A new ministry year is well underway! Thank you for all of your efforts to support comprehensive youth and young adult ministry in your parish and school communities. Our work is both challenging and exciting because we are often in touch with the edge of spiritual, social and human growth.

The Challenge

Many youth and young adults drift away or are not engaged in our parish ministries. What happens after young teens celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation? Are we viewing our whole parish as our territory - who are the youth and young adults living in our midst and how are we ministering to them - even if they are not coming to Sunday Mass?  Here are some websites to consider.

• National Study of Youth and Religion
   http://youthandreligion.nd.edu/

• You Lost Me.  Why Young Christians are Leaving Church and Rethinking Faith.  Research and a book written by David Kinnaman and published the Barna Group.  Consider getting conversations started in your churches and families.  http://youlostmebook.com/leader-resources/ 
  
  This resource includes ideas for engaging 20 & 30 somethings within the church community:  http://youlostmebook.com/reconnections/finding-a-generation/  

• It is very surprising to see how little attention most Americans pay to a part of our populations that currently includes half of our millennials - young persons between 14 and 34 years old.  The Pew Research Center earlier this year conducted one of the most through surveys to date about Latinos and religion.  http://www.pewforum.org/2014/05/07/the-shifting-religious-identity-of-latinos-in-the-united-states/

Here are some key results of that study:

o   Most Hispanics in the United States continue to belong to the Catholic Church.  But the Catholic share of the Hispanic population is dropping with many Hispanics self-describing as Protestant or unaffiliated with any religion.  Nearly one in four Hispanic adults (24 percent) are now former Catholics.

o   Today fewer than half of Hispanics younger than age 30 are Catholic (45 percent), compared to about two-thirds of those aged 50 and older (64 percent).

o   The vast majority of Latino millennials who leave tend to become "unaffiliated."

The Opportunities

• Capitalize on the influence of parents!  The National Study of Youth and Religion confirms that parents are important.  Is your ministry able to provide support to the families to help faith continue. Create a relationship with family structures and provide tools for sharing faith at home with teens.  Here's one resource that maybe helpful to you.  http://www.catholicfamilyfaith.org/

• Public School Outreach - The Rock.  The parishes of Our Lady of Peace, Williamstown, and Holy Family, Sewell, with the help of teens in their public schools have begun a Catholic club!  Teens meet in the public high schools with youth ministry professionals and faculty advisors learning about a variety of Catholic topics.  Teens are then invited to participate in activities that are happening at the parishes, too!  It's important to have happenings within the Catholic community and invite youth. 

• Over 24 parish communities have Hispanic ministry in their parish.  Does your youth ministry have a relationship within the community?  Not sure?   Please reach out. I would love to help connect you.  We serve the same young people and are not in competition with one another. 

o   La Red http://www.laredpjh.org/go/index.cfm

o   Instituto Fe y Vida http://www.feyvida.org/

o   Intercultural Competencies from the US Bishops' Conference http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/cultural-diversity/intercultural-competencies/

• Go "deeper and wider" with young people!  The authors of Rebuilt see youth ministry as a necessary ministry of the parish. 

To go deep means to be something more than great events like a hayride or a service event without reflection.  We are to help form disciples who are in relationship with Jesus and his Church community.  To be wider in our ministry means to reach as many youth and young adults as possible. Does your ministry reach not only the people at your meeting but those who are not there? 

The authors are seeing this ministry as a tool to reach the lost and help support young disciples.  Free resources abound:  http://rebuiltparish.com/youth-ministry-resources/

Rebuild My Church - http://www.rebuildmychurch.org/

Catholic Student Ministry - http://www.projectym.com/csm/

20 Questions for sensory, social and theological reflection or service experiences offered by the Life & Justice Ministries of the Diocese of Camden: http://camdenlifejustice.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/questions-for-reflection-after-service.pdf   

Our work is important and urgent!  Continue to build relationships and call youth and young adults into something more.  Build a team of people who minister with you.  You are not alone.  How can I help support your parish ministry?  Please email, call, or let's have coffee. 

Peace and all good,

Greg

"that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love,  may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  Ephesians 3: 17 -19

Saturday, October 18
St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Sicklerville
8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

 The day includes visit from Bishop Sullivan, a keynote address from 2 amazing speakers, Mass and communal prayer, breakfast, lunch, topical breakout sessions, and networking time with dozens of Respect Life Leaders from faith communities all over the diocese!  Youth & Young Adult Leaders are encouraged to attend.
 
Click here to register.

What is required to be an extra-ordinary minister of Holy Communion?

- Have the gifts, talents and maturity to minister