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.

 

 

St. Mark's, City Heights invites all youth to a canyon cleanup on Saturday, April 25, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Please register online for Zone 3, South 47th St. Canyon. Heather and Gary Smith are the captains. For more information, contact Heather Smith: nunns1@yahoo.com.

 

Saturday, May 16, 8:30 a.m. -- Join St. Mark's and St. Dunstan's youth groups for a grocery giveaway to families in need. Meet at St. Dunstan's, 6556 Park Ridge Blvd., San Diego. At 11:30, we'll go bowling at Ultrazone/Kearney Mesa Bowl. For more info, contact Danielle Regn: dregn@stdunstans.org.

 

Saturday, May 30, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. -- St. Dunstan's youth group invites the youth of the diocese to a bike ride along the discarded train tracks in Ocotillo. The ride is mostly flat and not difficult though the train tracks require bikes to have wide tires. Meet at St. Dunstan's, 6556 Park Ridge Blvd., San Diego, in the parking lot. Lunch provided. For more info, contact Danielle Regn: dregn@stdunstans.org.

 

 

A week of summer camp at our diocesan camp, Camp Stevens in Julian, is something no teen or child will soon forget! Summer at Camp Stevens is about laughing harder, singing louder and doing more than you ever thought possible. Check out all of the summer camp programs. The first sessions starts July 5.

Stay Tuned: Plans are underway for a youth fall retreat at Camp Stevens. Watch this space for more information.

All youth of the diocese are invited to attend the Impossible Games on Friday, May 15, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. at Good Samaritan, 4321 Eastgate Mall, San Diego. These challenges at first appear impossible, but through working collaboratively, teens quickly discover ways to play. For more info, click here. RSVP to Monica Mainwaring by May 13. 

Friday, May 22, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. at St. Bartholomew's, 16275 Pomerado Rd., Poway, 92064. High school youth and their guests are invited to the EpiscoProm - a chance to gather with friends from around the diocese for our own prom. Dress to impress in semi-formal attire. Music, dancing, food and friends - all for $10 at the door. For more information, contact Kelly Mahon. 

 

Join the St. Dunstan's youth group for fun and fellowship at the beach, beginning on Thursday, June 18, 4:30 p.m. at La Jolla Shores. Bring boogie boards, surfboards, Frisbees, footballs, and anything else you want for a fun evening at the beach. If we can get a firepit, we'll also have a bonfire!

 

Friday, July 17, 7:10 p.m., Petco Park: Bring your friends to cheer on the Padres as they take on the Colorado Rockies! Arrive early to enjoy a diocesan-wide choir singing in the national anthem, and witness a special Episcopalian throw out the first pitch! Tickets: $63 Skyline Patio; $25 Toyota Terrace; $12 Upper Reserved. Contact your congregation's coordinator for tickets. More Info Go Padres!

 

Tell us about yourself and your connection to youth ministry.
I am the pastoral assistant at Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, and one of the ministries I oversee is youth ministry. I have enjoyed working with youth over the years: in a houseboat church camp, at different churches, on cross-cultural mission trips, at schools, and now in this diocese and in my parish. I began collaborating with others in the diocese in the fall, when I was new to Good Samaritan and wondered what parishes nearby were doing that was working well to serve youth. From initial conversations, the Youth Collaborative was born.

What drew you to working with youth?
Youth are full of life, and youth have sincere questions, an honest curiosity...this is what draws me to working with youth now. I began my ministerial career in youth ministry because I had incredible youth mentors when I was a teen, and they deeply influenced my spiritual formation; it was natural for me to offer that to youth. And, because I like to play, I still identify with youth!

How do you view youth ministry?
Youth ministry, I believe, is entirely relational. Relationships are at the core of every messy game night and cross-border mission trip. We form relationships with youth, and hope to share that life-giving relationship we find in Christ. My youth pastor continues to write and teach on the topic of "it takes a village." His theory is that every youth needs at least five positive influences/mentors in their lives, other than their parents, to participate in spiritual/character/personal formation. I agree. It has been my experience that teens in our culture thrive when they hear sincerely "you are loved" from a number of different directions.

Tell us about your youth program.
At Good Samaritan we have monthly game nights, occasional service opportunities, and weekly discipleship opportunities; also, we have youth that sing with our music group, serve as acolytes, and initiate outreach. This church is very much a family, and multi-generational opportunities abound. The youth built a house in Mexico this winter alongside Good Sam folk who were 5 and 85!

What are the best parts of youth ministry? The biggest challenges?
Three of our youth were confirmed yesterday, after a ten-week confirmation course that was a sort of experiential variation on the material in My Faith, My Life (Jennifer Gamber). For the three young women involved, it was an enriching personalized journey toward their commitment to the church and their reaffirmation of Baptismal Vows.

The biggest challenge right now in our youth ministry program is scheduling. Youth are busy people and finding a good time for all to meet is difficult. We vary our offerings a bit and hope that the Youth Collaborative's bringing together many opportunities from the youth ministries of parishes throughout the diocese might mean that if youth cannot make it to one event, there is still another time they can meet for fellowship, service, play, and growth.

Anything else you would like to share?
If you are not on the Youth Collaborative's contact list, please contact the YC's administrator, Charlette Preslar: DRE@christchurchcoronado.org, to connect and share and benefit from collaboration in youth ministry.