For our final episode of Season 2, we explore the topic of special needs ministry in the Corps. Heather St. Aime and Abraham Guevara discuss an upcoming video series project to help youth leaders, volunteers, and officers with their special needs ministry efforts. We also learn more about some of the efforts Corps across the territory to minister to this group. Episode is now available on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_yYnXBusXyu-izJmk6ytrvX3hTBgng6v&fbclid=IwAR1_mb9KnsDt7OTfBZYErcTCmbb9XMQ0eVHTQ1xZ8D1r-rxiRPm3AKIZyzA

Join the THQ-Youth Department for a candid conversation on our favorite youth group ideas. Learn what type of activities had a lasting impact on our lives and what our favorite fun (and serious) activities were as kids. We all grew up before PTM was in affect so you can imagine the stories!

We discuss how to navigate an officer/supervisor change from an employee perspective with the one and only Kathy Lovin (Public Affairs & Communications Director for the USA Western Territory). How these changes affect us and how we make these transitions a bit easier are a few of the questions we explore. We also learn all about cat condos…good stuff!

Josh Cowing (Director of Multimedia Ministries), Chris Toy (ShareChange Producer), and Jeff Prahl (ShareChange Producer) share their experiences in telling the stories of hope across our territory. They give insight on what their pre/post production process is like and how these stories affect them on a personal level. Find out what our favorite are (answers may surprise you) and learn more about the function of ShareChange.

We invite Commissioner Hodder to share his experience and advice on handling the criticisms that come with being in a leadership role. Commissioner shares what he has learned from his personal experience, how he manages criticisms in his role, and some great practical advice on how youth leaders can manage criticisms effectively. This was one of our favorite episodes of the season and worth the listen!

We have a great conversation with two of our veteran youth workers on how to approach some of the difficult questions and situations that kids ask. Ismael Gutierrez (Youth Director from Santa Ana Temple in the California South Division) and Francisco Villalpando (Adult Ministries Director from the California South Division) give their take on how they have approached some of the more difficult topics they have faced with their youth. They give advice on how to use scripture to prepare, guide, and respond to these more difficult topics. Oh, we also get to hear some of their funniest youth worker stories. Worth it!

When working with teens, it’s important that we understand them. We want to know what they like, what they don’t like, what they listen to, what they watch, where they watch it, etc. Awareness of these trends can help us better understand youth and their culture. This understanding can help us be better at programming events, choosing relevant content to speak on, and build relationships with teens. This episode takes a closer look at recent studies and trends in youth culture and discusses their implications for youth in The Salvation Army.

Have you ever worked at camp, been to an event, participated in RevHi, or even went on a mission trip that really transformed your life? How did you return back to the “reality” of home, school, work, church, etc.? In this episode, we interview Lt. Col. Lisa Smith (Territorial Program Secretary, USA Western Territory) and discuss how these experiences impact our lives, how to integrate them into our everyday lives, and how to help youth process these transformative experiences in their lives.

Majors Rob & Stacy Birks (ministry leaders of Valley Missional Communities “VMC” from the California South Division) offer a look into how they started a house church in their living room. We got on the topic of individualism in US culture, Eve’s temptation while alone in the garden, Jesus living in community, and the benefits/challenges of being in a regular community with other Christians. Of course it wouldn’t be a real conversation with the Birks without a discussion on coffee and vinyl records!

In our first podcast recording through Skype, Lt. Jeff Walters (Divisional Youth Secretary from the Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division) discusses his upcoming article on the SA uniform. We discuss the history, purpose, perceptions, and the future of uniform wear.

 Show Notes:

Article on Uniforms by Jeff Walters