Lutheran Youth of Victoria (LYV) Update
The Lutheran Youth of Victoria committees and leaders spent a weekend in November at Araluen Lutheran Camp in Anglesea. The weekend was mostly fun and relaxation, however some time was spent reviewing the ministry of the past year and planning for the future. It gave the LYV committee great feedback and has encouraged us for the future of youth ministry.
So, what’s been happening this year? Empower, Easter Camp, CLW Purple, CLW Orange, two church crash events, and a Leaders retreat. Some major movements in LYV this year have been the name change from CYYAM back to LYV, and making stronger connections with Lutheran Education. The name change was decided as CYYAM was not very well known, and people didn’t understand our purpose. With this rebranding, we have also released some great merchandise – maybe you’ve seen our beanies, hoodies or drink bottles. Connecting with Lutheran Education is an exciting initiative. We have already found this valuable and are endeavouring to make better connections with students in our schools.
After many years of service, Kerry Linke finished as our facilitator during the year. A decision was recently made, together with the District, to leave this position vacant as we restructure. We sincerely thank Kerry for all of her work and time supporting and assisting LYV.
Some of the issues identified preventing youth from attending events are the lack of youth groups and cost of living. Many congregations no longer have youth groups, and we are looking at ways to overcome this, as previously youth groups fed into our camps. We are also aware that the cost of living is making it hard for many parents to send their children on camp – we are blessed that some congregations and wonderful individuals have reached out to help us support youth with the costs of attending camp. For example, in the last year we were able to support some of our youth in Tasmania to come to camp by paying for their flights, so it only cost them the same as our Victorian youth to get to camp. If you are finding camps costs a struggle, please reach out to us for support.
We are excited about upcoming events in 2024! Our next event is Summer Camp at Araluen, on 19th to 22nd January at Araluen in Anglesea, for high school aged youth. Get your registration in now! Follow the link: HERE
Events for 2024
Summer Camp: 19th – 22nd January
Empower: 17th February
Church Crash: 18th February
Easter Camp: 28th March – 1st April
CLW Purple: (Jul School Holidays)
CLW Orange: (Sept School Holidays)
Leaders Retreat: (November)
If you would like any more information, please contact LYV Chairperson, Michael ‘Mog’ Benbow, on 0417533162, or email admin.lyv@lca.org.au
