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Connect your youth with ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM)!
- YAGM Youth Groups make covenants of prayer, mutual communication and financial support for a YAGM group or individual participant.
- YAGMs are young adults (age 19-29) who serve for a year in one of eight country groups: Argentina/Uruguay, Jerusalem/West Bank, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Central Europe (Hungary), Southern Africa and the United Kingdom – and beginning in 2014, Rwanda!
Goals and benefits of YAGM Youth Groups
- Teach youth about stewardship, global mission and servant leadership
- Give youth an opportunity to teach their whole congregation about stewardship, global mission and servant leadership
- Continue the excitement for youth who have taken part in the ELCA Malaria Campaign or the 100 Wells Challenge
- Use digital communication to foster international peer role-modeling
- Provide an opportunity for young people to consider their own vocations
- Support an exciting, growing ELCA global ministry
Three simple steps to becoming a YAGM Youth Group
1. Choose
Contact globalchurch@elca.org or 800-638-3522, ext. 2657, to request any of the following:
- A list of all the YAGM groups and individuals in service
- A list of YAGM blogs
- A profile of any these country groups:
- Argentina/Uruguay
- Central Europe (Hungary)
- Jerusalem/West Bank
- Madagascar
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Southern Africa
- United Kingdom
- Rwanda (available in 2014)
- A “sponsor covenant” to make a covenant commitment for prayer, communication and financial support.
- On the covenant form, in Step 1:
- On the first line write your congregation or sponsoring ministry (such as synod or campus ministry).
- On the second line write “YAGM Youth Group.” You can also further specify the name of your group (and of course, you can also register another kind of group beside youth, such as young adult, campus ministry, women’s or men’s group).
- In Step 2, choose and write in a YAGM individual or group.
- In Step 3, choose your level of support. It can be any amount, large or small.
- Then complete Step 4 and mail your covenant to the address in Step 5.
- On the covenant form, in Step 1:
2. Connect
- Follow YAGM blogs, and share them with friends and people in your congregation. Put excerpts and the link into your newsletters and bulletins.
- Learn about the YAGMs, their areas of service, the countries where they live, and the church and people they work with. Share what you’ve learned with people in your congregation. Host a meal with typical food from that country, or sing a hymn from that church, or show maps and pictures to describe your YAGM’s location and service.
- Invite a YAGM to Skype into a class to speak or into worship to pray or read lessons. Invite them to visit your congregation before or after their year of service. Make and exchange videos with a YAGM about their ministry and your congregation.
- Include the YAGM in the Sunday prayers and in your own prayers, or in the list of staff for your congregation in the bulletin.
- Develop relationships! Send cards, letters and emails. Become e-pals with a YAGM.
Note: YAGMs’ term of service is from August to July every year, which corresponds well with the program year in most congregations. New YAGMs are announced every May, so you can plan ahead and choose your YAGM for the following year.
3. Sponsor
- Collect a “noisy offering” at worship. Do fundraisers or service projects.
- Invite your congregation to join you in supporting a YAGM. Put up a chart for people to sponsor a “YAGM a day.” Request funds from an endowment in your congregation or community.
- Invite neighboring youth groups and congregations to join you!
Note: Make your checks payable to “ELCA Global Church Sponsorship” with your YAGM’s name and code in the memo line. Mail to ELCA Global Church Sponsorship, PO Box 71764, Chicago, IL 60694-1764.
For questions or more information about YAGM Youth Groups, please contact:
Andrew Steele (Former YAGM in Southern Africa)
Manager, Donor Relations
Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA
Andrew.Steele@elca.org
800-638-3522, ext. 2758
Rev. Lanny Westphal (Former synod youth ministry staff)
Director, ELCA Global Church Sponsorship
Lanny.Westphal@elca.org
800-638-3522, ext. 2641
