Youth Ministry Best Practices Retreat--Plow, Plant, Tend, Cultivate, Harvest--October 8 - 9, 2007

The Joint Youth Ministries of
Kentucky Conference and
Tennessee Conference of
The United Methodist Church
present

Two Days of Building Into
Your Ministry’s Youth Ministry

Monday, October 8 – 2:00 pm thru Tuesday, October 9 – 2:00 pm

Retreat Setting:
The Cup of Hope Café
Broadway United Methodist
1323 Melrose Street
Bowling Green, KY 42104
http://www.broadwayunited.org/

PLOW
Facilitator: TBD
· What are the reasons and best practices of why we should do “youth ministry”?
· What are the best ideas and programs that attract students to our ministries?

PLANT
Facilitator: David Sparks, Ministry with Young People, Kentucky Conference UMC
· What is the true measurement of growth?
· What does a teenage disciple look like?
· How can we transform our youth group to grow disciples of Jesus Christ?

TEND
Facilitator: Rev Terry Carty, Youthworker Movement
· How do we allow students to identify and practice gifts, talents, and leadership?
· What are the best ways of letting students know they are created for God’s

CULTIVATE
Glory and the building of His Kingdom?
Facilitator: Ken Hundley, Madisonville UMC, Madisonville KY
· How do we excite and equip students to do mission and ministry to “all the world?” (Great Commission)
· What can students do to bring “God’s Kingdom to earth?”
· Can this generation be the one to end poverty and suffering?

HARVEST
Facilitator: Beth Morris, Director of Youth & Camping Ministries, Tennessee Conference UMC
As Jesus prayed for the unity of all believers in John 17, he prayed, “so that the world may believe that you have sent me… and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
· How can we connect our students in such a way that brings Glory to God?
· What are the best practices to be the church of the future and today?
· How do we in the connectional body fulfill our church mission to “make disciples of Jesus Christ.” (The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2004)

Bowling Green is in Central Time

Monday October 8
2:00 p.m. Opening Gathering/Worship
2:30 p.m. Plow
4:00 p.m Get Acquainted Break with snacks
4:30 p.m. Plant
6:00 p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. Worship/Presentation of Youthworker Movement
7:30 p.m. Tend
9:00 p.m. Adjourn

Tuesday, October 9
8:45 a.m. Coffee Gathering
9:00 a.m. Gathering Worship
9:15 a.m. Cultivate
10:45 a.m. Morning Break w/snacks
11:15 a.m. Harvest
12:45 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. Now What? Covenant Worship
2:00 p.m. Adjourn

Each Session will be:
· ½ hour of presentation
- Learning from a tried veteran
· ½ hour of peer discussion
- Learning from each other
· ½ hour of wrap up
- Learning how to implement in your local ministry

The cost of these two days is $35/person.
Cost includes everything happening at Broadway UMC… including dinner on Monday and lunch on Tuesday. It does not include housing or Tuesday breakfast.

The learning from each other time (peer discussion) will have the facilitator leading groups of persons around each of the topics.
We will switch chairs around tables very often so that persons will have opportunity to get to know several new people and hear several ideas.
“Is it good to bring more than one person from a ministry?” -- Yes! We believe that there is no single answer to any question and that many voices will lead to many fresh ideas for implementation.


Some Housing Options in Bowling Green
Holiday Inn University Plaza (270) 745-0088 is the Closest Hotel to Broadway UMC
Drury Inn (270) 842-7100
Fairfield Inn (270) 843-6222
Baymont Inn (270) 843-3200
When searching, you will want something off Interstate 65, Exit 22, Scottsville Road

“Why Bowling Green, Kentucky?” -- As the first joint venture of these two conferences we found that Bowling Green in the Kentucky Conference is actually closer to many Tennessee Conference persons than most of the Kentucky folk.

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Youth Ministry Best Practices Registration

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Address:_____________________________________
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Return this form with $35 check to
YM Best Practices
Kentucky UMC
7400 Floydsburg Road
Crestwood KY 40014
An E-Mail Confirmation will be sent
Make checks payable to Kentucky Conference Treasurer

For more information
Contact David Sparks (dsparks@kyumc.org) at the Kentucky Conference Offices phone: (502) 425-3884 or (800) 530-7236 online at http://www.kyumc.org/
Contact Beth Morris (bmorris@tnumc.org) at the Tennessee Conference Offices phone: (615) 327-1533 or (800) 403-5795 online at http://www.tnumc.org/