Youth Ministry Reconceived

If you checked in over the past couple of weeks, you've been seeing a lot of posts about various aspects of the Duke Youth Academy. DYA ended last weekend, and I've spent this week getting caught up on life-as-usual.

In addition to the blogging I did over the past few weeks, I also put my thoughts on the Youth Academy in my new column in the UM Reporter. This is the best 700-word overview of DYA that I can muster.

As a closing word on this year's DYA summer session, I would only encourage you to think about people you know who could take part in DYA next summer. Some possibilities include:

Students - Rising juniors and senior in high school are eligible to participate. There is an application procedure, which can be found on the DYA website. For any high schooler who is exploring their Christian vocation or simply wants to live the Christian life more deeply, there is no better way to do than DYA.

Ministry Fellows - Each year we invite a number of youth ministers to participate in the life of DYA. It is an opportunity for sabbatical, of sorts. You've got no responsibilities other than to take part in the full life of the community. The Ministry Fellow component is designed for youth ministers without a theological degree.

DYA Staff - The experience of working on staff at the Duke Youth Academy is tremendous. Each year we hire a number of college students to work as Resident Advisors (R.A.'s) and a number of other folks to serve as Mentors to our students. (The Mentors are often, but not always seminary students. We've also had teachers, pastors, volunteer youth workers, and doctoral students as Mentors over the past couple of years.) If you think you'd enjoy being a part of the staff, I would encourage you to apply!

[Note: Photo above taken by DYA student Nathan Milleson]