Youth and adult chaperons of the diocese are invited to the home-building trip with Amor Ministries to Baja Mexico June 16-20. We will build three homes, floor to ceiling, and travel less than a two-hour drive from San Diego. Total cost, including supplies, food, and travel insurance, is $400 per participant. For more information, visit the website, or contact Mike Stone.

 

 

 

All youth groups are welcome to join the diocesan effort to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the 7th annual interfaith day of service on Monday, January 19 at Balboa Park. Work side-by-side with people from diverse religious and cultural groups. When you check-in, please mention that you're an Episcopalian, which helps organizers track participation. View the website for more information. Contact Robin Taylor to join the Cathedral youth group.

 

 

After five years Christine D'Amico has stepped down from her position as director of children, youth and family ministries at St. Paul's Cathedral. The program grew exponentially during Christine's stewardship, and now serves over 75 youth, preschool through high school. Christine instituted family camping trips, youth-led service projects, an innovative confirmation process, and restructured the program into two elementary groups (Godly Play and Growing with God), a middle school group (Rite 13) and a high school group (J2A). Under her watch a robust youth group has grown and developed. Christine and her family will remain part of St. Paul's congregation. The Cathedral  has a new director of children, youth and family programs. Robin became involved in the youth program through participation in the Godly Play program with her children. For many years, Robin was a research program manager at UCSD responsible for the design, implementation and monitoring of children's mental health research initiatives, but stepped down when her younger child became severely ill. Her new position will allow her to combine her gifts for administration and passion for children. Robin says she is "excited for the future of this dynamic and growing program, and honored to be part of religious formation" in the St. Paul's Cathedral community. Contact Robin Taylor.

 

My undergraduate honors thesis focused on enhancing youth participation in community decision-making; as part of that research, I put together a summer youth group with young people from several local high schools, and connected them with elected officials. It was an important learning experience for all involved, including, and especially, myself. I think the youth came away with a greater sense of possible influence on the world around them, the elected officials were invited to reconsider the part young people can play in community development, and I realized just how difficult it can be to keep a youth group going week after week! I continue to be fascinated by this time in a person's life: so much is changing, so much is new, so much seems pressing and essential.

How long have you been in your current role?
I've served as a deacon and a priest at St. Paul's Cathedral for eighteen months, and have been tasked primarily with our Latino, young adult, outreach, and, more recently, our children, youth, and family ministries.

How do you view youth ministry? (metaphor?)
I don't think youth ministry is fundamentally different than ministry with a different demographic. People want you to listen, to walk with them, to get to know them and support them as they continue figuring how they fit in this world. We all need to be reminded all the time that God is with us and God loves us no matter what! I view all ministry through the metaphor of gardening: I try to prepare well the soil of ministry work, plant seeds of ideas where I can, cultivate their growth with all the care I can muster, and celebrate together the fruits that have been made possible with the help of God.

Tell us about your youth program.
The Cathedral has had a dedicated group of about ten high school students for some time, although it's grown a bit recently. They meet once a month on a relatively informal basis, and see each other at church every Sunday morning. Every fifth Sunday is Youth Sunday, which means youth serve as acolytes, ushers, thurifers, and even sometimes preachers!

What is your greatest joy/favorite part of youth ministry?
I love the challenge of teaching young people -- it forces me to stop using technical jargon I learned in seminary, and instead speak in direct, authentic ways. Many young people (including myself), are quite skeptical of the world around them, which raises the truth-telling bar even higher when communicating.

Anything else you'd like to share with the diocese?
There's is so much more room for our young people to grow across the diocese -- let's begin to plan and work together better between churches so that our youth ministries may flourish in the time ahead!