It’s about ALL the generations!

 

I have always found the writings of Richard Leider and David Shapiro to be inspiring and enlightening. In their book, Claiming Your Place at the Fire: Living the Second Half of Your Life on Purpose, their visit to a tribal village in Tanzania results in an invitation to us as “new elders” to ask four key questions:

Who am I?
In the Tanzanian village, elders synthesize and transfer the wisdom of the past into the present.

Where do I belong?
The village elders have a powerful sense of where they have come from, where they are, and where they are going.

How do I bring my passions alive?
They rejoice in rediscovering their life’s work, their calling, their vocation.

What is my life’s purpose?
Freed from imposed schedules and demands, new elders now find the freedom to create their lives anew.

 

Would you like to rekindle the good life, to stir the glowing embers of your peers, and leave the Light on for the next generations? This is our time to bless the children, to listen to the young hearts, to encourage with stories of faith and faithfulness those young parents and single adults who need them most, to hold the hand of one walking worthy into life’s final turn. And who will tell the baby about God’s eternal love, if not us? For young and master elders these are the greatest of times and the opportunity to share His story with those He loves is everywhere around us. We can make “family” more than a throw away word.

Parents and grandparents are an important key to inspiring and equipping the next generations that long to experience a genuine transfer of wisdom, a sense of where they have come from, where they are now, and where they are going. They need from the elders patience and encouragement as they discover their life’s work and callings.

We are exploring these issues and more besides at The CASA Network’s upcoming “Influence the Generations” day conferences spread across the nation. I’ll be joined by outstanding youth leaders, Brad Griffin, Associate Director for the Fuller Youth Institute, and Jeff Mattesich, Associate Pastor of Students at Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena, California, as we engage in the generational conversation around the 50+ Ministry table. Justin Blaney will also share ideas about the effective use of media in your ministry outreach.

We’ll discuss the importance of the ‘church family’ in youth ministry; ways of helping the young understand God’s grace and the need for parental support and mentoring. There is no doubt as to what is next. We “new elders” must get out of our seats and into the lives of kids, young singles and parents, because this is not just a youth ministry issue. It’s a whole church issue!

This year we’re coming to Seattle/Tacoma, Minneapolis/St Paul, San Diego, Whittier, Ventura and The San Francisco Bay areas. On January 22, we’ll begin the New Year in Atlanta. Local chairpersons are working in each locale to make every day a great day for your church. Senior pastor, mark your calendar. Plan to spend a day with your ministry team, including your youth pastor, and the midlife and beyond age men and women of your church. It’s a great time for inspiration and relationship building. If you’re thinking “intergenerational” this is your built-in opportunity to get the ball rolling.

Visit the gocasa.org/events page. The regional events tag will provide more information and permit you to register online. You can also register a group by check in the mail. Call our toll free number 888.200.8552 for additional information. Learn how you can help bring the conference to your region by being a “partner” or “sponsor” organization and receive five FREE passes for your ministry team at the same time.

It’s a bold move! Join is at a regional day conference in your area. Let’s live the second half of our lives on purpose!

Register you and your group right away. I’ll see you there.

 

 

 

 

Ward

 

Would you like to help support the event in your area? Sponsors like you keep registration costs low so that more folks can join the conversation. Send an email to info@gocasa.org, or call 888-200-8552 for more information. You may also donate online, or download our conference support form.