Reload Chicago = April 6, 2013

From Reload Chicago's Facebook page:

Save the Date! Sat, April 6, 2013. We have Steven Pemberton as our keynote speaker. He is a dynamic author, speaker and diversity officer at Walgreens, whose story includes strong faith in God and a love and passion for the adults in his life who cared about him along the way. Watch this clip to hear more about Mr. Pemberton and his story.

Reload is one day training for Christian urban youth workers. Whether a full time youth pastor or a volunteer worker, or even a high school youth-who-is-a-leader, this is a day of training, fellowship and networking. Reload is in over 20 cities and is sponsored by the Urban Youth Workers Institute. 

Locally in Chicago, North Park University's Center for Youth Ministry Studies has been at the forefront of Reload. Chicago's Reload has been one of the most well attended of the national conferences. And speaking of local, Chicago's owm Amy Williams will be the closing speaker!

If you have been touched by the KingdomWorks/CompassionWorks conferences that were annual events in Philadelphia and other cities in the 1990's, then you will appreciate Reload
.

Here are some of the core workshops that will be presented. additional workshops will be developed for Chicago.

Angry Ministry:  What Do You Do When A Student Shows Up At Your Program More Angry Than Happy Every Week?

Do you really have enough program time to spend in order to impact a student that never smiles?  Most youth workers have wrestled through this same challenge unable to connect biblically or relationally.  This workshop will provide you with effective relational approaches, practical responses to teach your teens, and spiritual foundations that students can adopt to help manage the missed smiles in their heart.

 

Building Blocks of Urban Youth Ministry (First Two Years)

If you’re new to youth ministry or need a fresh start, this one’s for you! You may be asking questions like: Where do I begin? What is most essential? What are the best ways to build a volunteer team? How can I better connect with youth in the church and beyond the four walls? Learn a step-by-step process for mapping out your first two years in urban youth ministry.

Core Values of a YouthWorker: Laying A Foundation For Ministry

You’ve heard it said that “Values are caught, not taught.” Is there a set of core values that every urban youth worker should live through and live out? If so, what are they and how should we integrate them into our life, ministry and youth ministry? This session will help you to find a foundational theology on which to build values for ministry that will help you stand strong against the tests and adversities of life.

Feeding Father Hunger: Understanding And Ministering To The Fatherless Generation

Oftentimes both kids and adults are unaware of the lifelong effects that an absent father has in the life of a child.  The emotional response of the fatherless can be linked to poverty, high school dropout rates, crime, drug use, and teenage pregnancy.  The fatherless live a lifestyle living with a father they don’t see, while filling the empty space with painful outburst and pseudo-comfort realities.  This Workshop will provide you insights for helping youth to discover their identity, pinpoint side effects that are gripping them from growth, and discover practical mentoring approaches to free their souls and not block their blessings.

Call of Duty: Building Assets Every Student Needs
(Junior High Adult Leader Track)

This track will teach how to build sustainable assets for Junior High Students and interface with realities without being controlled by them.  As a youth worker, our relational time with students is minimal; therefore, it is important for us to focus on the right things.  Kingdom ministry to students shifts our efforts to play it forward by teaching them to spend less time trying to control problems and troubles…in an exchange to visit their capabilities in strength and potential.  Students must learn the value in not being a joystick to the challenges in their lives.

Teen Track:  A Facebook Without Love

In years past, sex, alcohol, and drugs were a few of the leading influencers that “helped” teens feel as if they were gaining ground relationally with other students.  When these were coupled with media and music, it seemed like adults were always 10 steps away from a youth’s daily reality.  In today’s world, teens can connect visually without ever having to confront who they really are!  In fact, through social media avenues, teens can bypass life – yet still feel alive and in the mix!  This session will remind students of who they really are, and how loving themselves first will help them lead their lives into a personal book they can face forever.

 

See you next year at Reload!