The Melheimian Sabbatiblog

Rich Cassidy and the FINK Kid

From our FINK Staffer Down Under, Peter Eckerman:

Rich:

Are you familiar with the last scene of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?

BUTCH: I got a great idea where we should go next.
SUNDANCE:Wel I don't want to hear it.
BUTCH:Well you'll change your mind once I tell you-
SUNDANCE:Shut up...
BUTCH: Australia.

BUTCH: I figures you secretly wanted to know so I told you:Australia...
SUNDANCE: Australia's no better than here!
BUTCH:That's all you know.
SUNDANCE:Name one thing.
BUTCH:They speak English in Australia.
SUNDANCE: They do?
BUTCH:That's right, smart guy, so we wouldn't be foreigners. And they ride horses. And they got thousands of miles to go and hideout in...
SUNDANCE: It's a long way, though, isn't it?
BUTCH:Everything always gotta be perfect   with you!
SUNDANCE:I just don't want to get there and find it stinks,thats all.

First Aussie FINKs Confirmed

Our partner Rev. Tim Jarick at Ipswitch just confirmed his first batch of Aussie FINKS. He's got plans to follow them for 10 years to see how they do. I told Tim:

Now, the real transformation begins as you plug the young people into ministries of the church (Tell them “the Lord hath need of you!”).

When youth ministry becomes “youth DOING ministry” rather than “youth doing programs” you will transform the church.

Here's what Tim writes:

On Sunday October 26th the Ipswich parish celebrated the confirmation of 18 young people at a special parish Reformation service at Bethany Church, Raceview.

These 18 teenagers are our first lot of H2Hers that began when we implemented the system in February 2007. 365 people witnessed these confirmees from Bethany, Grace and St Johns congregations give expressions of faith throughout the service (the service did go for 2 hours!).

According to their gifts the young people read out prepared statements of faith, created data presentations about their interests, talents, gifts, how they will continue their faith journey after confirmation, some painted and drew pictures, others shared an object that spoke to them about God. It was a wonderful way of giving the kids an opportunity to express the faith God gave them in baptism in their own unique way.

Part of the process for preparing them for confirmation was an interview that they and at least one parent had with me as pastor. We discussed what they had learnt head wise as well as relationally, how they had grown spiritually, whether they were ready to be confirmed, and what their gifts and talents are and how they see themselves using them in the church in the future.

These 18 kids are continuing H2H until the end of the year and the hope is that the majority of them will transition into our Youth program Rage next year. What I would love to do is track all the confirmees for the next ten years to assess whether our retention rate after confirmation is improving since the adoption of H2H.

I’ve attached some photos of the service including one of our small group guides.

Blessings,
Tim

Pastor Tim Jarick
Ipswich Lutheran Parish
32 Roderick Street
Ipswich QLD 4305
www.ilp.org.au<http://www.ilp.org.au/>
tim@ilp.org.au<mailto:tim@ilp.org.au>

1600 Penn

This is where I began my campaign in 1993, on the "75 City Tour" that launched Faith Inkbuators.

Melheimian Maxim on Midwifing Miracles

Amazing night, eh?

I’ve never cried on election night before.

(Not even when George Bush was elected... again)

(-;

We made my 15-year-old son Joseph stay up until midnight as I tried to convey the gravity of the whole thing to him.

Barak was a one-term state senator four years ago. As far as I am concerned, last night he was inaugurated by his own speech as the midwife of the next American century and quite possibly as the midwife of conscience, hope and sanity for a new and better world.

Whether any of this is possible, plausible, or even within the realm of reality, on a day like today, anything and everything wonderful seems worth attempting. It is so fantastic to know our kids have experienced this. It will travel with them the rest of their lives.

Something hit me this morning while sitting alone in silence working on a blog entry. To fix the (educational) systems problems, we need systems solutions. Here's a line to try on your coffee club or small group this week:

MELHEIMIAN MAXIM #248:

“In order to midwife a miracle for KIDS around the world, we’ve first got to midwife a miracle for the WORLD around the kids.”