Family-Based Youth Ministry
December 2006
Vol. 3 Issue 12

The Whole
The Whole is where it's @ for readers of thESource, designed to meet youth workers where they are, create a little thought, and generate some discussion about youth, culture, ministry and more.

In this issue:

Talk—The place for quotations, quips, stats, and generally interesting information. We know you hardly have time to cruise the web looking for interesting tidbits, but we all enjoy trivia.  Check out our own surf results, and join the conversation. 

The Buzz—Let's talk! The Buzz features sections of thESource Interact Forum that are buzzing with great conversation. Check out what's printed here, then head on over to the Forum to strike up a conversation of your own, or join the buzz!

Pieces
All the elements of Pieces join together to provide a dynamic look at one topic inherent to youth ministry. Take a look at the articles in Pieces, and begin to piece together your thoughts and opinions about a specific area of youth ministry!

In this issue:

Tag-Team Families—By By Brenna, John, and Monique Nunes. It takes a team to raise a teen! Check out this article for a bit of insight into just what that might mean.     

Teaming With Parents—By Leah Helmrichs, DCE. When youth workers work with parents good things happen. In this article, Leah provides sound advice on approaching the parents of your students to form bonds for the sake of the kids.

And much, much more!!

Essentials
Essentials are the meat and potatoes of the youth group:  Bible studies, skits for use in youth group or fellowship settings, seasonal liturgies for young people, worship arts and more. Downloadable, immediately useable, Lutheran materials, Essentials are designed to put useful tools into the hands of youth workers everywhere.

In this issue:

People of the Book: Considering Islam in America—9/11 was five years ago, but nations remain embroiled in the Middle East, opinions fly, and debates rage. In the midst of the dialogue, adolescent thoughts develop into more than just emotive reactions. Youth have had time to form real questions and are struggling with real questions that are rooted in their faith and can be addressed by God's Word. Find them some answers in this guide unique to thESource for Youth Ministry.

Currents
Keeping with the changing times, attitudes and influences of youth culture can be a full-time pursuit. At thESource, we want to provide our users with a few inside tips on what's hot, what's not, and where the action is at for fads and trends.

The Uth Room
Welcome to the uth room: where users on thESource can take a quick look for practical, useable ideas.  From Community builders to activity and fundraising options, the uth room is designed to house lots and lots of useful, quirky, creative and just plain routine ways to engage your youth.  And the pop-up window is a place we feature youth programs, ideas, activities and (yes!) even YOUTH ROOMS from around the country.  

thESource is published on the Web by LCMS District & Congregational Services-Youth Ministry.  The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, 1333 South Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122-7295; 1-800-248-1930; www.lcms.org. Editor: Gretchen M. Jameson VOL. 3 NO. 12 December 2006.