Summary of Changes to Manual for 2022

1. Using the entries in LTC events in actual ministry at the home congregation or community.

One theme that emerged from the HOALTC Board of Directors planning retreat this past summer was that LTC should be relevant to the actual needs and activities of the local churches, and how to integrate these activities into the overall ministries of the church. We hope that this will help to expand the focus of these activities beyond the convention so that they become life-long habits and to communicate to the students that they are not merely the church of tomorrow but are also part of the church right now. We have added to the pre-conventions events this year, the requirement for students to report how they applied or used their activity in their local ministry. It is written into the expectations and rules and is also included in the rubrics for those events. We anticipate adding this requirement to other events in future years.

2. Changed Bible Reading convention event to grades 3-6 only, because the older students are expected to move to Public Speaking as part of their leadership development. This change is written into the purpose of the event and is included in the registration for the event.

3. Removed 1 event: Digital Slide Presentation from pre-convention events.

4. Combined speech and sermon into one new event: Public Speaking. (These are convention events.)

5. Combined 2 (two) previous pre-convention video events into one new event: Video Ministry. The previous events of Video Bible Drama and Video Production used similar video technologies and skills and combining them into one event allows greater creativity and reduces LTC administrative work. See new instructions, new rubric, and new registration information.

6. Christian Conversations in pre-convention Challenge Events. This is a new idea and event from a couple years ago that became side-tracked by the Covid pandemic changes and requirements placed on the LTC convention, and has not been well-presented to church coordinators and LTC participants. It is based on observations in many social situations, including church gatherings, and on a perceived academic/educational need for learning conversations, especially between differing demographic groups. It is a definite leadership capability to be able to meet, greet, and converse with other people in all types of communication settings. The event is “in development” and the Board would like to know your thoughts and suggestions, as well as results within your congregation if there are participants in the event.

7. Rubrics and instructions are always being reviewed and changed in the attempt to improve and make the events more meaningful and appealing to the students. We ask that all church coordinators, students, and coaches/teachers/parents working with the students carefully and fully review the current applicable pages from the manual for any events they are participating in.