Before I even get into this one, I beg your forgiveness. I know this should’ve been earlier on the list. I know that pizza and youth ministry go together like peanut butter and jelly, Batman and Robin, or Jonah and the “whale.” And I know that by neglecting it for this long, I probably lost some Youth Ministry street-cred.
But could you imagine if we started this list with pizza? Your first thought would’ve been, “Oh . . . how original. Pizza is something youth ministers Like. I can’t wait to keep reading your clever blogs Master Yoda . . .” (sarcasm intended). And yet at the same time, to not mention it at all seems a little silly. Let’s be honest, if there were ever a Youth Ministry Hall of Fame (which I propose we put in Emmaus), pizza would be the first induction.
It’s impossible to have a major youth ministry event and not have pizza. There’s just something about that greasy box of semi-heated dough and cheese that just screams “manna from above.” And, like stale donuts after Sunday morning Mass, teens have come to expect it.
Seriously, you would think that Youth Group was the only place teens could get free pizza. And forget about it if you bring any to the local high school. You instantaneously turn into the “pied piper” (pun intended).
Heck, most students in my neighboring high schools thought I was the “Domino’s Delivery Man” rather than the Catholic Youth Minister. (Sometimes I’d wear a blue collared shirt and black slacks just to mess with them).
So maybe it’s a little cliché. Maybe it’s a “cheesy” way to invite teens to Youth Group. But any upper “crust” Youth Minister will tell you that no matter how you “slice” it, free pizza just sounds more appealing than: “Hey teens, join us tonight for our Fall Kickoff as we play hopscotch while eating broccoli trunks wrapped in raw spinach leaves.”
Question: What meals do you serve to your teens other than pizza? (Share below)
Oh, Eric. That slew of puns. It just hurts a little bit. God love ya!
Thanks, Stephen!
Love it Eric! Esp since I JUST announced this weekend that next weekend we are having pizza and ice cream after going to see the Amazing Spiderman movie!
Our “get to know the new youth minister and each other” day! haha
Thanks Jen! And, if you left out the pizza, you would have just ice cream and Spiderman. It would just feel like something is missing. And, by the way, welcome back to AZ!
I like to make them Frito Pie and tacos-in-a-bag. Those generally work pretty well.
But if I’m feeling lazy, pizza it is. And usually from the Hut (and not talking about Jabba). Love their stuff!
Peace!
Frito Pie! That is by far my favorite meal at Summer Camp!
Haha, you should say that we love to USE pizza. I think I have had more pizza than any 10 people combined should ever eat in their lifetimes since I became a youth minister. The ooey-gooey goodness has since lost its luster, and my friends don’t understand why I cringe when they suggest ordering pizza when we’re hanging out (sans-teens)
Brad, I totally hear you. There was a time in my life that I had to officially retire from pizza, but now that I’m with Life Teen and not in a parish full-time, I have to be honest…I miss it.
Our kids like the mini-hotdogs wrapped in dough, and Chinese take-out!
Robin, Those both sound great. I wonder what they would be like combined???
I serve them sub-sandwiches from Wal-Mart. They are good, have meat, cheese, some bacon, chicken, veggies…mom always said eat your veggies. I also get bananas and apples. In the summer, you gotta have watermelon…especially in Texas! Don’t forget about the chili!!
Subs are always a good bet, and you can never go wrong with bacon. And chili? Forget about it! You have some lucky teens!
We serve dinner every week to our teens and teens “cannot live on bread alone” even if it has cheese and pepperoni on it so I have had to get creative on food choices. The teens love Taco-in-Bag, super nachos, mac and cheese, and spaghetti. Surprisingly, as long as I have Ranch, they will eat a mass amount of salad and carrots. And apples if there is caramel and they must be cut. It has been trial and error of finding things that the majority of the youth like. Middle school and high school teens are picky!
Ok, after mentioning all of that. You’ve got me really hungry. And there just seems something so right about Taco-in-Bag!
I have created a Parent Dinner ministry where I have 5 or 6 Parents rotate to provide a meal every week. Last Sunday was salad Pulled Pork and Ice cream with Iced tea and water bottles. Sometimes we even get way fancy and get baked ziti!!! But once a month we have pizza night…. After serving on NET and doing over 100 retreats in 9 months where I was served pizza daily, I decided I needed a small vacation from the stuff!
Those dinners sound amazing! When can I come?
Hey Eric,
Hope you’re keeping well mate!
It is amazing how teens flock when you offer free food and especially pizza. Something that has worked really well for us in Brisbane, Australia is providing a sit down dinner before a Life Night, following Mass. This has given the wider community an opportunity to partake in the youth ministry too plus we get an awesome meal out of it. The teens love it! And now pizza has become a special occasion thing rather than a weekly.
Thanks for the posts! Hope to catch up sometime soon!
Chris, great to hear from you! Hope all is well in Australia! A community dinner sounds like a fantastic idea. I know a few parishes that do that before Life Night and it works really well. Keep up all the great work and thanks for all you do for teens!
Eric… Just had to tell you that I LOVE this series of blogs.. they make my day!
Thank you so much! We’ve got more to come!
[...] outreach potential and keep you well fed – any youth minister worth his or her weight in cheese pizza must know the school lunch [...]
This may not be much different, but for a while our kids were hooked on pizza rolls. I could buy two or three boxes and serve them in bowls. Everyone loved that and they were a lot cheaper than the full blown pizza.
Nice! I’ve always secretly wanted to do a Hot Pocket night for my teens. Just sounds so delicious.