As Matt Maher and his band hit the chords of our closing song Archbishop Gomez beamed, sort of Pope John Paul II like, when he was in the presence of young people. I remember thinking – Archbishop Gomez loves teens – he truly loves them. As he was leaving that day – he told me to invite him again and shared his desire to serve.
Ever make a commitment to do something consistently every day? It takes a lot of discipline to do something like this. Maybe you just finished Lent and committed to giving up something for 40 days. Often times when we do this we find that what once was a discipline has now become a desire. It’s true what starts off as discipline can often turn into something we want to keep doing. Here are three steps to do this:
G. K. Chesterton once said ““I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” Sometimes we get our schedules so full that we forget to thank the people who are key to this ministry to teens. Do your Core Team members know your thanks? Take a minute to drop what you are doing and text, email or IM your Core members individually a quick note of thanks. Let them know we couldn’t reach the teens and families we reach without them.
It’s like the real estate agents’ mantra: location, location, location. It’s repeated 3 times emphasizing how important location is for a real estate property. In Catholic youth ministry our mantra is: the teens, the teens, the teens! How often does the stress of parish politics, the mountains of safe environment paperwork or the unending stream of adult coaches from the sideline distract us from focusing on the teens? A friend of mine once said “Young people will come to us seeking Christ, how tragic
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Objective: The middle school youth will come to a greater understanding of the Season of Advent and what Catholics do in preparation for Christmas and the Second Coming of Christ. Overview: Luke 3:3-6 states: “And he (John) went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every
Visit our new Edge Website: EdgeYouthMinistry.com
Objective: The middle school youth will learn about our call to action and ways that they can get involved in helping others. Overview: Faith and works are an important part of our Catholic life. Some faiths argue that we are saved by our faith alone. The truth is, we are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8). However, Jesus said, “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). In the words
Visit our new Edge Website: EdgeYouthMinistry.com
Objective: The middle school youth will discover the teachings of the Church regarding how to care for others and create a just society. Overview: One of the best-kept secrets in the Catholic Church is the Catholic social teachings. Many of us are aware of the corporal works of mercy (feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc.) but we may not be aware of the Church’s call of how to put that into practice. We must help those who live in our cities, our states, our countries and throughout the world. Although
Visit our new Edge Website: EdgeYouthMinistry.com
Objective: The middle school youth will understand the basis of Catholic social teaching, as well as the specific theme related to the option for the poor and vulnerable. Overview: The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops explains that: Catholic social teaching is based on and inseparable from our understanding of human life and human dignity. Every human being is created in the image of God and redeemed by Jesus Christ, and therefore is invaluable and worthy of respect as a member of the human