Being There with Young Adults

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Being There withYoung Adults
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youngpeoplesministries
This webcast will be available as an archive on
the website gbod.org/youngpeople shortly after
the webcast. Please feel free to ask questions
or make comments on the message board (link will
be found in the lower left-hand corner).
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youngpeoplesministries
This webcast is sponsored by THE DIVISION ON
MINISTRIES WITH YOUNG PEOPLE of the GENERAL BOARD
OF DISCIPLESHIP of the THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
PO Box 340003 Nashville, TN 37203-0003 Phone
615-340-1723 Fax [phone] youngpeople_at_gbod.or
g
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Jay ClarkFaith Formation, Leadership Development
and Resource Coordination with Youthjclark_at_gbod.
org

• Jay has a passion for youth ministry, the
  theatre, and travel.
• Hes spent 15 years in local church youth
  ministry in Arkansas, 3 years in New England
  Conference, 1 year local church in NYC.
• Hes in charge of Youth 2007, Regional Leadership
  Institutes, Youth Pilgrimages
• He and his wife met in acting school and are
  expecting their first child in June 2006.

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Bill LizorDirector of Young Adult and Single
Adult Ministriesblizor_at_gbod.org

• Bill is originally from Eldersburg, Maryland and
  attended St. Paul's UMC
• He is a alumni of West Virginia Wesleyan College.
• He works with leaders to help develop,
  strengthen, and empower young adult and single
  adult ministries.
• He enjoys hanging out with friends, movies,
  music, 'the arts,' and long walks on the. . .uh .
  . .sorry, wrong website.

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Julie ONealFaith Formation, Leadership
Development and Resource Coordination with Young
Adultsjoneal_at_gbod.org

• Julies great, great grandfather was the first to
  bring United Methodism to Arizona
• She is a member of the Desert Southwest Annual
  Conference
• She has two younger brothers, a younger sister,
  and a kitten named Panini
• She works with the young adults to help them find
  and develop resources and wants to help build
  stronger networks and connections for young
  adults who are in and outside of the church

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Andrew ThompsonAssociate Pastor at Searcy First
UMC in Searcy, ARandrew_at_mandatum.org

• Andrew is originally from Paragould, AR, and he
  is a lifelong member of the United Methodist
  Church.
• He has been the associate pastor at Searcy FUMC
  and leads the young adult and singles ministries.
• He is married to Emily of Searcy, and he has a
  gray tabby cat named Ruth.
• He is an ordained elder in the Arkansas
  Conference of the United Methodist Church.
• He writes the GenX Rising article in the UM
  Reporter.

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During this Webcast, keep in mind Young Adults
who

• are 18 to 25
• are over 25
• did not choose to attend college
• are single
• are in the armed forces
• are unemployed
• are depressed
• are seeking deeper faith

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YA population continues to grow in size and
diversity
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• Gen X (born 1965 to 1978)
• Transitional (born 1978 to 1982)
• Millennial (born 1982 to 1999)

Significant DIVIDES among YAs Education
Technology
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EDUCATION DIVIDES Growing number of college
grads AND at the same time the LARGEST segment of
YAs are not college educated
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Growing number of High School and college
dropouts Growing numbers of males opting out of
High School graduation for GEDs
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Out of 100 young adults in Florida without high
school credentials. 5 earned GEDs U.S. Bureau
of the Census and American Council on
Education 1 to 2 yr lag period following high
school graduation indecision confusion
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On the COLLEGE Front
Less than 30 of population has four year
degrees Average time for Bachelors degree is now
5 years Number students preferring on-line
courses is growing CNN.com Article from January
13, 2006
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Sun-Sentinel.com October 16, 2005 The cost of a
4-year education at a public college is now more
than 59 percent higher than in 1990. Average
amt of student loan debt 17,600. Center for
Economic Policy Research
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DIGITAL DIVIDES

• Information Age Mindset
• Shaped by Advanced Technology
• XBox PS2 Problem-Solving
• Multi-tasking to Hyper-tasking
• Staying Connected is ESSENTIAL

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• Internet Access Wireless
• MySpace Facebook
• USA Today.com article from January 9, 2006
• Laptops, PDAs, iPods, Blackberries

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ECONOMIC Challenges
The largest adult segment without health
insurance Many Young Adults work two jobs
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Credit Card Debt is significantly high in YA
population segment Difficult for YAs to find
jobs with a living wage (10/hr) benefits
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Sun-Sentinel.com October 16, 2005 The rising
cost of living or inflation is hitting the
younger generation especially hard. Expenses are
climbing sharply while their entry-level jobs
arent keeping up.
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Cost of FUEL drives primary where to live and
where to play decisions. At the same time, the
18-29 crowd controls trillions in purchasing
power. Estimate that 20-21 yr olds spend over
60 billion a year. Sun-Sentinel.com October
16, 2005
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Choices Stages
Wanting to make a difference make change in the
world Involvement in Mission, Volunteering and
Service
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Rate of YAs living with parents continues to
rise (move away return to home) Sun-Sentinel.co
m October 16, 2005 Estimated 750,000 young
adults nationwide move back in with their parents
every year.
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Delays with marriage and parenting
decisions Gender maturity gap continues to widen
young men less adept
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Over 80 of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and
Marines are under the age of 34 Women account
for close to 20 of U.S. Military Todaysmilitary.c
om on January 4, 2006
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Vulnerability inthe Age or Stage Gaps

• youth ? young adult
• education ? employment
• single ? attached
• unmarried ? married
• family ? no family
• Continuous TRANSITIONS

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Markings of Adulthood

• Discovering self identity
• Who am I?
• Why am I here?
• What defines me as an adult?
• Finding ones own way--
• What do I do with myself?

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Life Span

• Every major era or stage in the life span is is
  marked by its own way of making meaning.

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Need for Meaningful Intergenerational,
Inter-faith and Inter-racial Connections

• YAs seek opportunities to be with people of
  other generations for a sense of continuity.

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What else do we know about YAs?How does this
information change and/or challenge our
EXPECTATIONSof YAs? Where have we overlooked
or not recognized opportunities with YAs?
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youngpeoplesministries
Thank you for joining us for this webcast! This
webcast will be available as an archive on the
website gbod.org/youngpeople
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youngpeoplesministries
I invite you to contact others and ask them to
sign up for the Youth, Young Adult or Adult
Network email and newsletters from me and
the Young Peoples Ministries at http//www.gbod
.org/youngpeople/email.htm
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youngpeoplesministries
For more information about ministries of the
division, global events, learning opportunities,
grants and scholarship opportunities please visit
our website or contact us anytime at
youngpeople_at_gbod.org. We look forward to sharing
in ministry with you.