Come to The Table
- PZ
- Oct 29
- 4 min read
I wrote last year about the awesome things that were going on in young adult ministry. A lot of that movement has been grass-roots, and the youth department has done its best to show support to locally planned young adult events that seem to pop up with more frequency. Another big factor is our Public Campus Ministries, led by Josh Guerrero, which have hit their stride recently and have really been making a big impact in our conference. However, The Table is the crucial ingredient that we added last year to try and pull all of the various efforts together.
What is The Table?
The first thing you need to know is that it's a free event for young adults, taking place this year on November 15 at the Shepherd's House SDA Church (223900 County Rd KK, Wausau, WI), from 10:00 am-6:00 pm (followed by games and lock-in).
The second thing is that the whole philosophy behind the event is that it is for building up young adults as leaders: not tomorrow, but today. Last year, we had three young adults preach the spiritual messages in the morning. This year, our goal is the same. If more had interest, we'd find room in the schedule to make it happen. Because we want this to be a safe space for young people to try out skills, to bounce ideas off of peers and trusted leaders, and to get to know others in their age group who are interested in leading for Christ.
Of course, some ice breaking and brainstorming excercises are a must. Last year, we had groups gather around tables to play a game called Squiggle Bird. This game gives each group a random squiggle on a large piece of paper and tells them that, one pen stroke at a time, the group has to work together to turn that squiggle into a beautiful bird. Much hilarity followed, of course, but it got everyone's walls down and started the think-outside-the-box process.
On a more serious note, we also gave the table groups various case studies from real and complex leadership scenarios (real names changed, of course) and prompted them to brainstorm about how they would have resolved the situation. Part of this is to get them to start thinking, in real-life terms, like leaders. Conflict resolution and tension de-escalation are important skills for anyone who aspires to lead in any capacity. The other side is to get them to empathize with the leaders in their lives who are often easy to criticize. We can all look at a leader and think "why do they always make the wrong decisions," but to look at the complexity of the situations leaders often deal with...can be a humbling experience.
I'm also grateful to our Wisconsin Conference administrators for helping with the vision of this event. Last year, Dr. Amir Gulzar (our former Secretary/Treasurer) came and shared with our young adults about his own leadership journey, as well as about some of the initiatives of the Conference. This year, we have our Wisconsin Conference President, Pastor Titus Naftanaila, coming to visit with our Young Adults. He will share similarly: about his own journey as a leader, and about some of the initiatives and goals of the Conference. My hope for these interactions is that our young leaders can know that they can meet, learn about, and get to know personally our top Conference leaders. Usually, their parents, their pastors, or their teachers would be the ones to interact with administrators, but this is a chance for them to have direct contact with them. It's a chance to feel grown up and to interact directly with the information that adult leaders around the conference are privy to.
Finally, the event ends with brainstorming and goal-setting in a real way: what do we want to do over the course of the next year? Who will be involved? Are there ways we can be more active in leadership? Do we want to plan more events? And so on. Then we pray over our young leaders and their goals. And finally: a game night, free time to mix and mingle, and a lock-in option for those who live too far away to drive home late at night.
It's honestly a fairly ambitious Sabbath together. With goals to connect, empower, educate, and equip our young leaders all in one day, there's a lot going on. Yet, last year it still had a laid-back feel that didn't seem overbearing. Part of this is thanks to the age group: they really are ready for a lot, as long as you can keep it interesting, and there's definitely a desire for intentional connection and networking at their age. The other part of it is due to our hosts. The Shepherd's House SDA Church in Wausau gets youth ministry, and they are happy to help facilitate it with their location and their leadership. A big thanks to Pastor Justin Spady and their whole team there who graciously allow us to occupy their space, and take time out to help in various ways (the least of which is not the food, which is always delicious).
So we want to encourage our Wisconsin young adults: Come to The Table! Come hear your peers preach (or preach yourself) and get feedback on your craft in leading people to the Word of God. Connect with people in your age group who also care about being leaders for God. Receive tips and best practices from real leaders in your area. Be treated like the leader you are today, not patted on the head and told "someday you'll lead."
We look forward to seeing you there!
If you plan on coming, please fill out this brief RSVP so we know how to plan.
Comments