Project Connect is a groundbreaking effort by the Eastern Cluster of Lutheran Seminaries (Gettysburg, Philadelphia, and Southern) to involve young adults in discerning a call to public ministry in the church. Thanks to a $3 million grant from the Lily Endowment, the project will run for several years and reach out in all sorts of ways.

Project Connect makes connections between young adults and a network of partners — seminaries, colleges, camps, campus ministries, church leaders, social ministry organizations, and volunteer organizations. The purpose is to engage this network in mentoring and providing theologically sound vocational discernment programs for college-age adults.

This endeavor will be accomplished by identifying young adults who are active in church life; nurturing relationships with those who are open to a process that extends, deepens, and provides focus for vocational discernment; and sustaining these relationships by providing profound experiences in congregational ministry.

The project website provides an overview of the project as well as information for students and leaders, a listing of upcoming events, stories from young adults about their call to ministry in the church, links to other partners, and grant information.

Upcoming events include seminary days at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia November 12-14, "Connect the Dots: Calling Young Adult Leaders for a Changing World," a retreat for young adults ages 18-30 January 2-5, 2007, and "Hearing God's Call," a discernment retreat. Two of the latter events are scheduled in early 2007: January 5-7 in Highland Lake, NY, and January 7-9 in Jefferson, MD.

Project Director Don Johnson is excited about the prospect of being in touch with potential candidates as well as church leaders who can help identify such candidates. There's even a secure online database where pastors and rostered leaders can enter contact information for young people from their churches who might be interested.

Pastor Fred Opalinski, Trinity Lutheran Church, Reading, is our synod discernment advocate for 2006-2007. As such, he will mentor a number of youth and young adults who have expressed interest in ministry in the church and make presentations at various events on behalf of Project Connect. You may contact Pastor Opalinski at fopalinski@oldtrinity.org or 610-374-4861.

(Ed. Note: In addition to the Project Connect website, Linda Lovell's blog for on the Delaware-Maryland Synod website provided some of this information. Linda also wrote an article about Project Connect for the November 2006 issue of The Lutheran. Click here to read the article.)