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LWF together 2012 – green&just guidebook out

May 16, 2012 in Ecological Justice, LWF, LWF together - the earth needs you, Youth, Youth Ministry, Youth participation

The 2012 guidebook is ready. In the coming weeks, we are going to write more about the content of this year’s LWF together program. But here is already the guidebook in English. French, German and Spanish are forthcoming.

LWF together green&just empowers youth groups and youth camps to reflect on ecological justice from a biblical and practical point of view and get into action.

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LWF Virtual Conference open for registration

March 21, 2012 in Ecological Justice, Enviroment, Gender justice, Justice, LWF, Youth, Youth Ministry, Youth participation

On 12 May, the Lutheran World Federation invites to its first Virtual Conference. This allows interaction of participants globally on real time.

Here are some of the information:
Time: 12 May: 16.30 Indian Standard Time, 13.00 Central European Time, 7.00 Eastern Standard Time

Target group: Church leaders, people active in sustainable development, interested pastors and lay leaders, youth leaders.

Number of participants: 400-600

Format: green&just will be a virtual event. Interactions are in real time on the Internet. Most content will be shown in video. Questions can be asked in real time using text chat.

Languages: English, French, Spanish, German

Keynote adresses: Dr Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace International, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Ms Esther Hinostroza Ricladi,  Co-founder, National Center for Mining Women, Lima, Peru Videos of the addresses are subtitled in four languages. The speakers respond in real time to questions in text chat.

Bible studies: After an introduction to the text by theologians, the participants discuss the texts with others from around the world. Webinars: Participants can choose many different topics and get deeper insights. The webinar leaders are going to be highly interactive.

Lounge: Throughout the day, participants from around the world can meet each other one-by-one or in small groups. Technical Requirements: A Computer with Internet connection and speakers/earphones. Churches who do not have these facilities can apply for small grants to visit an Internet Café.

Group participation: The virtual conference is a good opportunity to have global encounters with a local congregational or youth group.

Cost: The Virtual Conference is free of charge. However, if you are able you are invited to donate to cover the costs.

Much more information including webinar descriptions and speaker bios here: http://blogs.lutheranworld.org/wordpress/greenandjust/

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A New Year of the Youth?

January 4, 2012 in Youth, Youth Ministry, Youth participation

The year of the youth – announced by the United Nations - ended last August. But 2011 was not just ordained by the UN. Young people themselves took the lead and made it a year of the youth. In the protest movements called the “Arab Spring” and in the globalized “Occupy” demonstrations, young people made their voices heard. And they changed history.

Welcoming the new year, major church leaders made young people their primary topic. Pope Benedikt XVI., the head of the Roman Catholic Church, said in his new year address he was convinced that “that the young, with their enthusiasm and idealism, can offer new hope to the world.” He also called on those in power:

“Attentiveness to young people and their concerns, the ability to listen to them and appreciate them, is not merely something expedient; it represents a primary duty for society as a whole, for the sake of building a future of justice and peace.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, the head of the Anglican communion, also emphasized young people. He reflected on the horrible riots in London and other British cities in 2011. However, he did not just blame young people for them:

“We have to ask, what kind of society is it that lets down so many of its young people? That doesn’t provide enough good role models and drives youngsters further into unhappiness and anxiety by only showing them suspicion and negativity. When you see the gifts they can offer, the energy that can be released when they feel safe and loved, you see what a tragedy we so often allow to happen.”

Williams continued to remind the listeners that Christian faith has always stressed the contributions of young people:

“One of the unique things in the Christian faith, one of its great contributions to our moral vision, is the way it has spoken about children and young people. Whether it’s Jesus blessing children, or St Paul encouraging a young church leader, saying, ‘Don’t let people look down on you because you’re young’, or St Benedict in his rule for monks saying that you need to pay attention to the youngest as well as the oldest – Christian faith has underlined the essential importance of giving young people the respect they deserve.”

While I am not aware of current messages of Lutheran leaders emphasizing the importance of young people, these voices are very valuable also for the Lutheran communion.

But what does it mean for us? What are your plans for 2012 to make the world a better place? Please add your ideas in the comment section.

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Ideas for LWF together in 2012

October 25, 2011 in LWF together - the earth needs you, Youth, Youth Ministry, Youth participation


It was an experiment. For the first time, the Lutheran World Federation invited youth groups around the world to share their hopes and dreams by partnering to groups in other parts of the world (as you can see in the short video above).

But how can this experiment move on and take on concerns that were raised? Here is the idea.

More languages actively supported: The last guide book is already available in five languages. Besides that, there would be volunteer language coordinators for six languages or so who would help run the program and are able to support the youth groups in their respective languages.

Not one, but three programs: There would be three different types of LWF together:

  • LWF together intensive: This is similar to the setup in 2011. Three youth groups from different continents work together for a longer period of time. This form is for groups that have a better endurance but will be rewarded with friendships and deep learning.
  • LWF together camp: In the Lutheran communion, there are many youth ministries that organize camps of different sorts: Some just for a weekend, others for several weeks. In this segment, LWF provides resources for leaders of camps in order to help them prepare their programs and offer a way to connect their work with the wider communion.
  • LWF together action: Every month or so, a youth group suggests an action that they are doing in their own context. That might waste cleaning, a special worship service or something completely different. They are inviting other youth groups to do the same in their context. This way, ideas and concrete actions spread around the world.
These are some of the ideas we are discussing. It would be great if you could give your input below. What do you think about these ideas for the LWF together next year?

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