Some of us are podcast people. Some of us aren’t. Some of us don’t know what podcasts are.
Podcasts are conversations that you can listen to anytime. It’s a bit like a radio show on demand. In the last two years my sermon prep changed from reading to listening as two groups of Biblical Scholars I respect started making podcasts. I get to listen in on conversations about the scripture for the sermon I’ll preach. Sometimes what I hear makes it into the sermon. Sometimes it doesn’t, but I still learn.
Some of us are ‘youth’ people. Some of us claim we don’t know how to relate to youth. Some of us aren’t willing to try.
My best friend from seminary, Sara Hayden, works for the national PCUSA with new churches. She has a podcast called New Way. While she’s a dear friend, I don’t listen to all of the podcasts, but I do listen to some. The most recent is a conversation between Sara and Gina Yeager Buckley.
Gina is the head youth person for the PCUSA (not her official title). I met Gina 20 years ago when I was 22, and she was in her 30’s. I was helping with a national middle school conference, and she led our planning retreat.
Gina has incredible gifts for youth ministry. She never makes anything about herself but redirects the focus to the youth. She takes things that sound complicated and finds a way to make them clear. She’s someone who I’m around, and nothing she does seems that spectacular, but when it’s over, I can’t believe what she’s led a group to do.
In the podcast with Gina and Sara, they have a simple conversation about youth, particularly GenZ. Nothing they say is particularly revolutionary, and I think that’s what makes it work Gina never tries to do “10 tips that will make your youth group grow.” Instead, she talks about the small ways we minister to youth You can listen below:
[button url=”https://www.newchurchnewway.org/podcast/home/2021/9/26/gina-yeager-buckley” target=”” size=”small” style=”orange” icon=”” popup=”” title=””]Listen[/button]
Most of our congregation does not live with teenagers. For us, this is a helpful insight.
-Catherine Neelly Burton
For two weeks in October our adult Sunday School class digs into stories from I Samuel. Each Sunday the class studies the scripture from worship The class is a mix of adults of all ages and enjoys looking at the text from lots of different angles. It’s a good place to ask questions and consider how the Biblical story intersects with your life.
