Conference Time
By Amanda on Jan 10, 2010 in Featured
It’s here again! The Group Conference is the end of February and I need to start preparing. I love all your feedback and ideas about issues and topics that need to be discussed in the Married to a Youth Pastor Break Out.
For those of you that went last year its going to be a bit different. Instead of an all day affair with Cathy Fields and I, it is going to be broken up by topic, so you can go to the part that hits a nerve with you (or all of it if you want).
So now this is where I’d love to hear from you.
If you were going to go to a “Break-Out” session what would you want to hear/talk about?
I would also love to see you there!
-striking a balance between attending youth events and being Mom
-what role in youth group discipline (if any) the wife plays when she is not employed by the church
-what constitutes reasonable expectations for a family working full-time for a church: salary, insurance, parsonage, time off??
-how much time is too much when it comes to the minister’s young children hanging out with much older teenagers and pre-teens?
-how to deal when the church expects ministers’ wives to be speakers and it’s not your strength
-managing vacation/date time alone with the hubby
-when you’re on call 24/7, how do you manage some cell phone-free time?
Just some ideas. Wish so badly I could be there!! Are there going to be recordings available to download?
Sarah P | Jan 11, 2010 | Reply
It seems like being a mom and managing our home is full time for me- how do i NOT feel guilty for not being so involved in the youth group?
sarah p sums it up mostly- these are issues i struggle with every day
what are biblical expectations for the pw? where can i go to figure out what this role really means-
how do you handle parenting at church- many times i feel like a “single parent” because my husband is so busy- what are the boundaries?
sarah j | Jan 13, 2010 | Reply
How about how to exit gracefully? Hubby just got laid off from his position, after 2.5yrs… we have to remain in town (we own our own home, daughter in school), but he’ll need to find employment here in the meantime. We’re struggling w/ a ton of feelings, obviously, but when most of our friends are church members, do we work to maintain those relationships? We don’t feel like we can continue to worship there… a lot that God will be working out in our lives and hearts over the next few weeks…
I know the conference will be great & we’ll miss yall. We had a great time last year!
Mrs. H | Jan 13, 2010 | Reply
I am so excited to be coming to the conferene!! GAH! This was a suprise trip for my husband and now I get to go as well
I really would like to talk about the discipline thing. Sometimes I feel like that is all I do, and at one point my hubby (the youth minister) would joke that the kids were scared of me.
And since I work a full time job that has a crazy schedule and lots of late nights, how can I still stay involved and help my husband when I can’t even be there like I can during the summer or off seasons?
I am so ready to be there. I really dont think I can wait a month!
see you soon!
Heather P
Heather P | Jan 21, 2010 | Reply
Can’t wait!! It will be the first time we leave our 9 month old daughter overnight, so we’re a tiny bit anxious… but mostly thrilled to get away for a bit!! I, too, am the “scary one” of the volunteers. I can’t get rid of my teacher looks or mentality…
Mollie | Jan 22, 2010 | Reply
Mollie- haha I totally understand. I work in a high school as an Athletic Trainer, and I teach a sports med class for one period a day, and I usually carry the mentality and teacher faces with me
Its funny to me because I know I’m giving them the “your in trouble face” that my mom use to give me all the time!
I’ll pray for you and your hubby having to leave your baby, I do not have kids yet, but i can’t imagine. I have a hard time leaving my dog behind
Heather P | Jan 22, 2010 | Reply
I’m excited to go to the conference this year. My husband went last year and told me about the Married to a Youth Pastor track. I’m a little disappointed that it doesn’t look like you’re having that this year. Anyway, here are a few things I’d like to talk about:
-How do I support/encourage my husband without having to know about all the details of particular issues he has with people at church? This just makes me worry and I don’t think it’s healthy, but we tend to share a lot with each other!
-How do we set aside time for ourselves as a couple?
-How involved should I be in his ministry? I often find myself feeling guilty if I decide to skip an event, even though I’m more involved than pretty much all of the other volunteers. How can I avoid this?
-What should the boundaries be with our friends within the congregation?
Erica | Jan 25, 2010 | Reply
I’m not able to go this year, but also would like to know how to deal with me being the one to “discipline” the kids and he wants to be the “fun one”.
I also am struggling with it being his calling and not mine and that I’m his main volunteer because no one else will step up. I think they don’t volunteer because they know I’ll be there. We have recently discussed possibly cancelling events because he doesn’t have enough volunteers to help (if I were to stay home). We know this would only hurt the kids and cause more issues.
Any help/comments are much appreciated!!
Carrie M. | Jan 26, 2010 | Reply
Im having an issue with my wonderful youth pastor hubby. I plead guilty that I dont’ always remember what he is starting or going to do with the group certain weeks. He has so much that he is doing, I often can’t keep up with the details, then I feel bad that I don’t remember exactly what he told me. Anyone ever done that? Or is it just me?
I work in a completely different career than he does, and I have a lot going on with that, but, I just feel like my job sometimes doesn’t matter as much, even though Im working hard too, so we can pay bills and such.
I also feel guilty I can’t always been as involved as I would like to, or as he would need me too. I feel left out a lot I guess.
Just feeling kind of bummed today because I forgot what he was doing with youth tonight, I remember the conversation we had and what he wants to do, I just forgot it was tonight and he got a little upset with me. (I just needed to be reminded..and then I remembered everything.) Maybe Im getting overwhelmed by work, online grad school, work, church stuff, FCA stuff, friends and so on….that I misplace the information about the stuff that is important to him. So I’m bummed right now. I feel like I’m not doing my job as a youth minister wife, and when i try to I don’t know if its the right way.
Guess Im having trouble balancing….
Heather P | Jan 27, 2010 | Reply