AFFIRM - Vision for the future

by Rachel Alley
Southeastern Synod
Director for Youth Ministries

This coming weekend the Affirm Leadership will meet to celebrate Affirm 2011 and Vision for 2012 and future years. We’ve asked Pastor Paul Frank, a long time friend of Affirm, to join us and lead us in this visioning process, but first we have to celebrate!

We had 288 youth from all across the Southeastern Synod join us for AFFRIM this year on the Berry College Campus in Rome, Georgia. The week was filled with bible study, worship, fun and games, as well as discipleship and leadership training in the units. I say this every year, but again, it was an amazing week. We had 85 staff who volunteered their time and passion for Christ with the participants. Our theme was “Go Rock Your World!”

Special thanks to Jeff Huenniger and Thrivent Financial for giving the Affirm Participants and staff a blue water bottle.

Each year we have “Silver Wars.” This is when we ask the kids to save up their change and bring it in. The 9 different units compete to have the most “Silver.” Paper (dollars and checks) and pennies cause you to be negative. So when participants put dollars and pennies in, they put them in other units and not theirs. This year our project was “Banos for Guatemala.” A toilet for a rural village in Guatemala costs $330. Affirm participants collected $2900 to send to this project.

Affirm gave 29 scholarships totaling $7200. There was a lot of need in our synod this year. Especially with families who have lost jobs as well as many who’ve had tragic illnesses in their families. If it wasn’t for the scholarships, many youth would not have been able to come. But, unfortunately, the Synod’s Affirm Scholarship Fund was almost depleted this year. You can help support a youth by sending monies directly to the Affirm Scholarship Fund at the Synod Office.

Now to the visioning, 5 years ago a group of Affirm staff who had a passion for Affirm, met to look at Affirm and our goals for the future. They made some changes and recommendations that Affirm has adopted. Now, 5 years later, another group will meet to do the same thing. It’s important that we Please keep us in your prayers this weekend that we will make wise decisions and seek God’s will for the Southeastern Synod youth event called Affirm.