First Baptist to host National Day for Youth Ministry

MADISON – Have you ever wanted to work with teenagers but felt you needed training before you took that step? First Baptist Church of Madison may have the answer.

First Baptist will sponsor “National Day of Volunteer Youth Ministry Training” on Sept. 21 at 9 a.m. The church’s address is 4257 Sullivan St. in downtown Madison.

“Join us as we join thousands of youth workers from around the country being trained to serve students on this amazing day,” Rev. Mary Jo Gessner said. Gessner serves as Minister of Pastoral Care at First Baptist.

This training day will feature speakers in the style of TED Talks, with brief presentations about technology, entertainment or design by professionals from remote locations. Speakers will be eight leading voices in youth ministry: Doug Fields, Josh Griffin, Heather Flies, Mark Oestreicher, Kara Powell, Karl Romeus, Chap Clark and Katie Edwards.

“Your team will have the chance to get some solid training and debrief from some of the best at a super affordable price,” Gessner said. “We will also enjoy some awesome food brought to us by our friends at Chick-fil-A Madison.”

The presenters use their experience to talk about outreach in everyday vernacular:

* “Teenagers don’t care if you’re cool as long as they know that you care. Every kid needs to know that they have a safe place.”

* “When I have leaders in a room, I force them to look back … to their teenage years. If you’re not going back there, you are not able to empathize with a kid. You just don’t get it.”

* “Are teenagers a problem to be solved (like 95 percent of our culture believes)? Or, are teenagers a wonder to behold?”

Registration is live now. Visit downloadyouthministry.brushfire.com to register and pay for tickets.

“We would love for you to join us as we gather together to network among youth workers from across North Alabama and the Tennessee Valley,” Gessner said.