Where did the summer go? For some, summer is already history and the teens are back in school. For others, the final weeks of summer are here and the new school year is just around the corner. But for all of us, it is time to ask yourself key questions to make sure that both you and your ministry are prepared for the fall. Are you ready? What do you need to get your ministry equipped?

Fall is the unofficial start of the ministry year. There are new teens to meet, graduating teens to say goodbye to and a list of exciting plans for the future of your programs. Even though some programs never take a break from youth ministry, fall is the time for “Kick Off” events and a new beginning. Below are some suggestions to help you get ready for an awesome year.

1. End in Mind: Always be preparing (even at the beginning of the year) with the end in mind. Ask yourself what do you want accomplished? What are your goals? Every parish may have different answers, but we all will have one similarity: leading teens closer to Christ.
2. Master Calendar: Your Life Nights, special events, service projects, retreats and trips should be included on this. It is important that you don’t just pick stuff so you have it, but rather build upon each gathering. A few extra hours of planning now will reap huge benefits during the year.
3. Reel in New Volunteers: If you haven’t been spending your summer hitting up potential new Core Members, start now! It is a great time and a smooth transition for volunteers to start. It is also an ideal time to plan a training session with new recruits.
4. Fire Up Returning Teens: Summer is tough because so many teens are out of touch. They are busy with athletics, family vacation, SAT class and everything else. Remind your teens that you want them back! Stay in contact with them and build that excitement so they come back.
5. Invite New Teens: Every year you have new teens. Create a plan to integrate the “new kids.” Send a postcard, email, Facebook update. Let them know that you want to meet them. Also, this is a great time to get in touch with those teens who you have not seen in awhile. Let them know you want them to come back.
6. Prayer: Don’t forget to pray! It is easy to be busy with “stuff” of youth ministry, but we need to remember the real effectiveness of our ministry to young people is based on prayer. As youth ministers we must be people of prayer first, not just for our ministries, but also for our spiritual well being.

The school year is not too far away (or maybe is already here). Consider this a friendly reminder to take the plunge, and dive in!

After running Life Teen for 8 years in a small rural parish in northern – but not too northern – Canada, I finally worked up the courage to ask a brother youth minister from Florida to help me understand American Youth Ministry terminology. If you’re from a Canadian – or perhaps any other international – parish, you can find yourself running into short forms or terms that frankly just don’t show up in our typical ministerial environments. So for all you Canadian youth ministers or Core Members surfing catholicyouthministry.com, below are some definitions I’m affectionately referring to as my Americanadapedia:

• Freshman – grade nine high school students
• Sophomore – grade ten high school students
• Juniors – grade eleven high school students (not grade 9 & 10’s as we usually refer to them as)
• Seniors – grade twelve high school students (not the 11’s and 12’s we usually lump together)
• Middle School – typically what we call upper elementary students, grades 6 – 8
• Elementary school – students under grade 6 (what we classify as kindergarten to grade
• DRE (Directors of Religious Education) – pretty foreign to Canadians, but essentially people responsible for any catechetical, sometimes sacramental formation within American parishes. These rarely have any Canadian counterpart unless assumed by a Pastoral Assistant on rare occasions.
• NFCYM – The National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry. An organization of diocesan directors and youth ministers in the United States.
• NCYC – The National Catholic Youth Conference. A gathering of teens from around the United States that happens every other year.

There are more, many more, but maybe this list will help get you started. Life Teen can and does work in countries outside the United States, it just takes a little translation work!

1. Above all else, you must pray.

   In order to be a great youth minister, you must believe what you teach. Now, that seems pretty obvious, but it’s amazing how many of us can tell our teens about the importance of prayer and not take time to do it ourselves. Without prayer, our ministry points to us and not to God, and this is the biggest mistake we can make. We must be people of prayer first, not just for our ministries, but for our own hearts.

2. Balance, balance, balance.

   The most common response I received to this question was the phrase: “learn how to balance.” As youth ministers we not only have a responsibility to our ministry, we also have a responsibility to our own prayer life, family, friends, health, and more. So, get a calendar, a planner, or whatever it takes and setup a healthy schedule for your prayer, vocation, and ministry.

3. It’s not about what you know. It’s about how you live.

   This statement is not an excuse to be theologically ignorant. As youth ministers it is vital for us to continue to grow in our knowledge of the faith. With that said, it’s even more important that we live it. Imagine if I told you all about the beauty of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but didn’t go on a regular basis. We must live out the faith we believe in no matter where we are or whom we’re with.

4. Take a public speaking class.

   Speaking of theology, we can have all the knowledge of the world about the Catholic faith, but if we don’t know how to communicate it, then how effective can we be? Being able to speak in front of groups of people is a major part of being a youth minister. While most of the time, our audience will be teens, there may be other times when it’s parents or other adults. Find some training in this area, whether at a local seminar, community college, or one of our Life Teen Training Conferences.

5. Get to know the whole parish.

   When we become youth ministers, it’s natural to think that the only people we need to connect with are teenagers. While this is the primary group we will minister to, it’s important to remember that youth ministry is one part of a larger parish vision. Get to know the people who go to Daily Mass; they can be your best prayer warriors. Befriend the parish secretary; she can be your best advocate. Above all, seek to develop relationships with the parishioners, and listen more than you talk.

6. Dress for success.

   As I travel around, I hear a lot of youth ministers say they want to be treated as a professional. If that’s the case, then the solution is simple: be professional, especially in the way you dress. Does this mean you have to wear a suit and tie or can never wear a t-shirt and shorts? No. But be sure to consider the situation and dress accordingly.

7. It’s not about how cool you are. It’s about how you love.

   Too many of us often feel like we have to know all the latest trends and slang in order to reach our teens. But quite honestly, the best way to minister to teens is to be yourself. God created you uniquely, and He called you to this because He wants you to use the gifts He’s placed inside of you to love the teens and lead them closer to Him. So, why do we spend so much time trying to be someone else? Teens can spot a fake, and trust me, they will remember you more for the ways that you loved them than they will if you know why someone named Snooki is famous.

8. Confirmation is a Sacrament, not a crutch to hold up your Youth Ministry.

   When you’re asked to lead Confirmation preparation for high school teens along with the overall youth ministry, it can be tempting to want to use Confirmation to increase your youth group numbers. Most of the time this is because you can make things mandatory for Confirmation (like attending a Life Night), but this can be a huge mistake. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t invite Confirmation candidates to participate in the overall Youth Ministry, but we need to be wary of making it mandatory.

9. You will face a lot of rejection. Don’t give up.

   If you like rejection, become a youth minister. I faced more rejection than Point Guards trying to shoot a basketball over Shaquille O’Neal. Teens will tell you they can’t come because they have too much homework, they have a basketball game, their parents won’t let them, or they just don’t want to. You will face rejection, but you can never give up. Keep building relationships. Keep inviting. You never know when they will finally say “yes.” After all, isn’t that what God does for us?

10. It’s about getting their soul to heaven, not their body to a Life Night.

    We spend way too much time focusing on the numbers of teens that come to events, whether it’s a Life Night, retreat, or something else. While we do desire them to be physically present, imagine what our Youth Ministry could look like if we cared even more for their souls. Instead of measuring numbers at a Life Night, begin looking at the numbers of teens who are attending Daily Mass, regularly seeking the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or spending time in prayer each day.

These are just 10 things I wish I knew before I became a youth minister. I can think of a lot more, and I’m sure you can too. So, what are they? Share them below. You never know how your comment could help a fellow youth minister.

In January of 2011, the Life Teen youth group at Incarnate Word parish in Chesterfield, MO set out to raise $5,000 to support an organization whose mission is giving clean water to people in Nicaragua. It was a challenging goal, but by the end of January they had raised $27,000. How did they do it?

The principle behind the fundraising effort was straightforward but difficult: for the entire month of January, the teenagers vowed to drink nothing but water and donate all of the money that they would have spent on other drinks toward the campaign. Yeah, but you’re asking right now, how does that add up to $27,000? That’s a lot of Diet Coke. We all know that teenagers have a hard time giving their money away. I know when I was in high school, all of my extra money went to gas for my car and Taco Bell.

So here are the three keys to the success of the campaign:

1. It was about drawing them into a deeper mission.

The secret behind the campaign was that it quickly became about more than just giving money away and drinking only water. It became about a community of faith. By “fasting” from other drinks for a whole month, the campaign became a community-building activity for the teens. Sure, it was a fundraising campaign, but it also became a spiritual journey. It became a witness at the lunch table for their friends outside of youth group, and adults in the parish were amazed at what they saw and wanted to find a way to contribute. The campaign was going viral in more ways than one.

2. Social Media Needs to be apart of your strategy.

Young adult volunteers on the Core Team built a website to track the progress (www.authenticremedy.com), and every teen changed their Facebook picture to the campaign’s logo for the whole month. It became “cool” to be a part of this movement.

3. Spreading the message by Word of Mouth

Teens started turning in their money each week, but soon something wonderful began to happen. After a few weeks, their friends were taking notice – they started giving up water themselves and asking if they could donate to the cause. Schools started taking notice and took collections during mission weeks for the cause. Then parents and other adults in the parish were inspired, and a few asked if they could “match” the total that the teens raised at the end of the month.

It all added up to $27,000, an energized parish, and a community of committed, aware, generous teens.

The next time you consider a fundraising activity, think about how you can bind people together and build up community around your cause. Make sure it’s about more than money. It has to be about more than that. Make sure it’s about the people you are helping and that it’s leading to a deeper relationship with Christ.

Do you understand the teen definition of fun? Hint: it's more than being entertained.

Comprehensive Youth Ministry is indeed universal.  It is not a program, an event, or personality based.  It is a vision, a framework that guides and directs how we do what we do.  It is more than a grid, a calendar, or a group of people.  It guides and directs ministry towards the whole of the person and reaches out to all people, regardless of social groups, high schools, and other demographic isolations.

I would hope that this could also be said for the various youth ministries that I have been involved with over the years.  I see that youth ministry needs to be truly universal, reaching out to all sorts of young people and their families with a team of people.

Youth Ministry is also a place where young people can connect with positive role models, ask tough questions, receive the Truth of our faith, and have a great time while doing it.  Many adults misunderstand this idea of fun. When a teen says that he/she has had fun, it usually means that they enjoyed the time with other people and received something out of the experience.  The complete opposite is when a teen says they are bored.  A teen says they are bored, they usually mean that they did not have a meaningful experience.  In the adult world, “fun” usually refers to something that has entertainment value, and boredom is when we feel like there is nothing to do.  This is a very important distinction to know while looking at a personal vision for youth ministry.  Youth Ministry events must be “fun” for teens (enjoyable time with other people and the teen receives something out of the experience).  So, really a teen can be doing a fairly boring project (panting a house, doing dishes, etc) but if they can share that experience with a friend and receive some type of meaning out of it, it becomes “fun.”

This is crucial to understand the teen view of “fun.” How does this play out in a vision of youth ministry? We as adults may be tempted to development ministry based on our adult concept of “fun” being entertainment and transfer this as a guiding principle for youth ministry. However, any event or activity can be fun to a teen, as long as the teen is able to share that experience with another teen and they receive something out of the experience, i.e, they become personally invested in whatever the event/activity is that they are doing together.

An important part of my personal vision is for all events to be “fun” for teens while they know, love, and serve God.  There may be opportunities for socialization and entertainment, but it also means that we do not shy away from the service projects, fundraisers, nursing home visits, bible studies and many other activities that really help to holistically develop young people into disciples and have “fun” doing these activities.

To summarize, I believe that my vision for youth ministry would be to lead teens and their families closer to Christ and His Church by loving and serving others, and have fun while doing it.  This is an evaluative tool to use against any young ministry event:

• Did this activity help to lead teens and families closer to Christ and His Church?
• Did this activity point young people towards loving and serving others?
• Did the teens have “fun” while doing it?

These three questions can help us to reach out to all young people regardless of high school, social groups or various demographic groupings. These three questions can be very helpful in measuring what we are doing against our vision.  Many times we can get caught in the trap of doing event for the sake of doing events so that we appear to have a full calendar or to cater to a particular person.  However, the important thing to remember is how are we serving the teens of our parish and greater community?  We can also make improves for future events by making changes based on these questions.  In this way, we can be truly holistic and universal in our approach toward ministering with young people.

Maybe it's time to step away from the computer?

In order for this blog to be typed, I sat in front of (or is it behind?) a computer screen. In order for you to read this blog you are sitting sit in front of a computer screen. And in this “twitter-me-this” or “Facebook-me-that” culture, we find that teenagers are more connected to their social media outlets than human interaction. If you’ve ever been to any youth ministry training you have inevitably heard: “We should be where the teens are at.” So, obviously, technology is essential to our ministry to youth. Got it – loud and clear.

However, if you’re like me, it is easy to allow the time you spend with technology to greatly dominate the time you spend with people. Maybe it is time to work on our ING’s? Huh? I’m proposING a break from our daily routine with technology:

• WritING - I know it’s been since fourth grade since you’ve written anything with a pen, but send a letter to a teen telling them you’ll pray for them during finals. Or maybe send a letter to a parent affirmING them of their child’s faith.
• TalkING -Stop by the fellow staff office and build community by asking what their hopes for the new year are. Go to lunch with your maintenance person and get to know them (they might not rat you out the next time you leave the heater on all night).
• ReadING – Remember why you are in ministry. Start by focusing on the Lord and His life on this earth through the Gospels. Or read a newspaper as a reminder of why we need to bring hope to the world through Christ.
• CallING – Call up your Diocesan Director or a fellow Youth Minister and see what they might need prayers for. Do the same thing with a teen or parent. Phone conversations can be a lost art if we don’t foster it.
• CleanING – One of my personal favorites, there is something refreshing about organizing an office or youth closet. The sense of accomplishment will only enhance the desire for a productive rest of the day.
• PrayING – Rather than sitting in front of the computer screen sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament or a crucifix and pray.  ”For me prayer is a surge of the heart, it is a simple look towards Heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” – Saint Therese of Lisieux

As far as I recall St. Paul never told God, “You know how many more souls can be saved if my letters were emailed?” Or, “If only the Church in Corinth had their own Facebook group I could comment them all instantly!” And if St. Paul did not allow his email and computer to dictate the work he did nor should we. Just take a look at how much more he accomplished.

Youth ministry workers are called to help teenagers develop a habit of giving generously now while teaching them about Catholic Social Teaching, tithing, and the real meaning of stewardship.  Hopefully we can teach them the value of these habits so that stewardship becomes a way of life for them as they grow into adulthood.  However, we need to be informed about the many charities out there seeking their donations.

Of course, I know better than to encourage my teens to support organizations that provide or encourage abortions.  I would never support my teens’ participation in a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood - an organization performs approximately 3,000 abortions each day.  Unfortunately, many charitable organizations’ philosophies on the dignity of life are not this transparent.

Recently, I was asked to have my youth group participate in a fundraiser for the March of Dimes. March of Dimes is an organization committed to lowering premature birth rates, prenatal diagnosis and education regarding birth defects, and advocating for health care for mothers and children.  All of these aims seem to uphold the dignity of life, and ones my teens would be excited about supporting.  Fortunately, one of my Core Members cautioned me to do a little more research before supporting the event.  Looking into the organization further revealed that March of Dimes emphasis on pre-natal diagnosis purposefully guides parents to consider aborting babies with birth defects.  March of Dimes’ internal documents indicate a prevention strategy to reduce the number of children born with birth defects, citing programs in various countries that use prenatal diagnosis in combination with abortion. These are noted as successes because they have reduced the incidence of children born with certain birth defects. Our teens participated in a fundraiser, but instead gave money to the Michael Fund (www.michaelfund.org) – an organization that funds research into premature birth and birth defects, to supports families affected by birth defects, and to serves as a defender of the rights of physically and mentally handicapped persons – born and pre-born.

I hope other youth ministers can learn from my near mistake and be sure to do research into any charitable organization before supporting it to your teens and/or parish.  Here’s a list of other not-so-prolife charities to get you started:

1. Instead of donating to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, consider The National Breast Cancer Foundation.  Why? Komen has a policy allowing affiliates to offer financial support to abortion providing facilities.  The organization also endorses of embryonic stem cell research.
2. Instead of giving to UNICEF, consider Catholic Relief Services, a global humanitarian agency. Why? UNICEF has endorsed documents, and has participated in the drafting of documents, that call for the legalization of abortion.  In 1996, the Vatican decided to defund UNICEF citing “The participation of UNICEF in the publication of a United Nations Manual advocating the distribution of abortifacient ‘post-coital contraceptives’ to refugee women in emergency situations” as its reason.
3. Instead of giving to World Vision, consider ChildFund, a child sponsorship charity. Why? World Vision has “programs [that] support modern contraceptive methods as part of an integrated approach to effective family planning,” and Catholic social teaching prohibits the use, distribution, or advocation of such measures.
4. Instead of giving to the Children’s Defense Fund, consider giving to Catholic Campaign for Human Development to combat domestic poverty. Why? The CDF claims to advocate for American children, particularly poor and minority children and those with disabilities.  In reality the CDF stands in direct contradiction to everything the Catholic Church holds and teaches on major family life issues including fornication, contraception, abortion, and family life policies.
5. Instead of giving to the United Way, consider Catholic Charities USA. Why? Each local United Way determines the participating groups that receive funding. In many communities, blatantly anti-life groups such as Planned Parenthood are receiving funds. While in other communities, the local United Way program does not support any anti-life organizations. Be sure to request a list of Agency Partners and Fund Recipients from your local United Way before supporting them. If your United Way funds anti-life groups, consider this worthwhile network of social service organizations through Catholic Charities USA or your local Catholic Charities chapter

Pro-life charity expert Paul Manikowski wrote, “Donations to charity are not compulsory. They are free acts, deliberate choices, for which we must accept moral responsibility- because, after all, we become the people we are, for better or for worse, through our morally significant free choices.”*  This list is certainly not exhaustive of all the charities that do not uphold the dignity of all human life.  We have a moral obligation to research all the charities we support, both personally and through our ministries, to make sure that the donations we solicit on their behalf support the dignity of all human life.

*(Manikowski, Paul V. “Funding Abortion the United Way,” Human Life Review, Fall 1993, p. 65.)

Whereas you and I may think this should be relatively easy, it is not for so many of our teens. The other day as I was listening to a conversation between a couple of youth, I remember thinking how even in basic conversation they do not know how to treat each other with respect. Their words were so harsh, so biting, and so un-loving. As Catholics, we know that one of our most fundamental teachings is the respect and dignity of all life.

In the early fall, I was in a presentation that talked about how the Internet and social media have impacted this issue of respect. I mention this not to be anti-Internet (after all, this is a blog), but to simply state what is reality. As we, of all ages, interact online, the playing field is leveled. We can chat or comment with whomever, regardless of their role or position. Sure, it’s great that we see everyone as equal, we are all created in the image of God, but, this type of equality also seems to strip away the uniqueness and dignity of persons.

This virtual world transfers into everyday life for our youth; they treat their real world the same. Certainly the rise of the social networking is not the only cause of the general lack of respect; Socrates is credited with writing (around 400 BC): “Our youth love luxury, they have bad manners; contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.” We need to encourage our youth to learn how to respect themselves, their friends, their peers, their elders, and the myriad of others with whom they interact.

As Core Members and youth ministers, we must model this behavior. It is a good idea to do a mini-self evaluation about how we are doing with respecting those around us:

1. Pastor—do we respect our pastor? He has been placed in authority to shepherd the people of the parish. Whether we agree with every decision he makes or not, do we respect him as someone who is serving and leading our local church community?
2. Friends/Peers/Co-Workers—hopefully we have an easier time respecting our friends than the youth do, but how do we do when it comes to respecting our co-workers? We might not agree with some of their choices, but they are still made in the image of God. Do we treat them with respect?
3. Youth—although the level or type of respect we give to them is different than how we might treat those in authority, we still need to treat them with respect. Do we treat them as children of God, even when we are most frustrated with them? Do we model the same respect we desire to see in their behavior?

There are many other areas of our lives in which we can do a quick evaluation about how we respect those around us, but these three areas are good ones to get us started. May we model the respect we hope to see in the youth we minister to.

Simple ice breakers are both fun and effective.

If you don’t know the wonders of using icebreakers in Edge and Life Nights, then let me be the first to tell you! Icebreakers are games intended to relieve mutual shyness or ease tension or formality. In youth ministry, icebreakers are typically used to break open a night’s activities. Icebreakers can be very simple, such as riddle games, requiring no extra materials. They can also be complex, requiring instruction and materials in order to complete the given task.

Here are a few practical guidelines on how to choose and implement icebreakers for your youth group:

1. Never use hazardous supplies. It probably isn’t a good idea to give a can of spray paint to middle school youth for a game. Sharp objects should also be avoided during icebreakers! Aside from the obvious, make sure that the room for property damage and injury is minimal during this time. For instance, make sure there are clear paths during relay races. Also, make sure there is enough room around and above the youth for throwing/tossing games.
2. Always have a pre/post plan! Have the game set up and ready to go before the start of the night. Purchase materials ahead of time so they can be prepared for use before the night. Think about the mess each icebreaker could potentially create, and plan for quick clean-up afterward. Have mops ready for use, or lay tarps down in the playing area so any mess created can simply be folded up and cleaned up after. Just don’t forget to clean it up before you leave the facility for the night!
3. Make it relational. Don’t start every night with an icebreaker just for the sake of having a game. Come up with ideas that truly “break the ice” and correlate to the night’s topic. For example, if the night is on teamwork/community/Body of Christ, have some type of relay race. This connects the topic with a concrete, physical idea the teens can reference.
4. Be clear in your instructions. Make sure to give basic rules and boundaries for everyone. Be clear on the objective of the game, so everyone knows how to complete the task. Make sure guidelines on where to play are given, so that you don’t have middle school youth running wild across the campus! Doing so not only helps you keep order, but it also puts everyone on a level playing field.
5. Remember who the grown ups are! Involve the Core Members in icebreakers, but make sure they are not overshadowing the youth’s participation. If you play a game where one person from each group is asked to be a focal point (i.e. being dressed up, answering trivia, etc.), make sure it is a youth and not a Core Member. If you’re doing relay races, make sure the youth are performing most of the tasks and not relying on the Core Members to do all the work.
6. Be aware of the “competition” factor. Every game is going to have some type of competition, but the key is to not make it completely about who wins and loses. Emphasize teamwork in the games they play. Completing tasks and not quitting is an important value as well. Congratulate the team/group that finishes a game first, but don’t overdo the celebration.

You meet so many new teenagers. How can you keep track of all the names?

“A good name is better than a good ointment” -Ecclesiastes 7:1a
“The LORD called me from birth, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.” -Isaiah 49:1

God calls us by name. Our names, whatever the reason our parents chose, are important. Knowing our teens and calling them by name is an important part of youth ministry.

When I was in college, the leader of one of the groups of which I was a part met me about five different times. Each time I saw him, it was like he had never met me before. Not only could he not remember my name, he apparently did not even remember my face. After the fourth or fifth time, I could only laugh. Hopefully none of us has quite the same problem–of completely forgetting meeting people all together. Still, it can be difficult to remember names. In fact, sometimes I can remember everything about a teen–where they go to school, what sport they play, their friends– except their name.

It should be no surprise that name recollection is a part of good youth ministry. I am not sure where I was, what talk I heard, or what video I watched that emphasized how learning and remembering a name weighed so much. Nevertheless, it stuck. Here are some ideas that I have used to help me remember the names of my teens.

1. Pray for the teens by name daily. Once each year begins, I pull together a list of the names from registration forms and sign in sheets to create a prayer list. Although the prayer piece is more important here, I have found that side benefit is that I quickly become familiar with all the names of the teenagers. This makes it easier to remember names once I start putting those names with faces.
2. Create photo flash Cards. To help expedite the name learning process, in the beginning of the year we take pictures of the teens. (For any public posting, we do have permission to post pictures or video of minors.) Then, I actually get the pictures printed out and write the names of the teens on the back. Voila! Old fashioned flash cards. When I am still learning names, I will often review right before I will see the youth as a quick refresher.
3. Repeat names. I do not know what conference or session I heard this tip at, but it does work. The premise is to meet someone and then repeat their name at least three times while still talking with them to be able to remember their name. It works.
   

   “Hi, I’m Angela, the youth minister here. ”
   “I’m Stephanie.”
   “Glad to meet you Stephanie. Where do you go to school, Stephanie?”
   “I attend Local High.”
   “Cool, do you know Lauren? She also goes there and comes to LifeTeen.”
   “No.”
   “Let me introduce you to her, Stephanie. “

4. Use Mental Tricks. There are just some teens that for whatever reason I have difficulty recalling their names. This is when I have to get creative. For instance, I might remember that Bryan has blond hair. The alliteration of the letter “B” somehow helps. A few years ago a mom gave me a tip for two boys I could not seem to keep straight, one of whom was her son. The boy with the longer hair also had the longer name. The young man with the shorter hair had the shorter name. Luckily, I had it all figured out by the time the first young man cut his hair.

These ideas have helped me over the years to remember the names of the youth. When I find that a month or two has gone by and I still do not know everyone’s name in the group, I pull out the flash cards or make a point of figuring out a way to distinguish those teens whose names I continue to mix up. Now, whether by practice or grace, I tend to be able to remember teens names. (Remembering adults’ names is another story!) May God, who calls us each by name, help us to be able to call our teens by their names.