Be a Sign of Hope - Be Christ
Many of you
have been invited to this course to re-imagine, rethink, and recreate your
Youth Group or Youth Ministry. Some of you have no youth group or youth ministry
at your parish. Our Church is calling you to become this beacon of Hope.
In order for you to become that beacon of Hope, you must become the Master –
Jesus Christ
You must be willing to submit to the Master – by sitting before His Feet
Humility is key to this process. You must remember that His will is first in
your life. You must make time to speak to the Master, listen to the Master, and
follow the Master – if you are unwilling to be with Christ, you will never
become His Hope for the people you serve. Learn to sit at His feet! Let Him
show you His plan for your work. You are His Body and only He can change their
world by changing yours!
Psalms 110:1, “ The Lord says
to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until
I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
Luke 10:39 “She had a sister
called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.”
Our youth need to see Jesus in you!
Vatican II “[T]he
council focuses its attention on the world of men, the whole human family along
with the sum of those realities in the midst of which it lives; that world
which is theater of man’s history, and the heir of his energies, his tragedies
and his triumphs; the world which the Christian sees as created and sustained
by its Maker’s love, fallen indeed into the bondage of sin, yet emancipated now
by Christ, Who was crucified and rose again to break the strangle hold of
personified evil, so that the world might be fashioned anew according to God’s action and reach to
fulfillment. “ (Gauium Et Spes – On the Church in the Modern World. Pref,
Para 2)
He is the reason you live, and you should be the reason for why He wants others to know Him. Learn about Him, learn from Him, so that you may become a shepherd who leads by example.
You must be willing to become the Master – Be Jesus
Let Christ
shine through you! You are His light to the world, SHINE!!!
Renew Your Vision
As youth leaders or youth ministers, the Church is inviting you to look at the basic aspects of ministry, while at the same time, she is also inviting you to use your experience, language, and culture to help build a vibrant parish youth group and ministry that would foster Christian living, Christian vocations and so much more.
Ministerial and Pastoral: The Church invites you to look at the mission of Jesus in the Gospels and to find meaning to interpret for today’s Christian. There are eight aspects of Jesus’ ministry that “Renewing the Vision” finds worth seeing and incorporating in a youth group or ministry: Advocacy, catechesis, community life, evangelization, justice and service, leadership development, pastoral care, and prayer and worship. These aspects will help our youth to become the future of the Church.
Relational: The Church invites us to build relationships.
Within our relationships we can encounter God. In the Gospel of St. Luke, we
find that two people who encountered Christ: Luke 24:13-32
Goal –Centered: The Church invites you rethink your goals. NO “ONE SIZE SHOE” FITS ALL. As Christian leaders, you must work together to respond to the needs of YOUR PEOPLE. This can only be accomplished if you are connected to your pastor, your leadership, the parish life, and the community you serve.
Multidimensional: The Church invites you to incorporate the eight aspects of ministry within your group or ministry. As Christian leaders, we are called to build the Church. That means, build up the body of Christ, which is not only made up of bricks, but of people – people who have many gifts to offer, and like YOU, are in great need of Jesus.
Holistic and developmental: The Church invites you to go beyond a youth group, to see the possibility of creating a youth ministry that addresses the needs of our youth based on their age, social development, their understanding of both respective cultures and American culture we serve, and most importantly the religious need and identity as Catholic Christians.
People-centered and needs-focused: The Church invites you to focus not on the program but on the youth you serve. If our group or ministry is about numbers or success, with no purpose, we have lost the reason for our vocation. We are here to share our experience of Christ in this most blessed ministry, to network our ideas through fellowship, and to create or strengthen our existing groups - the purpose of our groups or ministries is to bring Christ to our youth.
1. It is important that you take advantage of the resources that are provided by this course.
2. Take advantage of any certification courses and/or workshops on youth ministry that may be provided by your Diocese or Archdiocese.
3. Depending upon the needs of your parish, you may want to look into workshops or ministries that deal with family life, social justice, prayer and spirituality, catechesis, and vocations.
4. The Church recognizes your dedication to serve our youth. She can testify to the countless amounts of young people who truly identify themselves as followers of Christ, as Catholic, are willing to live moral lives, are committed to their Church, and to the celebration of Sunday Mass – all because of their experience within their parish youth group or youth ministry.
Your Moment to be HOPE is NOW!
1. We as the Church have many concerns about the state of our youth, but each parish has its own issues to deal with; sometimes similar, others very different:
a. What are your concerns?
i. Concerns as a person.
ii. Concerns as a group leader.
iii. Concerns as a member of the parish.
iv. Concerns as a member of the American Society.
Note: The Church in the United States is concerned with many of the outside forces within our society, which are destroying the importance and value of family life, hence our youth are struggling to build a future. In “Renewing the Vision”, the Church is “concerned about the consequences of the social and economic forces affecting today’s families. The effects of consumerism and the entertainment media often encourage a culture of isolation. Far too many families lack sufficient time together and the resources to develop strong family relationships, to communicate life-giving values and a religious faith, to celebrate family rituals, to participate in family activities, and to contribute to the well-being of their community.” (Renewing the Vision: Pg 5)
b. You can do something about it! With your youth groups and ministries, the Church believes that you can create a vibrant community dedicated to Christ and the family life. But we need your vision, and team work to create a strategy.
2. Research is
needed to better serve the community. It is up to you as leaders to look at
data, statistics, and resources which can help you develop a vibrant community.
In “Renewing the Vision”, with the help of the Search Institute research, an
organization in the United States which promotes the “well-being and positive
development of children and adolescents”, indicates the following in regards to
the assets that we need for our youth:
- asset development begins at birth and needs to be sustained throughout childhood and adolescence;
- asset building depends on building positive relationships with children and adolescents, and requires a highly consistent community in which they are exposed to clear messages about what is important;
- families can and should be the most powerful generators of developmental assets;
- assets are more likely to blossom if they are nurtured simultaneously by families, schools, youth organizations, neighborhoods, religious institutions, health care providers, and in the informal settings in which adults and youth interact;
- everyone in the community has a role to play.
There are two assets that help in the development of our youth
External Assets – This comes from our local Community (Families, Schools, Churches, and Organizations)
Internal Assets – Developed within our Youth (learning, positive values, social skills, and positive identity).
3. The Church invites us to interpret the writings of the past, so we may adapt them to our “contemporary vision”. Even resources that come from our respective countries can be used as ways to develop our groups or ministries that cater to certain cultures.
CAUTION – There is a danger when youth leaders who belong to a particular culture, want to impose an agenda and/or exclude members of the group since they are not part of the culture.
Another
danger – where members of leadership or members of the group seek to change the
characteristics of a group or ministry, creating issues, can lead to an ineffective
youth group or ministry. This is why it is important to develop healthy
relationships with the Pastor, the leadership team, and the community, so you
can better serve your parish needs.
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TASK FOR SUNDAY: The Youth Group Leadership must come together to create this Healthy Relationship with the Pastor, Parish Staff, and the Community. It must also develop a healthy relationship with your leadership. This is why you have given your contact information.
An EMAIL will be sent to you by your Pastor. It is important that you read carefully the Scenario, Study the Name of the Church it what does that mean for the group, and complete Exercise 1.
Before you begin this Exercise and the Scenario, see this video. It speaks on the importance of working together, and knowing each others Vocation.
