"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." -- 1 Timothy 4:12
Molly Beck Dean
Assistant to the Bishop - Youth Ministry Specialist
Mrs. Dean works with Synodical youth programs and congregational youth leaders and helps strengthen congregational ministry to and with young people. Molly is the wife of Brent, the mother of Clara and the owner of two dogs, Kota and Dharma. She is a lover of scrapbooking, traveling, movies and animals.
Contact: 267.323.3762 |
Ginny Bailey
Administrative Assistant
Ms. Bailey supports Global Vision/Events andcompiles the Bulletin of Reports and Minutes Book, and supports Youth Ministry activities and events.
Ginny is an avid Flyers fan and enjoys traveling, spending time with her niece and five nephews and playing with her cats, Missy and Madison.She is a life-long member of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in North Wales.
Youth Ministry Committee
The Youth Ministry Committee serves adults who work with youth and children by helping to provide them with their needs of training, faith development, fellowship with other youth workers, and support including resources and networking.
Members of the SEPA Synod Youth Ministry Committee are:
Cindy Hane, St. James, Limerick
Rozella Poston, Mediator, Philadelphia
Marie Kinzler, St. John, NE Philadelphia
Elise Seyfried, Christ's, Oreland
Jerry Faust, Immanuel, Norwood
Lynette Chapman, Emmanuel, Pottstown
Ray Hopkins, Upper Dublin, Ambler
Marty Schmidt, St. Paul, Exton
Molly Beck Dean, Synod Staff
Jessica McAlister, Synod Staff
Upcoming Youth Events
Check out these important resources for youth, youth workers and congregations
Networking
- SEPA Youth Ministry Date Book
- Youth Ministry Directory 2009
- 2009-10 Dates for Youth Workers
- 2009-10 Dates for Youth
Safety
- Safety Policies
- Preferred Service Providers
Staffing
- Staffing your Youth Ministry Program
- Calling and Providing for YM Staff
- Sample Position Descriptions
- SEPA YM Salary Survey
Often congregations need to do some visioning and goal setting before they are ready to bring in a staff person. Our Youth Ministry Specialist, Molly Beck Dean, is available to help your congregation through this process. Contact Molly at or 610.278.7345
General Resources
- SEPA YM Scholarship Application
- Peer Ministry
- Service Learning
- Communication and Publicity Ideas
- Confirmation - More than Business as Usual
- Developing a Healthy Jr. High Ministry
- Fundraisers
- Helping Young People Give Globally
- Ministering to Young Adults
- Teach, Reach Youth about HIV & AIDS
- Youth and Anxiety
Youth News
Bear Creek Summer Camp 2012
Summer Camp at Bear Creek is a gift that helps children and youth build spiritual friendships, inspire a love of nature, strengthen a sense of responsibility and accomplishment and deepen their relationship with God. Now is a great time to get signed up for a wonderful summer camp experience. The summer camp experience is packed full of adventure and discovery for children and youth from 1st grade through senior high. Scholarships are still available.
Helping Hands Day 2012
Helping Hands Day, our annual synod-wide day of service, fellowship, and worship, will be held on April 28th, 2012. This is an amazing event where young people in grades 6-12 and their adult leaders will worship, share, laugh, eat, work, sing, learn and serve God & our neighbors. This year’s theme is Hand in Hand. We are looking forward to providing an opportunity to youth from all over the synod to serve and get to know each other in the name of God.
Young Adults: It's Time To Shine
Young adults, are you contemplating God's call for your life? Project Connect is offering "Shining In; Shining Out: Exploring Life's Sacred Spaces," a retreat Jan 4-8 in Manhattan.
Learn about Temple campus ministry
The Board and Students of the Lutheran Episcopal Campus Ministry at Temple University urge you to save the date for the Twilight at Temple Reception, Thursday, September 22, 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Come learn about campus ministry at the university and see how Temple has changed in the past several years!
Millennials Challenge Church to Change
Ministry with the generation aged 10-30 today “looks more like the church of the 1st and 2nd Centuries” than the institution of the 1960s that many leaders fondly recall, said 2011 Assembly keynote speaker Dr. Rodger Nishioka. Instead of catering to a dwindling tribe of insiders, the church has the opportunity to reach out to religious “immigrants” who “have no experience with the church,” Nishioka said. Research shows that youth and young adults coming of age in the new millennium are hungry for spiritual experience rather than religious knowledge, and are open to the mysteries of faith when presented in ways that resonate with them.
Synod News
Highlights of 2012 Assembly
A complete report of the 2012 Synod Assembly, along with video highlights, a downloadable newsletter insert, photos and preliminary minutes of the Assembly are now available online. Find links after the jump.
From Liberia to East Lansdowne
It’s a long way from Liberia to East Lansdowne, but over that distance God planted and nurtured a small worshipping community in a refugee camp into a thriving Lutheran Church officially welcomed at the 2012 Assembly.