Recommendation from Faith Formation
Coordinator, Resurrection Catholic Parish

Dear Paul,

I am pleased to recommend the Vibrant Faith Workshop to congregations and their staffs.

The mission of Vibrant Faith Ministries is to provide individuals, families and congregations with the resources they need to live a more vibrant faith in Jesus Christ.

Our Faith Formation Directors, Faith Formation Coordinators, Catechists, Pastors and Pastoral Ministers along with other parish teams we able to work with the Vibrant Faith team in a day long workshop.  The workshop provided us with an opportunity to recognize and mark faith milestones while demonstrating ways that we can expand our understanding of church to include our homes by supporting individuals and households to integrate Christian practices into everyday life.  This was accomplished through prayer, input, sharing, group planning, project creations, resources and networking opportunities.

Our goal for the day was accomplished, in that, attendees learned of ways they can expand their understanding of church to include the home, supporting individuals and households to integrate Christian practices into everyday life.

It is for all the above that we are able to recommend Vibrant Faith Ministries.

Prayerfully,

Rosemary Baloun
June 1, 2010

LCMS attendee excited about Vibrant Faith Ministries!

VFM works ecumenically and this is what we heard from an LCMS event attendee.

Paul and Jim,

I pray that God is blessing your day!

On Saturday, a group of 10 people from my church, St. James in Howard Lake, attended the VFM workshop sponsored through the LCMS South District (made possible by a VM Grant!). Marilyn facilitated the event, along with Pastor Kinney from the South District. I don't think I can adequately capture in an e-mail the impact of this workshop. However, I wanted to make sure that you were aware of how fundamentally important that experience was to me, those from my church who attended, and to the entire group of participants.

First, I want to make sure you know how BLESSED we were to have Marilyn facilitate. She was fantastic - smart, witty, authentic, affirming - she made everyone feel like they were important because they were beloved children of God responding to a call in the heart to embrace and share a vibrant faith. I really could not be more pleased with her - she was an absolute joy to watch - God has certainly blessed her!

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Shelly Satran, Associate Pastor, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Florida shares . . . .

Hi Paul! Last weekend was our first ever "Blessing of the Backpacks" in worship and it is certain to become an annual event. This was one of the ideas you gave us when we met last spring. It was a wonderful in worship to see teachers, students, school board members, support staff, etc. all gathered around the altar (with backpacks, lesson plans, etc. piled under the altar) and receiving prayer and blessing. And the whole service wrapped around this theme. Pr. Jack preached on the Ephesians reading, "putting on the armor of God" and specifically encouraged our young people with those words. It was a wonderful weekend, a wonderful way of lifting up that life with God and everyday life are not two separate things! Thank you for the idea. We are grateful to be together in ministry with you!

Kristen from Bethlehem Lutheran shared this email after Dr. David Anderson preached in her congregation . . .

So in staff meeting we were reflecting on the weekend. Dawn was talking about how she did the caring conversation/4 Key piece in her Education ministry meeting the other night. One of the team members told the story about how her daughter usually goes to get a “busy bag” just as the sermon is starting. She didn’t do it last Sunday, and when her mom asked her why she was just sitting there her daughter replied, “He’s talking to me.” Mom said, “Who is?” Daughter said, “He is. The preacher. He usually talks to you. Today he is talking to me.”

There you go.
Go get a Kleenex and wipe those tears.
:D
 
THANK YOU
Kristen

Jason Koele wrote to The Institute…

Hello everyone,
My name is Jason Koele and I am a YFM student at Augsburg college. I took Lyle's Peer Ministry course my sophomore year of college and I new I was going to use it as a youth pastor but I didn't know when. Well, it's my Senior year now and I am studying abroad in South Africa and Namibia. As a part of my courses I am taking an internship. Through the Center for Global Education I was linked with the Hope and Family Pentecostal church and Hope and Family Welfare Center (teaches children skills and supplies food for them). After receiving my job description, to help build character in the older youth of the church and connect them with the younger youth of the center, I realized that I've been taught something about this type of stuff. Well, I remembered Lyle's class and I decided to have my mother ship me my Peer Ministry manual. After I received it, I began implementing the teachings. Things are going absolutely wonderful and that is the story how Peer Ministry is going global!

Jason Koele

Pastor Eric Murray of Messiah Lutheran Church, Knoxville, TN shares . . .

Marilyn,
Thank you for your words of prayer and support. Certainly, with the church shooting less than a month ago, our community is once again grieving and feeling very vulnerable. 

And yet, we trust and know that God is here. In fact, thank you (VFM) for your ministry here in the midst of our tragedy. Because, as you may remember, the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee, along with a few guest Lutherans, received your Peer Ministry training just two weeks ago. Yesterday, following the shooting, the Peer Ministers were summoned and set up an impromptu prayer service for last night at an Episcopal church near the site of the shooting. Students came and the Peer Ministers were there to receive them; God was there to receive them.

Pr. Amy Figg, one of our Lutherans who received the PM training, is seeking a meeting with Knoxville's Mayor, and we hope to engage him in a conversation about Peer Ministry as a pro-active and preventive measure. I'm hoping to do a little research on Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets / HC-HY and bring their resources to bear in our conversation with the Mayor also.

Again, thank you for your prayers, and for the good work you all are doing at VFM.

Peace,
Eric

Greg  Williams shares . . .

"On Reformation Sunday we celebrated Affirmation of Baptism (Confirmation) for several youth. They are asked to select a favorite passage of Scripture. In a conference with a pastor prior to this, they share with the pastor why they selected that particular passage - what made it special to them in their faith journey. They recite the passage to the congregation during worship when they are confirmed.

During my sermon on this occasion, I shared some meaningful passages of Scripture from my journey with the congregation. I concluded by inviting them, over lunch, to share and discuss passages that were especially meaningful to them. Or, if they were dining alone, to call or email their children or grandchildren and share their passages and stories.

The following week, one couple shared that they had in fact done what I had asked them to do. They had emailed their grandchildren AND they had asked the grandchildren, in turn, to also share their favorite Scripture passage and why it was meaningful. Within an hour that Sunday afternoon, they had replies from all but two. Before the evening ended, those last two had also responded."

Greg also shared . . .

We are thriving congregation in a growing retirement area. We are richly blessed with experienced disciples. We are striving to become thriving with younger disciples also.

As part of our strategic planning process and implementation, we hosted Dr. David Anderson for a "Passing on Faith" conference for the congregation. This initiated additional intentionality for ministries and hospitality aimed at children, youth, and younger families. Some ministries we implemented include: "Taking Faith Home" Sunday handouts; "Christian Parenting" Sunday School class; monthly Passing on Faith workshops for parents of younger children; utilizing the 5-4-3 language in publications and worship.

Several months into this, a member shared that on this Sunday, he and his wife - separately - had each introduced themselves and welcomed two different young families. They each asked "What brought you to Grace?" Both said, "We came back and are planning to join because this place values children and that's what we want." One even noted how they had visited other congregations with much larger children & youth ministries.

As pastor, my heart leaped within me to hear that already, early in this developing ministry, the Spirit was working and touching lives of parents who want the partnership of a church family in passing on faith in Jesus Christ to their children.

Jan Wege shares . . .

"After the service last Wednesday I purchased the "Faith Talk with children" packet for my grandson Hayden. {As the pastor's at St. Luke's know, Hayden is NOT a shy four year old.} Last evening I took Kristen and Hayden out for dinner for Kris's birthday at Maggianos in Edina. As we left the house, I thought...."I think I'll grab the "Faith Talk with children", and take it along. When we got to the restaurant it was quite full, so while we were sitting in our booth and waiting for dinner, I pulled out the packet for Hayden. Well, I must tell you that the next 45 minutes just flew by, and we had the most wonderful discussions with a four year old that you would never imagine. There were times we were all laughing so hard, and there were times that Haydens answers to his questions brought us to tears. When our dinner was being served, Hayden said, "This was the most wonderful and best game I ever played"! So....out of the mouth of babes! What a great way to create memories by just talking with your family in wonderful open discussion."

David Anderson, Director of Congregational Renewal and Leadership, was teaching VFM 6-5-4-3 ministry framework to a group of confirmation parents on a Wednesday evening. The following morning he discovered an e-mail from the pastor of that congregation. The e-mail message simply stated, "Wow!"

Below was the message forwarded from one of the mothers in the parent group from the evening before. Obviously, for that mother, something clicked in a positive way.

Good morning. I'm not even sure where to start so please bear with me. This is very hard for me to do but I feel that I owe it to my kids to do what I can. The discussions we had last night hit very close to home with me. It made me realize that I have failed my kids as far as helping them with their faith. I grew up in the congregation and went through Sunday school and confirmation and thought I did my part. I went away to college and lost touch with the church. Then when I was 20 my mother died of cancer. I was so angry with God that you can't even imagine. At that time I turned my back on God and have not been able to find my way back to the church. Several years ago I wanted badly to find my way but was in a relationship with a married man and figured I didn't belong in a church. So I thought I was doing right by my kids as long as I got them to Sunday School and Confirmation. I now realize how very wrong I was. I hope all of this doesn't sound like I've flipped my lid. I have made great changes in my life and want to find my way back to God. I just don't know how to go about it. I want to be able to be an example for my kids and help them to have a relationship with God. Can you help me?

Bill Oelkers shares . . .

Dr. Hill,

Sincere thanks to you for your exceptional keynote and sermon at our NC Synod assembly. As a voting member who has attended a number of assemblies, your presentations were by far the best we have had in a number of years. Thank you for sharing your faith and your ideas with us.

I did want to share with you one note on the matter of vocation. The very first week that I ventured off to college in September 1957 I heard the Lutheran Campus Pastor at Penn State, (Pastor Art Ruths) talk to the freshmen Lutherans about our "new vocation", that of being the best student that we could be. Pastor Ruths tied this in, just as you did, to Brother Martin.

This small message way back then has gone with me along these almost 70 years of life and helped me see my later vocations as a husband, father, government worker, church volunteer, now grandfather, and hospice volunteer.

It is doing in the best way we can, the job that the Lord is calling us to do.

Thanks for reaffirming "vocation".....I know now that I want to teach that role to my grandchildren too and pass that part of faith along.

Thanks for all you do to help our Church and its people.

Bill Oelkers
Mt Pisgah Lutheran Church
Hickory NC

Nate Walker: Lay Leader attending Certification School in Wisconsin

Paul,

What want to take a quick minute to thank you for all that you did for us last week.  I know that for myself and for many, many others this was an experience that will last a lifetime.  I cannot wait for October when we get to learn more!  I thank God that he put you in our lives, you are truly utilizing the gifts and talents that God gave you.  

May the spirit of the Lord dwell in you richly.
Nate Walker