{"id":55857,"date":"2023-03-02T15:11:59","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T15:11:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/ccv\/?p=55857"},"modified":"2023-03-21T14:43:37","modified_gmt":"2023-03-21T14:43:37","slug":"the-e-young-adult-book-project-workshop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/ccv\/2023\/03\/02\/the-e-young-adult-book-project-workshop\/","title":{"rendered":"The E: Young Adult Book Project Workshop"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Amanda<\/a>In early February, some of the Riverside Innovation Hub staff attended and presented at the ELCA Youth Ministry Network\u2019s annual convening, the Extravaganza, in Anaheim, CA. Amanda Vetsch and Kristina Fruge presented what we heard at the Threshold Event.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The purpose of the workshop was to share the wisdom we, at Augsburg\u2019s Riverside Innovation Hub<\/a>, are learning from young adults about their hopes, dreams and concerns for the church. In particular the about key learnings from a recent event we hosted on campus this fall, when we gathered a diverse group of young adults from around the country, representing a wide variety of ecumenical backgrounds and other lived experiences.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before we dove into the presentation portion of our conversation, we used Mentimeter to poll the in-person and virtual attendees. This helped us get a sense of who was attending and practice using a new tech tool. Both groups were from across the country, with a strong portion in the Midwest. We were fairly caffeinated, and the majority of both workshop groups believe that the person in the middle seat on the plane does NOT get both armrests. <\/span>After the icebreaker and Menti practice, we dove into presenting about who we are, what we did, and what we heard.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who are we?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"two<\/a>I<\/span>n 2017, the Christensen Center for Vocation got a Young Adult Initiative grant from the Lilly Endowment to create an Innovation Hub that equips congregations to explore questions around the intersections of young adults and church.<\/span> One of our guiding convictions was that young adults don\u2019t want to be attracted or drawn back to church, but would rather see the church move out into the public where young adults are actively living out our faith. The Riverside Innovation Hub spent five years working alongside congregations to be and become public churches and learn how to be led by young adults in that endeavor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2022, We got a second grant to help expand that work, and one of the ways we\u2019re doing that is through a book project. We\u2019re committed to practicing what we preach and teach, so the book is super collaborative and envisioned and written by young adults. To distill the themes of the book, we hosted an Envisioning Event in November, selected two authors per theme, a young adult and a thought leader, and have built a writing process that includes two retreats, lots of drafts and revision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What did we do?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the Threshold Book Envisioning event, <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>we gathered 50 young adults from across the US to share what they wish the church would know and help identify the themes of the book. This group of young adults had varying experiences with church and came from a wide variety of traditions and denominations<\/span><\/p>\n

The gathering was designed for them to share their hopes, heartaches and dreams for the church.\u00a0 Jeremy Myers and Rozella Hayd\u00e9e White facilitated the space. Five keynote listeners joined us to listen with deep intention to what was emerging in the space. You can read more about how the event was shaped in this blog: <\/span>Threshold Recap Blog<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

What did we hear?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

We heard stories full of grief, love, celebration, loss and more. It was an absolute gift and honor to have those shared with us. After two days full of reflection, conversation, and sticky notes, we generated a list of the themes:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"people<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n