LBGTQIA+ Youth Ministry Class 2024

LGBTQIA+ Youth Ministry

A four-week course offered by APCE, in partnership with the Covenant Network of Presbyterians

Tuesday afternoons, March 5-26, 2024, 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. CST, on Zoom

Cost:

• Retired Members of APCE $15
• Members of APCE $20
• Non-Members of APCE $35

This four-week course is for any youth ministry professional or volunteer, Christian educator or pastor who is seeking to create safe, welcoming and effective ministry spaces for LGBTQIA+ students, their families, and the congregations and communities who love and support them. The course will provide a foundation for understanding the concepts and vocabulary of sexual orientation and gender identity; offer practical help with expectation-setting, policy-writing and event planning; and provide the opportunity for questions and idea-sharing to address particular questions. Every week will have presentations followed by moderated opportunities for questions and discussion.  Brian Ellison, executive director of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians will serve as moderator of the four-week course, teaching the opening and closing classes and facilitating questions and discussion for the other two weeks. Participants will be invited to offer input on topics and questions they want to see covered along the way.

Four-week Class Schedule

Week One
LGBTQIA+ 101: An Overview of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Teacher: Brian Ellison
What do all those letters stand for again? This class offers an introduction and overview on the vocabulary and concepts that describe diverse gender identities and sexual orientation. We discuss evolving words and self-understandings, and what they might mean for how we think and talk about identity in our faith communities.

Week Two
Trans, Non-Binary, Fluid, Genderqueer: The Landscape of Gender, Identity and Adolescence
Teacher: Slats Toole
In classrooms, doctor’s offices, legislatures and school board meetings, the lives and gender identities of young people have been under scrutiny. How can the church and our youth ministry best serve youth of all gender identities in this turbulent time? This class will address key issues and offer practical help accommodating, serving and celebrating young people at all points on the gender identity spectrum with sensitivity, understanding and creativity.

Week Three
Making Sure Camp is Fun for ALL: Creating inclusive camps, conferences and retreats—and
building the policies and practices that make them work.
Teacher: Pepa Paniagua
This class will offer insight and practical help in providing students, youth leaders and parents/guardians, the assurance that the LBGTQIA+ welcoming ministry offered in youth gatherings will be rich with meaning, intentionality around the unique realities of serving LBGTQIA+ youth and will be transparent about seeking to be a safe and healthy space for all. The class will provide real-life examples of activities, community agreements and event plans,
as well as guidance in developing policies regarding sleeping arrangements, restrooms and more.

Week Four
Putting it Together: A Theology and Practice of Welcoming LGBTQIA+ Youth
Teacher: Brian Ellison
In this final week of the course, we bring together the learnings from the previous three weeks and ground them in a way of thinking theologically about the work we do: How does the community we create, with intentional inclusion of LGBTQIA+ youth, reflect the fullness of the gospel? How do we explain this significance in the context of the rest of the church’s ministry? This final class will also offer ample opportunity to cover questions not answered previously, deepen particular topics, and share participants’ own experiences that can benefit others.

Bios for Course Leaders

The Rev. Pepa Paniagua (she/her) is a pastor, facilitator, educator, innovator, writer, advocate and ally, and she is passionate about thinking outside the box and gently leading others through the challenging conversations about the vast expanse of God’s love. Growing up between the Redwoods and the Pacific, Pepa believes that as much can be learned by placing your bare feet in the sand and listening, as can be learned from any book. Pepa loves a good story, good food, and good coffee. As a graduate of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and longtime member of Grace Presbytery, Pepa has learned to faithfully follow God’s leadership as she has now lived more than 18 years in Texas, which is approximately 18 more years than she ever planned. Pepa is the founder of kin-dom community, a fully affirming New Worshiping Community of the PCUSA, co-founder of kin-dom camp, and she is currently serves as the Coordinator for Innovation of New Ministry Development at Grace Presbytery. Pepa and her wife, Kelli, live in North Texas with their two dogs, Juneaux and Opie.

Slats Toole (they/them) is a writer, musician, preacher and theater professional currently based in Minneapolis, MN. Slats’ Lenten poetry series has been compiled in the collection Queering Lent, and their work has also been published in places like Call to Worship, The Presbyterian Outlook and Sacramental Life. Slats has led workshops on expansive language and queer theology (with a particular emphasis on gender identity) throughout the United States and Canada, and is proud to serve as co-moderator of the Covenant Network Board of Directors.

The Rev. Brian Ellison (he/him) has served as executive director of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians since 2012, preaching, teaching and providing overall strategic leadership in implementing the organization’s mission. Brian also serves as stated clerk of the Synod of Mid-America. He has served previously as pastor of Parkville Presbyterian Church (near Kansas City, Missouri) and is host/contributor at KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR affiliate. He and his partner, Troy Lillebo, live in Kansas City with their two dog daughters, the recalcitrant Willoughby and the dopey Sage.

Register at https://apcenet.org/lbgtqia-youth-ministry-class-2024/