1. ) Life Teen Summer Missionaries began 2 intense weeks of training at Life Teen Camp Covecrest in Tiger, GA in preparation for round one of Summer Life Teen Camps! 2.) 6 Atlanta parishes have signed on to implement our new Life Teen Intentional Discipleship in the fall utilizing Life Teen full time missionaries. This outreach focuses on juniors and seniors in High School. 3.) 58 parishes have already signed up for Life Teen’s new College Life parish outreach! This new outreach helps
What about those hard to reach teens who you have asked multiple times to attend events. Have you ever reached that point where it just didn’t seem worth it and you felt like you needed to do something more direct to try and draw them in? Last night while talking to one of our amazing youth ministers in Wisconsin, I heard a technique that is working big time and has yet to fail when the teen agrees and follows through. Let’s call it – 4 Times And I’ll Never Bother You Again Here’s how it
Let’s face it, there can be no less thankful role in parish ministry than the youth leader or coordinator. With comments from parents asking you to do more and preach less to parish staff members wondering what you do all day, it can be a thankless role. I really don’t know of many youth leaders who are doing this for the thanks, but with so many people at times questioning your every move it still can make a negative impact with your confidence. Here are 3 things if you do them for a week,
Last week at Life Teen Camp Covecrest one of our summer missionaries shared with a group of youth leaders how he had been active with Life Teen in high school. He shared how things really didn’t click until he started helping with middle school kids with their Edge program. One night he leaned over to a group of middle school kids who were talking and making noise during one of the teachings and said “Shhhh.” He realized at that instant he had become a leader. He knew at that moment he wanted
A rhythm of prayer is absolutely necessary to get closer to God but it’s not going to be some specific formula and it’s not going to look the same for everyone. If you can find a way to incorporate all those prayers into your life then that’s amazing, but that’s not expected of everyone. Going from being a missionary to an office setting I had to change my rhythm to make sense according to my new role. But, there’s no better tool for ministry than a heart inspired by God.
You and I most likely will never have a feast day in the Liturgical Calendar of the Church. Thousands of years from now, people may not carry around our prayer card in their Bible, and we may never be declared a patron of anything. But we have everything we need to get to Heaven. Every day, when we wake up, we can renew our answer to Jesus when He asks “come follow me.” And it is in our response to that question, in ordinary ways, that you and I can become Saints – with a little “s.”
Ever feel like you don’t know where to start? Youth ministry at your parish needs a boost, or maybe you are getting ready to kick off youth ministry and you don’t know the first step? Well – Have you talked to Gladys? You know her – the lady who organizes the rosary prayer group at your parish. She appears mild, meek and quite harmless. Only thing is, she and her comrades of the before “Daily Mass Rosary Crew” are prayer warriors and in reality are a big part the glue that holds many parishes together
Unlike most parents of teens who go to work each day in some secular job, I spend my days talking with priests, DRE’s, diocesan directors, youth leaders, teens and our amazing staff at Life Teen sharing the privilege of serving in full time youth ministry. Like the saying goes – “do what you love to do and then get paid to do it”. Of course there are downsides to full time youth ministry as well. One of the most frequently asked questions at our youth ministry training conferences has to do with
Most of you probably remember the WWJD bracelets that so many people were wearing 15 years ago. WWJD stands for “What Would Jesus Do?” It serves a reminder to apply how Christ lived to whatever situation we are facing. What if instead of asking what Jesus would do – we asked WIJD? “What is Jesus Doing?” What parts of our ministry are being blessed in tangible ways? In these parts, What is Jesus doing? What parts of our ministry are being pruned? In these parts, What is Jesus doing? Who are the