started and came each time Leon and then Eric would look at the bag. Leon would finally say, “What’s in the bag.” Another laugh. Eric replied, “Ears.” And yet another laugh came. It was so anticipated it was hard to believe it was always so funny. It had a great deal to do with the actors. From then on their goal was to see how many laughs they could get out of that one line. I don’t remember the record, but I believe it was in double digits. The guys preformed it brilliantly.

Since I have no idea who reads this blog, if anyone happens to know the Youth Conference themes leaders from 1975-1980, would you drop me a line or comment in the comment section, I only remember what I remember because of the yearbook. If there are no photos, my mind goes blank.