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Author Archives: Kristin Bird

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Being Present

By | February 18, 2013
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At first, I felt helpless. I felt so inadequate, certain that futzing with the finicky washing machine for my shift couldn’t do anything for these individuals. I felt like all I could do was to be there, and that being there wasn’t enough.

Then I realized that “being there” is the hallmark of relational ministry. Everything we do in youth ministry stems from building relationships by listening, sharing, and engaging in the lives of these teenagers. Before the ministry of planning a Life Night, of collecting permission slips for a retreat, of attending committee meetings, or of documenting Confirmation paperwork comes the ministry of presence.

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The Value of an Apology

By | April 11, 2012
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We have a problem with a group of “mean girls” in our youth group. Only they’re not mean to their peers – they’re mean to me. “We don’t play games,” one told me last week, her Powderpuff Football Champion T-Shirt mocking me as she rolled her eyes.

They refuse to participate in any game, skit, or large group discussion. During moments of silence or prayer, I can almost always count on one of them to start giggling, and despite seating Core Members right in the middle of their group, they keep up a constant stream of chatter during the teachings. Worst of all, they always manage to foil our small group splitting techniques and all 5 of them sneak their way into the same small group every week.

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Kony 2012 and Your Teens

By | March 9, 2012
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Teens want to be engaged in changing the world. For most of us in youth ministry this isn’t a surprise. We’ve seen how compassionate teens can be and how much time and energy they are willing to give to something they believe in. Most of the world (or at least, most of my parish), however, doesn’t see this.

They believe teens to be self-centered adolescents who care only about their immediate circle of friends and family and frequently make poor decisions. The Kony 2012 campaign serves to remind all of us of the incredible capacity for empathy that teenagers have and how hard they are willing to fight (even in the face of criticism) for a cause they believe is worthy.

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Drafting Your Fantasy Core Team

By | September 6, 2011

I love NFL football. I love the drama, the intensity, and the way every single game matters to the outcome of the season. Next to the Packers, my favorite thing about the NFL season is fantasy football. As I sat making my picks for my first draft the other day, I realized that building a quality youth ministry Core Team can be a lot like building the perfect fantasy football team.

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Responding to the Death of a Teen

By | May 31, 2011

I minister in a town of about 50,000 drawing on 3 different high schools. In the last 18 months, 8 high school teenagers have died unexpectedly from car accidents, illness, and suicide. In the midst of all of this tragedy, I have learned 4 important lessons about how we should respond to teen death within our communities.

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4 Lessons from Packer Country, as Told by a Youth Minister and Green Bay Fan

By | February 1, 2011

This year (you may have heard) the Green Bay Packers are headed to the Super Bowl. I’ve lived and breathed Green and Gold for the past few months, and I’ve realized that the Packer culture has a lot to teach us about how we can be church…and how I can do more effective ministry to teens.

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Catholic Pop Quiz: Where is the first officially recognized Marian Apparition in the United States?

By | January 12, 2011

Just before Christmas I found myself eating lunch in an almost empty parish office. When my lunch break doesn’t consist of a fast food run or an hour catching up on Facebook, it finds me in the parish office reading the comics and sports section of our local paper. On this particular day, I was greatly disappointed that my hunt yielded only the business section of the paper. When the secretary stopped by I asked her if she knew where the real paper was, and she tossed a paper in front of me: the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin Newspaper – The Compass.

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Catholic-friendly Alternatives to Popular Charities

By | November 17, 2010

As youth ministry workers, we are inundated with causes and charities trying to gain access to teens.  From the parish picnic committee looking for teens to run kids’ games to the local food pantry asking our teens to run a Thanksgiving frozen turkey drive to the daily flyer in the mail from some national charitable organization…these charities are seeking to tap into the energy (and spending power) of teenagers. Youth ministry workers are called to help teenagers develop a habit of giving generously

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What is Advocacy Anyways?

By | October 8, 2010

I was at a parish staff meeting recently when I suddenly found myself in the middle of a discussion about “those teenagers.” A staff member saw a few teens hanging out around one of the church buildings at night, and was convinced that they must be up to no good. A downward spiraling discussion followed about how irresponsible teenagers are today complete with disparaging comments about the poor parenting.

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Confessions of a YM who Doesn’t Go to Daily Mass!

By | July 6, 2009

I don’t go to daily Mass. I don’t visit the Eucharistic chapel in my parish building nearly enough. I don’t schedule prayer time into my daily calendar. I really wish I could do these things, but I don’t. I’m a full-time high school ministry coordinator for two parishes who attends 2 different staff meetings each week. I’m a wife and mother of 2 children under 4, and expecting our 3rd in the fall, and I’m two semesters away from completing my Master’s in Pastoral Studies. I