Introducing ‘The Landing’
by April Wahl
Middle School Director at Bismarck Baptist Church
Bismarck, North Dakota
People who minister to middle school and high school students know teenagers need a soft spot to land, a place to go when the rollercoaster of adolescence is taking them on loops, spins, twists, and turns. Over the last two and a half years, while youth workers have been providing that soft spot to land for teenagers, the youth workers have also been looking for a place to land. The reality is that four in ten youth workers in the United States find that place to land outside of youth ministry, no longer serving in the church.
The purpose of the NAB’s Elevating Younger Leaders Team (EYELET) is to engage, equip, and elevate young leaders to lead the NAB into the future. But what if there aren’t any young leaders left to engage, equip, and elevate because they’re currently in crisis or at risk of burnout?
This is the role of The Landing, the soft space where youth workers can land after years of fatigue and constant decision-making. . . .
The Smiths Are En Route to Romania!
Today the Smith family is leaving Canada to join the team at Camp Falcon Rock in Romania. While they were unable to leave earlier this week as they had initially planned due to a delayed flight, they will hit the ground running on Friday. And so begins their yearlong adventure serving as interim NAB field directors for the Romania field as Paul and Tanya Gericke prepare to go on home assignment at the end of September.
Be sure to pray for the Smiths today and the next few weeks. Pray for:
- Their travel as they make the long flight from Canada to Romania.
- Their transition into Romanian culture and life at Camp Falcon Rock.
- Their next month working with the Gerickes on the transition.
- The entire team in Romania – Ian and Karen Smith, Jason and Erin Bergman, Elsie Lewandowski, and national missionaries Tamas and Tunde Modi – as they continue the ministry work taking place at Camp Falcon Rock.
If you’d like to support the Smiths financial as well, you can do so at either of the links below.
There’s Still Time!
With less than a month to go until the 2022 Bonfire kicks off, there’s still plenty of time to register and secure your travel arrangements. Taking place in Chicago, Illinois, September 27–29, this year’s Bonfire includes Tim Morey leading the first session on Tuesday – a joint session with the 2022 Planter Summit – and Scot McKnight leading Wednesday’s sessions.
Tim Morey is the author of Planting a Church Without Losing Your Soul, and Scot McKnight is the author of a number of books, including A Fellowship of Differents, Kingdom Conspiracy, and his newest A Church Called Tov.
You won’t want to miss this Bonfire.