Pizza Math & Other Hard Questions
By Rebekah Witt
I joke that all youth directors need someone to do pizza math with. It’s a real thing: figuring out how much pizza to buy for a youth event. It’s that kind of silly question that I found myself being able to ask in a cohort setting. Not only did I ask the practical questions, but I reflected on the ones that were deep down inside and scared me. What should I do when youth aren’t showing up? How can I manage all the methods of communication when everyone wants something different? What is the best way to support youth when I can’t be at every event they have? How do I delegate when people continually let me down? Am I the right person for this job?
Having a space to wrestle with these thoughts was like taking a few pounds out of a heavy backpack I was carrying. I had to lighten the load, and I wanted to talk to people who understood my experiences. Never did I think that a cohort of people I had not met before would give me what I needed, and that I would do the same in return. I had talked to coworkers and friends, but they just didn’t get it. My cohort listened, empathized, offered advice, and sometimes just sat with me in the challenges I faced. I was no longer alone.
During my cohort experience, I questioned why I was trying to do ministry by myself and I made significant changes. I created a presbytery youth network and when my youth group was lacking numbers for a mission trip, another youth worker and I collaborated to make it happen. In the cohort, I also had the support I needed to make difficult decisions. Taking a step back to reflect allowed me to see that I was offering too many events for our already overscheduled youth. It was a risk to provide less, but it proved to be the best option. So, my cohort celebrated with me! There were times my ideas failed and yet, my cohort was still there to offer encouragement.
A big topic of conversation within my cohort was that ministry never stops. I was so busy supporting others on their faith journeys that I wasn’t taking time for my own faith, which I was embarrassed to admit. Not only that, but I wasn’t practicing self-care. My cohort coach helped me create space in my life to connect with God and remember to pause for my own well-being. Sometimes this looked like having a conversation with God while I went for a run or doing things I enjoyed more often, like hiking. By the end of each cohort meeting, I was prepared to step back into youth ministry with a renewed sense of peace and commitment to my faith.
Being part of a cohort got me out of the rut I was stuck in. It gave me the confidence and energy to serve in the way that God called me, while not getting burnt out in the process. It also inspired me to become a trained coach so that I could provide space for others to experience this in their own way. You never know how pizza math or other questions will change your ministry for the better! So, what will a cohort do for you?
Registration for the 2024 Fall Cohorts is open until October 4, 2024. To learn about and register for these cohorts which will begin the week of October 14, click here.
About the author:
Rebekah Witt is the Director for Youth & Young Adults at Opequon Presbyterian Church in Winchester, VA and a board member of the Presbyterian Youth Workers Association. She is also the GenOn Ministries Christian Parenting Project Assistant and a coach-sultant. Rebekah served as a Young Adult Volunteer for a year in Denver, Colorado and as a Young Adult Advisory Delegate at the 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). She earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education & Master of Arts in Teaching from James Madison University. In her free time Rebekah enjoys hiking, coaching soccer, watching sports, and spending time with family and pets.