PCJH Quarterly Pinnacle Newsletter Winter 2020

PINNACLE

Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole

~ Quarterly Newsletter

I VolUME no 6

W I N T E R 20 1 9

what is growing young all about? pg.4

+

fuel a warm community pg.11

+

keychain leadership pg.7

to be a c o m m u n i t y,

Rooted in Christ, reaching out in love

Table of Contents Volume NO 6 I winter 2019

PINNACLE

ˇ

ˇ

growing young

"A lot of my friends don't really want to go to their church. But we want to be here, and the older people in our church can see that... so they want us to be here. Our whole church treats us like we're the church of today, not just the church of the future." uAhlee, age 17 This is how the provocative book, Growing Young, begins. It means that there are generational gaps where teenagers and young adults are missing from our church, and that has a detrimental effect on all of us. The fact is, church attendance is declining, particularly among the younger age groups.

This book, Growing Young, is an important read for us today. The truth is that we need young people for us to be the kind of community Christ intends for us to become. How do we do this? We dedicated this entire Pinnacle issue to addressing the issue. Let's continue growing young together.

07

04

what is growing young?

keychain leadership

11

12

~ Dylan Wade

~ Re v. Ben Pascal fuel a warm community

Prioritize young people (AND families) everywhere

~ Cindy Dahlin

08

Empathize with today’s young people

10

taking jesus' message seriously

~ Liz Collins

~ Re v. Tammy Mitchell

13

15

Be the best neighborS

~ Ally Kiefer

get to know us

~ Amanda Lack

cover: several PCJH young adults enjoying fellowship, and smores! Photo: Beth Ricciardi

2

growing young

~

winter 2019

~

DECEMBER 1~ 6~ ~ 8~ 12 ~ ~ 14 15 ~~ 18 ~ ~ 22 ~ ~ st

th

th

th

th

th

th

ND

Beginning of Advent

Ordination & Installation of Elders and Deacons

Music Academy Recital, 4-5:30pm

Christmas Pageant JH Chorale Performance

SMALL GROUPS DISCIPLESHIP

Little Lambs Christmas Program, 6-7pm

4~ 5~ 11~ 19 ~ th

Arts, Crafts & Food Festival

9am-3pm

th

thth

Christmas Cantata, 3pm Youth Group Party, 4pm

th

Last 2019 Wednesday Community Dinner/ ASA Christmas Caroling evening

Christmas Eve Volunteer Meeting, 11:30am Healing Service, Dalquist Chapel, 6pm

24 ~ 26 ~

Christmas Eve Services

FEBRUARY

JANUARY 5~ th

calendar @pcjh.org/events

24

th

th

FELLOWSHIP

MINISTRY

Sign-Ups Facilitator Training

1~ 9~ ST

Facilitator Training

ST

JOY Summer Camp Registration begins Congregational Meeting, 11:30am

Winter Session Begins

Parents’ Night Out, 5:30-8pm

th

Belong Class, 11:30am-12:15pm

4:30 PM PCJH

4:30 PM Hotel Terra, Teton Village

6:15 PM PCJH

~

23RD Bluegrass Sunday, during the 10:15 Service. All are Welcome!

youth Ministry Sundays

Thursdays pcjh.org

~ ~ ~

9:30-10:15pm, middle school hot cocoa hour 7:45-8:30am, middle school breakfast club high school group meetings

Young Adult Ministry Wednesday

~

pcjh.org

7pm, ASCENT 20s & 30s

~

Pinnacle

3

what

is growing

young

4

growing young

~

winter 2019

?

~ Rev. Ben Pascal

O

ne of the wonderful benefits of being part of a church family, like PCJH, is having intergenerational relationships. Personally, I am not interested in a church of only young people or a church of only old people. I want to be part of a church that reaches people of all ages. This is what Growing Young is all about. It is a vision for church to be like family where every age group is represented and engaged in each other’s lives as we live out our vision to see lives being transformed in Jesus Christ as a community rooted in Christ, reaching out in love.

You’ve probably heard us talking about Growing Young: Six Essential Strategies to Help Young People Discover and Love Your Church. It is a book published by Fuller Seminary Youth Institute and written by Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Brad Griffin. Our elders, staff, youth and young adult ministry teams have all read and discussed the book. In October 2019 we hosted a weekend workshop at PCJH with author Brad Griffin. We had a great turnout from members of PCJH and other churches in town. It was a rich time of learning and reflecting on what it means to be an intergenerational church.

Fuller Seminary’s beloved senior trustee, Max DePree, said, “The first job of a leader is to define reality.” The unfortunate reality is that most churches are not growing, and they aren’t getting any younger. (Growing young: p.15) Fuller Youth Institute did a comprehensive research study of 250 churches over the span of four years in order to discover what makes for a vibrant intergenerational church. You probably won’t be surprised that they also found the age group that is missing from an overwhelming majority of churches are young people ages 15-29. This is true for PCJH too. We discovered this in our REVEAL survey from 2017. You can also simply look around the chapel and sanctuary on a Sunday morning and see that this is indeed a reality. Young people ages 15-29 are under represented.

I believe young people need the church just as much as the church needs them in order to experience the blessing of intergenerational relationships. Think about this: Young people ages 15-29 are making significant life decisions about world view, relationships, and vocation at a time when most are not connecting to the body of Christ (the church). Also consider this: Fuller’s research shows that young people add great vitality to their faith communities by increasing their churches’ service, passion, innovation, financial resources, and overall health. (Growing Young, p.48). We need each other.

Growing young is not about the size of a church, its location or region, the number of years a church has been in existence, its denomination or lack of denomination, its cool quotient, or whether or not it has a big modern building or a big budget. It’s not about having a contemporary worship service, and it certainly is not about watering down the gospel message, or having a hyper-entertaining ministry program. On the contrary, Fuller Youth Institute discovered six essential strategies in order to grow young that they found in all of the vibrant intergenerational churches they researched.

This quarter’s issue of the Pinnacle is an overview of these six essential strategies to help young people discover and love our church. We want PCJH to be a church that is growing young because we all win when we are together, walking with Jesus, across generations. Each article of this Pinnacle focuses on a single strategy from the book and applies it to our local PCJH context. My prayer is that you will read this issue of the Pinnacle front to back and commit to doing your part to make PCJH a church that is growing young.

PHOTO: courtesy fuller seminary

The 6 Essential Strategies of churches that are growing young are: 1. Unlock keychain Leadership

4. Fuel a Warm Community

2. Empathize with Today’s Young People

5. Prioritize Young People (and Families) Everywhere

3. Take Jesus’ Message Seriously

6. Be the Best Neighbors U n l o ck k e ych a i n l e a d e r s hip “Unlocking keychain leadership is all about intentionally entrusting and empowering young people to take on leadership responsibilities that are crucial to the life of the church.” (Growing Young, p.84) One example of this is Ben Blount. Ben grew up at PCJH and is now a high school student in Jackson.

Every Sunday he and his dad, Ken, volunteer to run all of our audio/visual equipment during the 10:15am worship service. Ken tells me that Ben is the expert; without Ben, our worship service would not be able to function smoothly. Ben’s leadership is key to people coming to PCJH on Sunday morning and experiencing the love and grace of Jesus Christ. We have essentially “given the keys” of our audio/visual equipment to a high school student and he’s doing an exceptional job! I’m sure Ben finds meaning and purpose in �

p cpjchj .ho. o rg rg

~~

Pinnacle

5

his ministry at PCJH just as much as we all appreciate the important work he does. Thank you Ben! What other keys can we give away to young people around PCJH? Empathi z e with t o d ay ’ s yo u n g p e o pl e “Churches grow young by empathizing, or feeling with, this generation of young people. People ages 15-29 wrestle with three ultimate questions: Who am I? (a question of identity), Where do I fit? (a question of belonging), and What difference do I make? (a question of purpose).” (Growing Young, p.122).

I first moved to Jackson Hole when I was 23 years old as a ski bum. I was wrestling with all of these questions while working and skiing in the Tetons. PCJH was instrumental in helping me find the answers to these three questions. I am so grateful for the members of PCJH who helped me along the way through conversations, bible study, and being present and engaged in my life.

The Holy Spirit used PCJH to help restore my faith and identity in Christ. This church sent me out with a purpose for God’s Kingdom. Thank you for empathizing with me when I was a young ski bum desperately in search of identity, belonging and purpose.

Ta k e J e s u s ’ m e s s a g e s e r i o u s ly “Taking Jesus’ message seriously means churches pay attention to the life and words of Christ.” (Growing Young, p.159-160).

I have many friends who drifted away from the church in their young adult years because they felt the church didn’t take Jesus’ message seriously. Either they perceived the church to be all talk but no action; or the church to be all action but no talk about Jesus. Both extremes miss the point of Jesus’ message.

We need to talk about Jesus and follow him in our actions. I have found in my experience that young people want to engage in God’s word and wrestle with it, but to also make a difference.

How might we embody this type of ministry and mission in our own personal lives and in our corporate life as PCJH? F u e l a wa r m c o mm u n ity “Warm is the new cool. More than f lashy worship, young people want authenticity and connection.” (Growing Young, p.193).

Young people want a church that feels “like family”. This is what initially drew me to PCJH when I was 23 years old. My first Sunday at PCJH an older couple sat next to me and engaged in conversation. I felt so welcomed. The next week when I returned, the couple greeted me and invited me over for dinner at their house. I honestly can’t even remember this couple’s name. They have since moved away but they made a big impact on my life. I would love to see more of us follow this couple’s example and invite young people into our lives. Ask them to coffee, to dinner at your home, lunch after worship, or to get outside together in the Tetons. Let’s make this happen!

P r i o r iti z e yo u n g p e o pl e ( a n d fa mili e s ) e v e r ywh e r e “Churches that grow young are willing to make young people a priority not just in rhetoric but also in daily reality. These churches don’t assume it will happen automatically; they emphasize young people in their overall philosophy, worship

6

growing young

~

winter 2019

gatherings, staffing, and budget.” (Growing Young, p.231) At a congregational retreat almost 25 years ago, PCJH made a decision to prioritize children, youth and families.

I believe this prioritization of young people has been in our church’s DNA since its inception. That is why a significant portion of our budget is dedicated to children and youth. This is why we have so many children’s programs like Little Lambs Preschool, JOY Summer Camp and After School Adventures.

However, there is more we can do. We need to engage young people across the span of our church. For instance, our leaders are intentionally trying to find ways to have 15-29 year olds involved in our various ministry teams, like our board of elders, deacons, and our various committees. Instead of having a “Youth Sunday” once a year, let’s incorporate young people into our Sunday worship on a regular basis throughout the year?

I believe the Lord will be glorified when all generations are involved in all aspects of the church.

B e th e b e s t n e igh b o r s “Churches that grow young strive to be the best neighbors both locally and globally. They recognize the careful dance that values both fidelity to Scripture’s commands for holiness and knowing and graciously loving their neighbors.” (Growing Young, p.267). Young people want to put their faith in action.

In 2010 there was not much of a high school youth group at PCJH. For those of you who have been involved in youth ministry, you will understand how difficult it is to get a high school youth group up and running if the students have already drifted away from the church. We decided to plan an international mission trip as a way to attract students to our youth ministry.

We had a hunch that these students would be “all in” when it came to engaging them in mission work. We partnered with the Lutheran church and in 2011 we took 30 high school students to Guatemala. Our assumptions were correct that high school students would come out of the woodwork if we provided an opportunity to serve our neighbors globally. Our high school youth ministry thrived for several years after that. Now we are back in the same situation with very few high school students involved. Our youth ministry team is thoughtfully trying to engage them in mission work. We have hosted local mission weeks, Habitat Build Days, and we are planning other opportunities to be good neighbors locally and globally. Stay tuned!

W h at Ca n Yo u D o ?

My friends, in order to grow young, PCJH needs to be “all in” when it comes to these six essential strategies. Please be more mindful of our young people ages 15-29. Engage in conversation with them, get to know them, give them meaningful opportunities to serve within and outside the church, love them, know them. They will be blessed by you, and I promise that you will also be blessed by them. I would also encourage you to read the book Growing Young. Volunteer with our young people by asking our Youth and Young Adult Coordinator, Liz Collins, how you can help.

Growing old is natural. Growing young is supernatural.

Let’s grow young together! ✝

keychain

leadership

T

~ Dylan Wade

he other day my nine year old son and I broke out a 500 piece puzzle of a pile of colorful seashells and started putting it together. It became clear off-the-bat that his strategy for putting it together was different from mine. In my very orderly mind, you always start with the edge pieces and then work inward as this was what I was taught early on and knew from experience was the most efficient way to put a puzzle together. He, on the other hand, wanted to focus on the individual colored seashells and work inside out.

Was his way less efficient? Probably, but it would still eventually accomplish the goal of a finished puzzle. I had several choices as a leader in my family for this situation. I could show him my way of constructing a puzzle was better by asking him to leave so I could do it by myself (key-less leader). I could tell him to sit and watch me put the puzzle together and maybe he would learn from that (key-hoarding leader). Or I could limit him to work on a corner of the puzzle so I could concentrate on the rest (key-loaning leader). But perhaps the best fatherly thing to do in this situation could be to patiently share my vision of why finding the edge pieces first would be a good plan and if he disagreed allow him to follow his strategy whether I thought it was wrong or not. It was a very difficult decision (as I am a bit OCD on how to do a puzzle), but I allowed him to continue his strategy, though I could not help but share some good reasoning behind mine. I watched him closely and after several minutes he became quite frustrated with the difficulty of working from the inside out and realized that finding edge pieces were easier. After a loud sigh he reluctantly started looking for edge pieces. We finished the puzzle to all of our satisfaction. This was a good example to me of how I could be a keychain leader. I found that it is not easier or more time-effective in the short term.

Mistakes will be made and it will be messy. However, my son felt empowered and I hope he will tackle more difficult puzzles in the future knowing that there is a good strategy to complete them. The authors of Growing Young believe that empowering our young people by handing them the keys to the church will help PCJH grow young, and I

believe will ensure that we will accomplish our mission and vision for years to come.

What is keychain leadership?

Before we dive into how we empower our young people, let’s define keychain leadership. The authors of Growing Young have discovered that churches who grow young have leaders in the church who are aware of the keys on their keychain, or areas of power within their church, and intentionally hope to hand these keys out to all generations. The authors share that keys to the church (figuratively and realistically) translate to power and responsibility to those who receive them. They also share that in those churches that do it well the mindset is shared from the senior pastor to all of the volunteers leaders and permeates through the whole church.

They define other alternatives to being a keychain leader, which the leaders in many churches exhibited and may have prevented their churches from growing young.

Which leader do you identify with most?

When I look at the four types of leaders they shared, I probably would put myself in the key-loaning category, especially to young people. The hardest part to me, as a leader in the church, about handing keys to another person is giving up control and being okay with failure. Another way of saying it is that loaning out keys to others or keeping them to myself is much more time efficient than handing the keys to someone else. It also feels safer as my ideas for the church are not being challenged by a younger person’s view. Being a keychain leader means being okay with spending more time training and mentoring others and allowing them to participate in the shaping of the vision for the church in general.

Everyday we have puzzles that need to be solved at PCJH. Are we letting young people help solve them or are we pushing them to the side? Are we allowing them to challenge our way of thinking or stubbornly close-minded and critical of new ideas? If we want to grow young, the answers to these questions are clear. �

p cpjchj .ho. o rg rg

~~

Pinnacle

7

Q & A

Interview with Lissa Hunter & Kyle ?

Empathize with today’s young people ~ Liz Collins

O

ne of my favorite focuses from the Growing Young research is the call to empathize with today’s young people.

Like all of us, young people are searching for identity, purpose and belonging. So many young people are desperately searching for a unique kind of love – one that I believe is found in God and that God calls us to embody and offer to others.

Brad Griffin found in his research that to a young person today simply feeling heard is virtually equivalent to being loved.

In Griffin’s book, Growing Young, empathy is defined as “feeling with,” or “sitting on the curb of a young person’s life, celebrating their dreams, and grieving over their despair.”

If we believe we are called to love like God does – we can start by offering a deep empathy. But this takes vulnerability, effort, patience, and that one thing we can’t seem to find enough of – time.

Here’s my challenge to you this month - pour into a young person (15-30 y/o). Plan a date with them. It might take a few asks or finagling your schedules. Take them

8

growing young

~

winter 2019

skiing, out to coffee, or invite a group to a meal in your home. Make an effort to really listen. Ask deep questions.

I bet you’ll be surprised by how the effort reciprocates.

Grab your cup of coffee now as we have a conversation with Josh & Clara. Josh is a young adult involved in the Ascent Ministry at PCJH. Clara is a high school student involved in Youth Ministry. Get to know them though their answers – as they help us understand this whole empathy idea a little more clearly.

Tell us about yourself! What’s your connection to PCJH. Josh: I've been in Jackson for just over 2 years. I came to the area because of a job with a local guest ranch, and I stayed in the valley after I got involved with Ascent. My connection to PCJH is definitely wrapped up in the young adults group. Lately, I’ve been slowly branching out and gaining connections with other generations.

Hiking is really where I feel most at home - I try to spend as much time as I can doing that.

Clara: I really like to read, that brings me a lot of joy.

I also like to draw – mostly cacti and succulents at the moment. I’m hoping to phase into drawing whales and ferns soon. To me PCJH means family.

A lot of my relatives live in other places, and people here fill in for that. There’s always someone who checks in on me – “how’s school,” “how’s life,” they genuinely are concerned about me.

They’re being God’s hands and feet. The sermons are cool and all, but those people give me a role model of how to live.

Can you think about a time when deep empathy was offered to you?

Josh: This summer has been very stressful due to a new job and the management aspect of the role. When I needed someone to talk to, I reached out to Ray Womack. He didn't have all the answers, but he was willing to sit down and have breakfast with me. He listened. Having someone older than me to talk to – it helped me process what I was dealing with. It didn’t make it all “better,” but it was encouraging.

Which of these three big questions—Who am I? Where do I fit? What difference do I make?—surfaces for you most today?

Josh: “What difference do I make?” is the biggest question in my life right now. I struggle with seeing how I am making the world a better place. I don’t see it in my job so I look to the church for opportunities to serve. It’s been helpful for the young men in Ascent to get together and bounce these ideas off each other. We see our generation in this town wandering without hope or direction. We struggle with how to reach people who have been part of the church, but driven or fallen away.

Clara: “Where do I fit?” is a question that comes up in my life at school, especially. It’s hard to say “this is exactly the friend group I want to be in.” I do have my best friends since kindergarten, but they are involved and busy on sports teams. Social groups don’t mix, completely different friend groups form at the school. Whoever my best friend is changes all the time, even with friends who I’ve had all my life.

What would you say to someone who is trying to understand what it’s like to be a twenty something in Jackson Hole today?

Josh: For the majority of people, Jackson Hole is just a stop along the way. Understand that reaching out to a young

person may involve saying “goodbye” within a few months.

Cost of living, too. It’s a huge struggle for both those who are here a short time, and for those who choose to stay longer.

How do you think adults can misunderstand teenagers today?

Clara: Mostly just the stereotypes. Some adults don’t understand a lot about the technology. They don’t understand how big of a part of our lives it can be. It’s not just about the phone, itself. Being on phones and talking, for some teens, helps them form deeper connections with each other.

What factors do you think create the most generational differences in our church?

Josh: The wealth disparity. It’s hard. Most younger people work 2 to 3 jobs to make ends meet. This results in not being able to make it to church at a traditional time.

Unfortunately – for most of us, work has to come first.

What gets in the way of our church empathizing with young adults?

Josh: Time. I believe if we can find the time and space for us to be in a place with open communication – there would be an understanding. What most people want is to be heard. I think there are a lot of people who can empathize with young people, but they don’t know how to actually make young people part if their lives. Or they are afraid of something new – like welcoming young people into their home.

What gets in the way of our church empathizing with teenagers?

Clara: I think that people aren’t aware that empathizing can help. If they are aware, they’re not totally sure of the best line of attack. They might not know that one little moment can impact a lot more than just that one little moment.

What would be helpful from our church, in walking with young people?

Josh: I come from a big family. I love all of them, but they are far away. I need the church to be my family. I need church siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.

I also need to play those roles in other people’s lives.

It’s a balance of being supported and finding fulfillment.

So, reader - what do you think? What would be helpful from our church, in walking with young people on the journey toward identity, belonging, and purpose? ✝

p cpjchj .ho. o rg rg

~~

Pinnacle

9

taking

jesus'

message seriously

~ Re v. Tammy Mitchell

W

hen I was growing up, our family would memorize scripture together around the breakfast table. Trust me, it wasn't just a verse or two, it was full chapters! Regardless of the protests from my brothers and me, I will always be grateful. The reason…it was around that table that I learned to take the words and stories of Jesus seriously. It was where I learned that Jesus was who he said he was. It was where I saw the priority of my parent's faith in their lives, and it was where the message of Christ became significant to me. It was where faith wasn't passed down, but "passed around" (to quote Brad Griffin).

At PCJH we've immersed ourselves in the book, Growing Young; a research project exploring churches who demonstrated vitality, energy, and innovation, particularly with and among young adults. What they found was churches who were lifting up Jesus Christ; his life, his word and his message were engaging young adults and growing young. While young adults may not take the church very seriously, they find Jesus' message compelling. “Our team was struck by how the commitment to take Jesus' message seriously is both a demonstrated action and an overall spirit or ethos in churches growing young. Of course, Jesus message is not contained in just one core commitment; rather, the Good News of Jesus permeates and indeed animates all other commitments. Just as Jesus is "before all things and in him all things hold together: ~ Col. 1:17, pursuing Jesus - not just pursuing young people- is the heart of churches growing young.”

As wonderful as that statement is, the challenge before the church is anything but simple. The book continues to identify the current spirituality of young adults in a term called, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. When we unpack that a bit more we see that it is a) moralistic, meaning that religious young people equate faith with being good, moral person; b) therapeutic meaning faith becomes a means to feel better about themselves; and c) deistic, meaning God exists, but this God is not involved in human affairs with any regularity. In short, God has become

10

growing young

~

winter 2019

“a heavenly butler for teenagers, inspiring them at best to become cordial to others. While a more passionate faith would provide young people with the anchor they need to ground their identity in Christ, this halfhearted religious world view leaves teenagers and emerging adults adrift in a ho-hum sea of bland religious niceness.”

Teenagers and young adults didn't arrive at this world view on their own. They had help from us (the older generations). Ouch. It begs the question, how seriously are we taking Jesus' message in our homes, in our work, in our conversations, in our actions? In what way does Jesus’ words shape our values, our patterns, our choices and our priorities? And are we being congruent with our beliefs and our activity? Because our younger generations are watching and paying close attention. As Brad suggested while visiting PCJH, it’s not expressing doubts that’s a problem for the church, it’s silence.

One of my favorite passages of scripture is from ~ 2 Corinthians 4:5-7; “For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

Being a pastor for over 32 years, I will be the first to say that the Church isn’t perfect. As this passage suggests, we are clay jars, which is basically a nice way of saying we’re cracked pots. But the light of Christ can shine through the cracks. The Church isn’t about us. The Church exists to give witness to the power and resurrection of Jesus. The Church was never meant to replace the Kingdom of God but to rather point to God’s great mission in our world. Jesus must be at the core of our message. We don’t need to “water down” the message because we might “offend”. Rather, let us take the message of Jesus seriously so that authentic faith is demonstrated in all we do. May God give us the grace to do so. ✝

fuel

W

a warm

community

~ Cindy Dahlin

HOEver welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” ~ Matthew 10:40-42 It’s 7:45 am on any given Sunday morning at the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole. The coffee is minutes away from being done; coffee and tea bar set; lights are on in the chapel; pews are set for worship; fellowship snacks are awaiting arrival; bulletins printed; and the staff has prayed over the services. We ask the Lord that He bless these next 5 hours of the life of this church, and that people coming through the doors be inspired by the words of the sermon, the lyrics or sounds of the music and/or the people they meet. We want you here. God has put that desire on your heart to come and our never ceasing desire to serve you.

Now it’s our responsibility to create that environment that opens the door and receives the actual person.

A person who is seeking worship, relationships, healing, the Living Word, friendships, prayer, to be challenged, and making that person feel valued and loved. No small task! Just remember that God wants us in a relationship with Him and with others.

According to welcoming church surveys, we do a better than average job at PCJH with creating a welcoming environment. We provide ample parking, a well maintained and clean facility, free coffee and doughnuts, but we can do so much more. We intentionally have a front door greeter, bulletin passers and then a sanctuary door greeter in the event we missed anyone or anyone is running late. Nothing is worse than coming into a church, especially for the first time, and having the doors closed in front of you. Some churches refer to greeters as Ambassadors. I really like that! As small as that lobby assignment might seem to you– we feel God has called and equipped you to be in that position. Use that time and opportunities throughout the morning to be a disciple of Jesus. We desire to be an inspiring community of believers and then to share that.

Our demographics are unique in Jackson, WY. Living and operating in a resort community, we have many seasonal or even one-time visitors and attenders. The climate is also conducive to having many part-time members and attenders, who live other places than Jackson. With all the outdoor activities we have to offer, many of our young people, especially, are here for just a short period of time or just passing through. We have very few generational families that attend here. The good news is that we can minister to new people again and again. We can provide them a day of worship that is new and fresh to them in Jackson.

We can introduce them to our families and friends within the church that might be there only connection to a Christian Community while here. There are so many new faces and new reasons to be in worship every week. What a gift that God has laid out before all of us!

Young and adult alike will be more or less receptive to the teaching depending on how they were made to feel on the way in. A smile disarms people of awkwardness and boosts their confidence. A word of welcome is a common courtesy. E.A.S.Y. !! A user friendly bulletin is like a map for what’s going on and allows the guest to respond to the message and request more information.

I do think that PCJH, having several young adults on staff, has been a wealth of knowledge and resources for this church wanting to address a plan to Grow Young. We have grown in leaps and bounds with our online streaming of sermons, electronic gifting, updated publications, registrations online and our actual website. Some churches refer to their website as a ‘virtual usher.'

A Challenge To Everyone Reading This: Take the initiative to say hello to someone you don’t know. Engage yourself in a Smile Ministry. Ask a follow up question of someone you have previously just met. Be the Light! ~ Hebrews 13:2 “Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” ✝

pcjh.org

~

Pinnacle

11

Prioritize

young people (AND families)

everywhere

~ Amanda Lack

W

hat’s the difference between prioritization over empathy and warmth in regard to young people and families? According to Chapter six of Growing Young, it’s making a tangible, institutional commitment to allocate resources and attention- not only for specific youth or young adult programming, but also across the line of the congregation. As with many goals, this is much easier said than done. PCJH is a forerunner in making the shift towards prioritizing young people and families everywhere.

Having a separate space, like PCJH’s YARD room is a wonderful addition to the church- especially with it’s recent updates. To take prioritization a step further might look like helping these young people plug in and serve in various areas of the church, as well as have their own space and time to hang out. The ultimate goal would to help these young people feel needed as thriving and valuable members of the congregation. One church that the book gives an example of, did this by what they call “relinquishing traditional authority and power” in order to embrace the younger generation; they noted that it was the difference between ailing and thriving. There is even reference to the importance of this, in fact, an element that can even separate churches from growing young and growing old, by calling it a hinge point. And that hinge point is simply, priority. Where does a church place its priority?

As with most areas in life there are opportunities to grow and develop. Something PCJH is already doing well, but has opportunity for growth, is expanding the prioritization of young people both inside and outside the walls of the church. Outreach and ministry outside of just Sunday morning is ever increasing during this time in the Church.

This looks like allocating resources, energy and attention to teenagers and young adults throughout the week.

Liz, here at PCJH, has already made a fantastic start to moving in this direction. Younger people as well as older adults will both tell you that there’s a new, special kind of opportunity for ministry, listening, encouraging, etc that happened on outings away from, say a Sunday morning

12

growing young

~

winter 2019

church service. Each have their place and value and contribution into a young person’s life and growth. One study even mentioned that when parents are intentional about faith building outside the walls of the church, overall faith maturity and vibrancy within the congregation rises even more. A win-win, so to speak!

There’s a part in this chapter that talks about how young people themselves provide the best barometer of prioritization in all the churches that were studied for the writing of this book. The kids surveyed felt like they were at the heart of their community when churches put them as their priority. It’s mentioned, and PCJH has a good handle on this already, that the sake of prioritizing young people isn’t for the sole purpose of “just making the kids happy”, it's wonderfully a benefit to the church as a whole! When you walk into PCJH today, particularly the north entrance, you immediately see that kids are a priority. Once you come in, you’re immediately engulfed in a world of kids with Hayden Hall being the first thing you see, always adorned with kids’ art and latest projects from Little Lambs Preschool.

Being “young-adult friendly” is more than art and evidence that kids have been there. This chapter emphasized that there are two main components for integrating families- not just young people- into the mix: one, the fact that parental influence matters most and two, that parents need support too. One church from this chapter did something very tangible to make sure parents were intentionally part of the equation: they decided to do something involving parents on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. The possibility for something to this degree for PCJH is already stirring in the hearts of the leaders of young people here. Correspondence already occurs between youth leaders and PCJH families, but this book has been a great motivator to stir new and improved ideas.

Good intentions won’t get us too far with young people, but prioritization will. Excitement and opportunity await as PCJH continues to prioritize young people, thus making the congregation better as a whole. ✝

be the BEST Neighbors

~ Ally Kiefer

I

t was the fall of 2012. My friend and I were 18, college freshmen, beginning the exhilarating, exhausting process of establishing home away from home. Step one? Finding a church!

At the first place we visited, the pastor blissfully described spending time in the “secret place” with God. We left feeling like something was missing. The next Sunday, we chose a new church to try, and the focus on believers’ eternal destination left us frustrated.

It wasn’t that either sermon was wrong. We should strive to meet with our Father and be filled from time with Him. We should think about how our choices today affect our faith. But what comes next? What’s the point of following Jesus?

As my friend put it later, “They missed the so-what.”

Young people today are growing up in an increasingly polarized, world. We see the injustice, suffering, indifference, and wonder why? And where are you, God? And what can I do? It’s a blessing and a curse, to be so informed, through technology, to know there is a need for difference-makers and left feeling lost, wondering if your contribution would matter at all.

In our quest for identity, belonging, and purpose, young people can embrace these miraculous truths: we’re unbelievably beloved by God. We’re called to community.

We’ve been claimed, chosen, and saved for freedom and for good works in His glorious name, by Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. What a cause for celebration! What a call to action!

Churches have the unique opportunity to come alongside young people and align these desires with God’s narrative. Specifically, the church can give reason and purpose for our need to act, to serve. As Growing Young puts it, “When we posture our work in the redemptive narrative of Jesus, good deeds are repositioned within Good News” (pg. 240).

My friend and I were searching for that deeper purpose to our faith, for a church to apply what we believed and loved about God to our broader context. Engaging young people in conversations about justice, culture, faith,

and in service - in the church, community, or globally - is key in inspiring the next generation for Christ.

Growing Young’s research lists ways that churches grow young through being the best neighbors. For example, “churches that grow young neighbor well by honoring what’s good, making their world better, and respecting the journey as much as the destination” (pg. 268). They follow Jesus’ example of mercy for those beyond their walls, as revealed in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). They love those around them in a way that values and transcends differences in ethnicity and socioeconomic status. They also provide resources and supportive mentoring relationships for young people searching for vocation and calling.

How are we being the best neighbors to our congregation and community here at PCJH? PCJH has been blessed with the gifts to support local, national, and international organizations. Our building is used for meetings, rehearsals, dinners, studies, services, for our congregation and across the community. Many in our PCJH family are involved in service. But where is God calling us to more, or to next, or to deeper?

A good first question, as you pray into and engage with the concept of neighboring and growing young, is, “Who are our neighbors here in Jackson?” If you were to walk in a five-mile radius around PCJH, who and what would you see? Who are you passing on the trails and snowy slopes? Who are you sitting next to at church on Sunday morning? Who are the teens and young adults in your congregation, at work, living next door? What needs might God be calling you to?

The beauty of the gospel is that it is meant for everyone. Every person of every ethnicity, gender, background, age, is seen and loved by God, needs the grace and redemption of Jesus, and has the ability to make a Kingdom impact through the guiding and empowering of the Holy Spirit.

Young people have a vital role to play in this neighboring beside, journeying with, and loving others well.

Let’s lift them, and each other, up to fulfill God’s great mission for PCJH, Jackson, and the world. ✝

pcjh.org

~

Pinnacle

13

~

PCJ h B i r t h d ay s / a n n i v e r s a r i e s

DECEMBER

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

Pastoral Staff

02 Clete Crawford

01 Macye Maher

03 Naomi Pascal

03 David & Marian Meyers (39 )

02 Lisle Hooper Yvette Werner

Rev. Ben Pascal

Senior Pastor

bpascal@pcjh.org

x 101

04

04 Barbara VanGenderen

04 Kate Kool

Larry and Paula Jorgenson (53 )

Rev. Tammy Mitchell Associate Pastor

tmitchell@pcjh.org

x 104

05 Kathy Robertson

Office Staff

06 Don Harger 07 Cindy Dahlin

Cindy Dahlin cdahlin@pcjh.org Church Administrator

x109

08 Christy Walton Diane McGee

Ally Kiefer

Communications Coordinator

akiefer@pcjh.org x102

10 Bill Ward

Pam Flores Office Assistant

pflores@pcjh.org x107

John Shipman

05 William Soltau 06 Debbie Iobst 07 Cammy Lawson Warren Myers 14 Daniel Hennessy Kathy Johnson Tom Deltz 15 Carol Poole 17 Susan Conner Shirley Piper Bob Benz 18 Fred and Linda Walker (32 ) 19 Michele Halle 21 Carol Kelleghan Rich Viola 23 Isaac Hayden Yvonne Henze Barb Huhn

Jenifer Snider Rick Unruh

05 Tiffany Tate Mike Jones 06 Linda Hanlon Brad Herman 07 Brian Remlinger 08 Ralph Hudelson Michael Massie Pastor Tammy Mitchell Karin Unruh

Bob and Karen Graham (12) 11 Jennifer Baki Sue Bybee 12

Larry & Barbara VanGenderen

(58 ) 29 Grace Berg Dorothy Neckels Billy Robertson 30 Andi & Huntley Dornan (2)

19 Cathy Blount

Bob & Vickie Jones (54)

14 Tom Jordan Bill Neal

22

John and Linda Hanlon (20)

20 Ginger Jones 25 Bob Kopp 27 Maddy German Liz Sparks 28 29

Jack Larimer

23 Betsy Forster

15 Liz Collins Pam Flores Therese Metherel

18 Richard Spencer Meredith Woodford

Jessica Miller

16 Charles Atwater

21 Chris Sandvig

25

28

Paul & Shirley Piper (27)

13 Donna Clark

16 Rich Mueller

26 Nancy Dunlap

14

Ingrid Watsabaugh

24 Robyn Jones Patricia McDonald

11 Mike Jackson

Trent and Erin Abel (7)

Program Staff Karee Miller Jaeger Worship& Music Coordinator Laura Huckins Choir Director

huckin@silverstar.net

x123

Amanda Lack Little Lambs Director

alack@pcjh.org

x111

Dylan Wade

Children’s Ministry Coordinator

Ruling Elders Class of 2019

2020

2021

Alan Lund* Finance

Kathy Robertson Vision

Steve Iobst Buildings & Grounds

Meg Womack Congregational Life

Caryn Haman Personnel

Cathy Ward Worship

Aaron Nydam Children’s Ministry Laura Soltau Mission

Ken Blount* Clerk of Session Adult Ministries

Wes Lucas Stewardship

Tom Segerstrom Nominating & Assimilation

Barb Andrews* Youth Ministry

Deacons

14

~

winter 2019

dwade@pcjh.org

x103

Liz Collins lcollins@pcjh.org Youth & Young Adult Ministry Coordinator x124

Patrick McGaugh

growing young

kmjaeger@pcjh.org x123

Class of 2019

2020

2021

Liz Jorgenson

Nancy Brumsted*

Jen Baki*

Annie Mueller

Jackie Montgomery*

Erin Rosenberg*

Marge McCallister

Carol Poole*

Jim Byrne

Kenlyn Long*

Michael Schrotz

Brad Herman

Claudia Schrotz

Joy Steiner

Dorothy Neckels

George Scarlett

Lori Dodd

Susan Conner

Bill Klyn

Ed Scott

*Serving second term

Ryan Allen

~

get to know US

Liz Collins / youth & young Adult coordinator Liz is a mid-westerner at heart, growing up and attending college in Missouri. She finds joy in learning alongside students of all ages and is most at home exploring anything outdoors. She was fortunate enough to serve a handful of organizations & parks as an environmental educator & wilderness ranger, vagabonding across the country for a few years. She was drawn to the West after a fateful fishing trip in Paradise Valley. After moving away from Wyoming once, she returned to Jackson and is now embracing a new adventure, serving as the youth & young adult ministry coordinator here at PCJH. In her words I find myself amazed at the relentless love that God spills on us, constantly calling, nudging us along in life. I have felt that guidance throughout my life – at certain times more strongly than other times. My greatest inspiration & hope comes from witnessing others grasping & being moved by that Love. This is why I feel blessed & called to serve at PCJH – growing alongside students, especially, in a faith that can inform every aspect of our life, from the personal, minute daily decisions, to the global complex ones.

Barb Andrews / Youth ELDER Barb grew up raising registered black Angus cattle on her parent’s ranch in Winifred, MT. She graduated from high school in a class of six and went on to graduate from Montana State University with a marketing degree. She moved to Jackson in 1990, met her husband, Brad, and was married in 1994. They raised three children, Will, Claire and Sarah in Jackson, immersed in the community through church, school, sports, 4-H and horse-related activities. Barb loves the outdoors, the seasons, camping, hiking, fishing, social skiing and especially anything to do with her horse, Buckles. She works as an associate broker for Jackson Hole Real Estate Associates and always loves meeting new people and sharing the love of this community and this beautiful wild area that is her home. Barb is serving her second term as the Youth Elder.

In her words What a friend we have in Jesus! I am a firm believer that everything is more fun with a friend.

Even when you may feel alone, we know that Jesus is always there, walking with us and lifting us up. In Hebrews 13:5, he says “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” This is comforting, because even if we don’t have a physical friend by our side, we have his promise that Jesus is always walking with us. I am grateful to be part of the Youth Team. Please support us as we strive to support our youth by continuing to make strides to Grow Young as we, a church body, continue to welcome all ages warmly, inclusively and without judgement.

Jim byrne / Deacon Jim & Sally were living in Fullerton, California in 1987 and visited their daughter, Kristen, a college student, working in the Teton National Park with A Christian Ministry in the National Parks; they were struck by the splendor of the Tetons. The love affair with Jackson Hole got its real boost after reading an article in the LA Times in1989 about Jackson. Jim, Sally and their family of three girls: Kim & Kathryn, Colorado; Kristen, Kentucky, three great son in laws (Carl, Vaughn, & Ed;) and twelve grand children have been enjoying Jackson Hole ever since that time. Jim & Sally first attended PCJH at the middle school in the 90s and became full time members & residents of Jackson in 2001. Both Jim & Sally have served in various roles in PCJH including Session and being deacons. They have been involved in many bible studies and are currently members of a very caring covenant group. Jim’s career centered around marketing and sales with start up software companies in the oil and gas arena; Sally is an Occupational Therapist and an artist.

In his Words Our family has been truly blessed beyond words. One of those blessings being all of our daughters & their families are involved in their own church. That has been so important for Sally and I to know that our grand children will be nurtured in the church, as we have been. There is such a great opportunity for PCJH to reach out to the young people working and living in Jackson so that PCJH can become an integral part of their lives. Forming lasting and meaningful relationships in the church has been the foundation of our marriage and we want to help young people find those same special relationships.

pcjh.org

~

Pinnacle

15

Address Service Requested Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Permit # 189 Jackson, WY 83002

1251 South Park Loop Road, P.O. Box 7530, Jackson, WY 83002 I pcjh.org I 307 - 734 - 0388

S P iRiT sightings

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. u Isaiah 1:18 PHOTO: beth ricciardi