Church Life: Regional Ministry - October 2008
Catalyst Calls 20-somethings to Contemplate Christ
Catalyst is a new outreach service that provides a safe place for 20-somethings to explore the Christian faith, build community, and engage in authentic conversations about real-life issues. Once a week young adults gather at Faith Church in Dyer, Indiana, to worship, connect, and work out their own beliefs in light of the truths of the gospel.
“Twenty-somethings come to church with different questions, different skepticism, different moral and theological assumptions from their parents,” says Catalyst pastor Ron Citlau. “My mission is to teach and translate the Reformed faith to help them in their journey of faith.” Citing words from Dallas Willard, Citlau says, “We want to give Jesus a fresh hearing.”
Citlau joined the staff of Faith Church two years ago as a pastor to young adults, charged with growing those already connected and reaching out to the disconnected. Although a large number of young adults grew up in Faith Church, there was no community that specifically engaged them. Citlau started praying with ten people who had a heart for God and young adults. Through a yearlong process of building community and developing relationships in a house Bible study, a core of committed people and future leaders began to emerge.
This core of 20-something leaders caught a vision: “What would happen if we created a service for young adults in their 20s that was radically Jesus, full of grace and truth?” Demographics showed that about 40,000 young adults lived within a ten-mile radius of Faith Church. When Catalyst met for the first service in June, 250 young adults came. Since that time meetings have been averaging 150–170 people.
Catalyst’s vision is to be a regional place where young adults in the south Chicago and northwest Indiana communities encounter Jesus through worship, teaching, relationships, and conversations about the Christian faith. Citlau says, “I want people to enter into the presence of Jesus and then let the Holy Spirit do what he does in speaking into the lives of young adults.”
Catalyst meets on Thursday evenings, with a large-group gathering on the first and third Thursdays of each month and small-group ministries on the second and fourth Thursdays. During the summer, Catalyst tackled issues like politics, homosexuality, justice, racism, and personal ethics. According to Citlau, young adults need a place of grace and conversation first, and then they can make an assessment of whether they are willing to surrender to the cross of Jesus Christ.
“Many young adults grew up in churches where they observed a dichotomy in faith and lifestyle,” Citlau says. “They aren’t afraid to ask tough questions: Does the Christian faith speak to my relationships, my understanding of God or lack thereof, my job, my classes, my spouse, and to the environment?”
Young adults need the opportunity to struggle with life issues in the context of community.
The coolest thing about Catalyst is not the service, but that it is a place where God moves to create a new generation of leaders, teachers, evangelists, and prophets who reach into the harvest.
—Wayne Van Regenmorter, visionary leader
Regional Synod of Mid-America
Regional Reports
Albany: First Church in Albany, New York, joined with Fowler Camp and Retreat Center for the third consecutive year to provide a day camp for children in the downtown Albany community. The goal has been to create a “Fowler-like” camp experience in an urban area. Campers spent a day at First Reformed Church of Bethlehem in Selkirk, New York, which welcomed the Camp Fowler urban campers on July 2. Twenty-four inner-city children, with volunteers and Fowler staff, experienced the natural beauty of the church’s trails and open space, including worship in First Reformed’s outdoor chapel, and a campfire complete with s’mores. (albany.rca.org)
Canada: Norm and Maria McCallum began ministry last summer in the predominantly Cree native community of Calling Lake, Alberta, about sixty kilometers north of Athabasca. Athabasca Reformed Community, pastored by the Rev. Ronald Opmeer, is undertaking this outreach ministry to many who do not know Christ and are struggling with alcohol and other addictions. Norm, a Cree native, knows about these struggles from personal experience and his many years of working with troubled youth. Contact synod executive the Rev. John Kapteyn (jkapteyn@reformed-church.com) for more information. (www.reformed-church.com)
Far West: Springs Community Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, sent twenty-one students and four adult leaders to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in July to assist with flood damage relief work. The group had been planning to attend a Christian music festival during that time. “But when we heard of the flood and the damage left behind, our students unanimously decided God was calling us to Cedar Rapids,” said church family ministries director Rob Denler. Denler said their work week primarily consisted of gutting flooded homes, removing damaged contents, and tearing out drywall, carpet, and cabinets. “Our students came out of homes covered in muck,” he said. (www.rcawest.org)
Great Lakes: “Getting Down and Dirty to Build a Brighter Future” was the mission statement of Mud Bowl Mania 2008, a mud volleyball tournament initiated by First Reformed Church in Fremont, Michigan. On July 12 twenty-one teams competed on six muddy courts. The annual community and faith-based effort included silent and live auctions and a children’s carnival, all to raise funds to help prevent hunger and homelessness via a county-wide agency. With a matching grant from a community foundation, $19,500 was raised. As many as 100 teams are expected at next year’s event. See details and photos at www.mudbowlmania.com. (www.rcagl.org)
Heartland: More than 2,400 youth and several hundred adult leaders and support volunteers gathered at the end of July for Rocky Mountain High. One hundred of the 160 churches in the Synod of the Heartland sent groups to engage in community at the YMCA camp in Estes Park, Colorado. Among the sessions were speaker presentations, seminars, recreation, evening devotions, and late-night concerts. Organizers of the event say that while years of planning go into making it successful, the true fruit comes when many youth and adults experience God’s presence and re-commit to more fully following the Lord. (www.heartlandsynod.org)
Mid-Atlantics: Rising energy costs led classes and synod leaders to invite churches to a pair of September energy conservation workshops conducted by a New Jersey interfaith coalition on the environment. “Your energy costs will increase astronomically this year. In some cases this may mean closing your facilities for periods of time due to budget limitations,” read the memo containing information about the workshops, held at Second Reformed Church in Hackensack, and at First Reformed Church in New Brunswick. Officials recommended attendance by three persons from each interested congregation, bringing with them information about their church energy usage for the past two years. (www.rsmat.org)
New York: The regional synod reports progress in its search for a new synod area minister for the classes of Mid-Hudson and Orange. The Rev. Roger Leonard had held the position until his retirement earlier this year. Responsibilities for the eighteen hour per week position include serving as a pastoral presence and teaching/resource person with programming and literature for the classes, and enhancing communication between the classes and the regional synod. Other synod area ministers currently serving are the Revs. Clara Woodson (classes of Brooklyn, New York, and Rockland-Westchester) and Thomas HungYong Song (Nassau-Suffolk and Queens). (www.nysynod.org)
|
Featured this month:
Regional Synod of Mid-America
Previous editions of
Regional Ministry
September 2008
July/August 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
A RESOURCE FOR YOUR CHURCH'S MEMBERS
(Click on the image above for more information.)
|
