By Jim Vitale “My kid doesn’t need another pizza party. He already hangs out with his friends enough. What he needs is a place to learn the Bible!” I’ve heard this refrain many times as I’ve discussed with parents the future of their congregation’s youth group. The church is full of expectations around what our […]
By Jim Vitale “A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD.’” Isaiah 40:1-11 drops us into the middle of a wilderness. But into what wilderness have we been thrown, exactly? Isaiah 40 is addressed to the people who have been conquered and exiled by the Babylonian empire. It is the […]
By Jim Vitale For years we have been driving youth away from our congregations with the best of intentions. This four-part blog series, based on a lecture given at the 2023 Upper Susquehanna Synod Assembly helps us take a look at what we’re doing wrong and offers a framework for how we can do youth […]
By Jim Vitale What exactly is it that you long for? Is there anything that seems absent in your life, something for which you feel a deep yearning? Longings come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes I long for world peace; other times I long for some of my mom’s chocolate chip cake. Advent is […]
