YOUTH MINISTRY NEWS
APRIL 25, 2020
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Hello YM Parents!
Are you tired of emails yet? [
I am!] LOL - of course I had to finally
start emailing you all now, right?! With all the resources being thrown your way and cluttering your inbox, I hope to be a breathe of fresh air and invite you and your teens to check out what's new in youth ministry. Please take a moment to review some of the Jr. High & High School YM highlights/events featured here in this e-mail. And be sure to check out the added little dessert at the end of this email for you, the parent (Parent Life), and for your teen (Life Teen). Some good things are happening all around and overall - and for all the other stuff -
we roll with it :) My intent in sending you this (
and any future emails at this time) will NOT be to add to your list of unopened resources, but an email full of things to look forward to - and we can't get enough of that right now, amen?!
~ Elena Pope
Dir. of St. Chris YM
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Shout out to a few CJ High School Seniors [Conor Hartley, Jack Huffman, and Elliot Seelig] who kicked off many new looks for the parish website design and structure as part of their senior capstone project back in February. They were the spark I needed to get the fire going on a functional new look for our website. See... teens DO make an impact for greater good :)
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COVID CAN'T STOP MINISTRY
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Honestly, teens are just too darn busy,
and I get it - I've got teens myself too! But in ministry, my heart has hurt for them for some time now at the lack of attendance and participation from our parish youth due to busyness.
COVID, THANK YOU...
Okay, so please don't take it "that way" ... the threat is real and nothing to joke about, but I'm a "bright-sider" and in this covid-craziness, we've all been forced to slow-down a notch...and
THAT
is good!
Through all of this, some great, *fresh* opportunities have been surfacing in ministry and our approach with the teens in this digital world. We are embracing God's gift to make the most of it...not trying to replace real face-to-face time
(I think we all are actually finding more value in that now more than ever
), but embracing the challenges before us and rolling out the creativity!
So check out all the good stuff happening below and may you and your teens be ever more inclined to step out of your every day routine and shake things up a bit with some St. Chris YM opportunities and more!
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TOMORROW, APRIL 26
DOUBLEHEADER FOR YOUTH RETREATS
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LIFE TEEN:
GLOBAL TEEN LIFE NIGHT SERIES
Life Teen is a Catholic teen, well .. everything! I've been using much of their content, videos, lesson plans, etc...with many of the YM youth already and now they have recently started doing an online teen life night series. I attended the first series group before deciding if I would go this route or not and they are short, sweet, and fantastic! I'm really excited to introduce you and your teen to this next 4 part series titled “You Won’t Find Jesus Here”. If you are unable to tune in live, the broadcast will be available to stream afterward.
TOPIC:
GOD IN THE SINNER
Looking deeper into the reality that Jesus came "not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark
2:17).
WHEN: This, Sunday - April 26, 2020
TIME: 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM (Zoom after)
WHO: 6th - 12th grade Youth & Family
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ENCOUNTER:
DAYTON AREA CATHOLIC YOUTH RETREAT
Now that you've had an hour for family dinner time, I hope you join us again for yet another YM online retreat...I normally wouldn't do TWO retreats, but this one is our last
Dayton Area Catholic Youth Retreat: Encounter
for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. While this event is traditionally for high school youth, with our live-streaming, we want to
encourage the whole family
to join us for this night of worship, testimony, and Eucharistic adoration.
TOPIC:
JESUS CLOSES THE GAP
What the story of Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) offers us in a climate of social distancing.
WHEN: This, Sunday - April 26, 2020
TIME: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Zoom after)
WHO: 6th - 12th grade Youth & Family
EVENT LOCATION: LIVE-STREAMED from Ascension Catholic Church in Dayton
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JUNE-ISH AND JULY-ISH
DATES TO BE RE-DETERMINED
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Hmmm
... it looks like we're all in the same boat as far as volunteer organizations go. But, where there's a will, there's a way ... within regulations and six feet...add a few good prayers in that too!!! So I'm currently placing to the side (
not scrapping
) my original SOS plans and drafting up plan B. The Jr. High youth always look forward to SOS during the summer and it's a program I still intend to provide for them, however in an adjusted form.
Either way, I still need to know, at the very least, any intent for youth wanting to participate in SOS (or an SOS-ish) program this summer. Parents, I know all this unknown is craziness to even think about signing your child up for anything that hasn't been fully planned yet, but numbers matter when it comes to this program and it's not something I can easily adjust last minute, especially with the adjustments I'm already facing.
So - I am starting off by removing any fees for the program at this time and have modified the form to
allow for you to
sign your
current 6th
or
current 7th
grader up for SOS solely based on interest alone at this time. I'll leave the "about SOS" unedited on the YM website for now in case you are curious about what SOS traditionally looks like. Just know that I am working on the modifications of the program to fit DeWine's guidelines. :)
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JUNE 23-28
ALIVE IN YOU: SUMMER MISSION TRIP
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This summer camp is
part service, part conference
. Experience the love of Christ through the Eucharist, Reconciliation, Mass, service, high-energy praise and worship, prayer, talented speakers, team building, games, activities, and small faith groups.
Registration fee includes
programming and admission to Knoxville Navitat Ropes Course or choice of Ijams Nature Park activities. For more information about the Alive In You experience,
click here
.
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2020 CAMP THEME:
MAGNIFY
Join us as we will look at Mary, the Mother of God, and how our devotion to Mary leads us into a closer relationship with our Lord
.
WHEN: Leave Tuesday, June 23rd / Return Sunday, June 28th
WHO:
Current*
8th - 12th grade youth (*
2019-20 school year)
LOCATION: Knoxville, TN
COST: $400 (
$100 due upon registration, remainder due June 1)
REGISTRATION DEADLINE:
Thursday, April 30th
by 11:59 pm
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RESCHEDULED: AUGUST 13
Newsboys Concert
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We still have tickets available for this AWESOME concert coming here to Vandalia at Christian Life Center. Don't miss out on this GREAT worship opportunity! Don't know who they are? Good News - You've got time to check them out on your preferred music source, jam to all their classic hits, and be ready to fan-out come August!
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CONCERT DATE: Thursday, August 13
TICKET PRICE: $25.93 (
group rate plus tax and fees)
EVENT LOCATION: Christian Life Center on Little York Rd., Butler Township
WHO: Jr. High & High School youth, friends, and family
DOORS OPEN: 6:00PM
MEET @ CLC: around 5:30PM - It get's packed VERY early - seats are first come, first choice. Although there is no "bad" seat there, we would still love to be able to sit together as a group for this event.
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Being Present in Your Parenting
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...One of the things that hasn’t changed in the past 25 years of working with teenagers, however, is their desire for attention. Phones and social media simply offer teens a different method for gaining the immediate and constant validation that everyone craves. It’s easy to get frustrated with our teens and pre-teens. The “War of the Screen” is a battle virtually every teen parent I know (myself, very much included) wages on an almost daily basis. For all the potential good that comes with devices such as smartphones and tablets, there comes just as much — if not far more — potential for bad with social media, online bullying, pornography, and just a general demise in normal communication skills and a growing social ineptitude for all, not just teens.
So, how do we — as parents — help guide our teen and pre-teen children through the minefield of social media, the bombardment of screens, and the constant need for over-stimulation?
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Don’t Waste Your Quarantine
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Two months ago, COVID-19 was thousands of miles away, a problem that seemed distant from our own lives. One month ago, maybe we heard murmurings, but we could have never imagined it reaching us to that extent. Two weeks ago, everything began to change, and every day since, COVID has taken more and more from us. Today, we’re stuck at home (many of us sheltering in place). No social gatherings. No school or work. No meals with friends. No Mass. So…now what?
Did you know that the word “quarantine” comes from the Italian “quarantina,” meaning “forty days”? It’s no coincidence for us as Catholics that this trying time comes during our season of Lent. We gave God our hearts on Ash Wednesday, asking Him to purify us of our worldly desires. We gave up cookies, or maybe social media, gossip, or TV. Did we intend to give up everything else COVID has thrown on there? …probably not. But it’s here. And it’s out of our control. So what do we do about it?
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