One—Invite a college student to apply for an Elisha internship this Christmas

Christmas is a time that college students in your congregation travel home to spend time with family. It would be a great opportunity to invite college students to apply for an Elisha internship.

The Elisha Project is an internship program that allows the opportunity for students to explore, discern their call and discuss with mentors and peers where God is calling them. 

Students who have completed at least one year of college, completed the application process and selected by the Elisha committee will be assigned to a church and mentor. *Please note interns will not necessarily be assigned to their home church or the church that recommends them.

Students selected for an internship will receive a stipend of $4000 for 40 hours per week from the Dakota Annual Conference and the Board of Ordained Ministry. Other compensations such as travel, housing*, possible moving allowance and meals are the responsibility of the host church.

Click here to download internship application. The deadline is Extended to March 1, 2018. Churches interested in hosting an intern should contact their district superintendent.

*Churches hosting an intern need to provide housing for the intern that includes access to the internet, cell phone service and ensuring the intern feels at home.

Two—Consider camper registration as a Christmas gift

The 2018 Summer Camp Booklet will be sent to local churches in January and online registration will open in early January.

Early registration assures the best selection of camps to choose from. Grandparents … a week at a Dakotas UM Camp would be a great Christmas gift for the children and teens you love. Click here to donate funds for camping or contact the camping office by e-mail or phone 855-622-1973.

Three—Youth worker nominations are now open

Each year there are two awards given to Youthworkers at our Dakotas Annual Conference. The recipients each year are nominated by fellow United Methodists throughout the Dakotas and selected by the Conference Council on Youth Ministry at their annual winter meeting.

The two awards are:
The Darrell Leach Youth Worker of the Year Award—This award honors outstanding individuals who are currently serving Jesus Christ in youth ministry. This award is announced annually at Annual Conference. Criteria: Must currently be working with United Methodist Youth in some capacity (volunteer, paid staff or clergy.) Not currently serving as an adult member of CCYM.

The Youth Worker Hall of Fame—This award honors outstanding individuals who have committed a lifetime to serving Jesus Christ through youth ministry. This award is announced annually at the Dakotas Annual Conference. Criteria: 20 years or more of working with United Methodist Youth, has not previously been inducted into the Hall of Fame and not currently serving as an adult member of the CCYM.

To nominate an individual send an email letter of nomination to: awards@dakyouth.com

Within your letter of nomination, include your name, the person you are nominating, contact info for your nominee (phone, address and email, if possible), and the number of years the person has spent in Youth Ministry, as well as the specific award for which you are nominating him or her. You may also go online and fill out the nominations form here.

The deadline for nominations is January 1, 2018

Four—Share your church's Advent and Christmas photos

We're bringing it back for an encore... your Advent photos were so popular last year, we're doing it again, asking you to send in your new Advent and Christmas photos during the 2017 season.

Let your creativity run wild and show us what makes your church's Christmas celebration memorable, unique, or even breathtaking.

Invite anyone in your church to submit your church's 2017 Advent photos (or fileshare links) to the staff at the Dakotas Conference Communications office as soon as the preparations and events take place.

Submit 2017 Advent photos here. (By submitting your photos, you agree to allow the Dakotas Conference to use them in any Conference publications.)

Five—Recovering Racine 2018

By Rev. John Britt

Hello youth currently in grades 8-12!!!  Join us as we adventure to Racine, Wisconsin, for the Summer 2018 High School Mission Trip!!!  We will depart from Piedmont on Friday, June 15 or from Sioux Falls on Saturday, June 16, and will return to both locations on Saturday, June 23.  On Sunday, June 17, we will spend the day in Racine worshiping, exploring, getting to know each other, and orienting ourselves to the community and the work that lies ahead.  Then we will work Monday through Thursday in a variety of settings.

Some work will be with recovery efforts from the severe flooding that occurred in the summer of 2017.  Some work will be with community agencies such as thrift stores, food banks, and homeless shelters.  We will travel to the Wisconsin Dells Thursday evening and then spend the next day playing and having fun at an amusement park.  We'll travel part way home Friday night and then return to Sioux Falls and Piedmont on Saturday, June 23.

Do you wonder what all this service and fun will cost?  The trip will cost $625 and that includes transportation, the accommodations, most of the food, and the amusement park.  You will be responsible for some meal money as we travel and for any souvenirs... that you would like to buy.  Please see the attached poster for more details and contact information if you have questions.  Join us for "Recovering Racine 2018"!!  Click here for the trip poster.