Youth Ministry Leaders Monthly Gathering Agenda September 6, 2016 St. Wenceslaus, Iowa City Present: Luke Ebener, Tommy Fallon, Evan Brankin, Michelle Montgomery, Carol Laughlin, Brenda Bertrum, Diane Tone, Renny Crawford, Ellen Poliskey, Donna DeJoode, Robert Wamer, Fr. John Stack, Cease Cady Online: Julia Jones, Kathy Brown, Kim Petersen, Luke Gregory, Sharon Crall, Trevor Pullinger 1. Gathering (30) 2. Welcome, Introductions & Prayer (15) 3. In-Service/Discussion (45) Forming Adult Leaders Part 1: Before You Can Form Them, You ve Got to Find and Get Them. 4. Ministry Spotlight (15) St. Wenceslaus Ellen shared (see attachment), and asked about being pregnant and doing ministry how does that work? Group shared a few tips. 5. Upcoming Programs/Events (15) Rich Curran is coming to Oskaloosa on DCYC weekend to work with the parish. Jesse will be in in DeWitt September 14 March for Life ask Donna DeJoode. Donna asked to send Don material for website. Don will notify folks when the materials are posted on the diocesan website. The trifold brochure will contain more information than the flyer. Quest Sara handed out flyers, and it will be up on diocesan website tomorrow. Tommy Fallon recently participated with FCA in a wiffle ball tournament in Springville (north of Solon). Great time, and the cost to register was $100/team and the money goes to a charity. Tommy floated the idea of having a diocesan-wide wiffle ball tournament next summer with the proceeds possibly going to the youth ministry scholarship fund. Could maybe have a priest celebrity team, and have an outdoor Mass. Positive feedback about the idea. Tommy will get something together and send to Don for distribution. Luke is having a Young Life retreat for 6 th -8 th grade on October 28-29 at an outdoor campsite. He ll share more info on this later 6. Diocesan Updates (30) Format for Ministry Spotlight sharing. Don distributed a handout (see attachment) for preparing the Spotlight report. He asked that each youth minister in the spotlight prepare their presentation using that handout and that everyone gets a copy of it. The electronic version should be sent to Don so he can include it in the minutes. Jesse Retreat Day. About 38 people registered. State of Faith Formation in the Diocese of Davenport Study. Don and Fr. Stack reported that the actual interviews will soon be starting and will begin in the west end of the diocese and move east. Hoping to have all the interviews done by Christmas and begin sifting through the data in January. An Executive Summary will be made available to all, along with (hopefully) an average parish profile and a picture of faith formation in each deanery. Want to have all this completed by June. Re-scheduling of August Gathering to come soon. Christ Our Life Conference. O.F.F. exhibiting at Booth #40. Stop by if you re there.
DCYC o o o website up and active (www.davenportdiocese.org/dcyc) Forms Instructions: Please read them before filling out the forms. There are a couple of tweaks this year. Customizable Flyer. You ll need to insert a text box into the flyer and add your own registration information. NCYC o Hotel Rooms. We had a discussion on different ways to budget for rooms: one price for a quad/triple, higher price for double and single, OR one price for a room regardless of how many in it. A third option was surfaced: same price for a quad/triple/double and full price for a single. Opinions were shared on all options. Don will take the feedback, and when we get the final cost for the rooms, Don will present the actual cost as they apply to each option. o Fundraising options. Maybe at the next meeting we can share best fundraisers and ways of funding NCYC. o Deposits. Non-refundable deposit of around $50/reserved space will be due in mid- January. Date to be determined soon. o Names with paperwork. NEW due date this: June 1. due June 1 o Final cost still being worked out. hotel is major piece still needed o Payment Schedule to be announced soon. o New website will be developed (www.davenportdiocese.org/ncyc) 7. Announcements from the group (5) Announcements: o Lady s Tea. Nov.5, St. Mary s, Oskaloosa o Amanda had doctor appoint today as she will give birth any day now. When Amanda s on maternity leave, Cease will attend these meetings. Next meeting: October 4, St. Thomas More, Coralville Luke prayer 8. Closing Prayer (10)
Overview of St. Wenceslaus Youth Program 9/6/16 Pattern for gathering with youth on a regular basis Middle school youth group: Meets on the first Wednesday of the month, starting with holy hour at 6:30 p.m. This year, will use Beginning Apologetics by Fr. Frank Chacon and Jim Burnham as a guide for presenting information and as a resource for kids. Will have patron saint for each meeting so kids can get to know more of the saints. Will also have activity related to the topic discussed. Goal is to introduce kids to solid ways of explaining or defending Church teachings. High school youth group: Meets on the third Wednesday of the month, starting with holy hour at 6:30 p.m. This year, will use YDisciple videos from Formed, but not in a small group setting. Will watch The Church series Sept.-Dec., then will watch Called series Jan.-May. Goal is to help kids recall why the Catholic Church is the one, true Church and encourage them to explore how they are called to serve in it whether it be through religious life, priesthood, or as a lay person in sacramental marriage. Special Events Will have monthly activities for both middle and high schoolers such as upcoming Stump the Priest night with Fr. Hennen, raking leaves for elderly parishioners, Christmas caroling to local parishioners, making rosaries to send to a mission, putting on annual Lent retreat for youth, etc. Will offer events for high schoolers only such as attending overnight retreats (DCYC, the Brothers of St. John, or New Mellerey Abbey) or cooking a meal at the Catholic Worker House. Intentional Methods for Providing Adolescent Catechesis Informal methods TBD. Formal methods this year include resources from Formed (for high schoolers) and the Beginning Apologetics series by Jim Burnham (for middle schoolers). Ways to Grow Deeper TBD
Non-Gathered Ways to Connect with Youth TBD currently only have access to posting information on parish website. Am working to have access to parish Facebook page. Connecting Youth to the Parish Would like to have the kids work together to plan and host an event for the entire parish whether that event be one of our movie nights or another event of their choosing. Connect with Families TBD Involve Youth in Leadership, Ministry, and Service Youth will be given opportunities for service and involvement in parish through special events. Will ask for some kids to volunteer to contribute to a monthly newsletter for bulletin. Youth Ministry Core Team TBD Adult Volunteers TBD, as a lot of parents are eager to help out, but I don t know how many will be regular and how many will be occasional. Ministry Resources Will rely on my husband, Father Beckman, and other friends from the parish for ideas and advice. Will utilize books I used in Seton Home School program for solid information that is presented in a way that kids will understand. Youth Ministry Budget No formal budget yet. I am currently tracking expenses to formulate some sort of budget. Have not yet done any fundraising. Funding comes from church upon Father Beckman s approval.
Youth Ministry 1. Pattern for gathering with youth on a regular basis. a. Do you gather regularly with junior high/middle school, high school, both? b. When do you gather regularly (e.g., weekly, bi-weekly, monthly ) for each group? c. What do you call this regular gathering, i.e., Youth Group, a specific name (e.g. STAY (St. Ann s Youth), etc.? d. What s the format for these gatherings? 2. Special Events a. What kind of special events gatherings that go beyond the regular pattern do you offer? (Examples: occasional evenings, day-long programs, overnights/weekends, retreats, conferences, mission trips, service projects, Masses, etc.) b. Which are for junior high/middle, high school, both? 3. Intentional Methods for Providing Adolescent Catechesis. a. What informal catechesis do you utilize? (faith concepts infused in programming, e.g., human dignity of each person so we don t use any icebreakers or activities that create winners/losers or allow the group to laugh at the expense of one person looking silly; using teachable moments) b. What formal methods do you provide? (Examples: specific topic-oriented programs that teach, e.g., a program on understanding Scripture, Theology of the Bod; formal religious education/faith formation program that young people enroll in, Confirmation Prep, etc.). c. Which are for junior high/middle, high school, both? 4. Ways to Grow Deeper a. What opportunities do you provide outside of regular gatherings for youth who have specific interests or who are looking for deeper ways to learn and grow? (Example: small group Scripture study, prayer group for those wanting to pray with others, book club, etc.) b. Which are for junior high/middle, high school, both? 5. Non-Gathered Ways to Connect with Youth a. In what ways do you connect with youth by reaching out to them or sending ministry to them, rather than on them always coming to you/the parish? How is your youth ministry present where they are? (Examples: study survival kits sent to youth around finals time, newsletter sent to youth, Facebook/Instagram/Twitter, Prayer Team adults who pray for youth year-round and occasionally send them notes of encouragement, etc.) b. Which are for junior high/middle, high school, both?
6. Connecting Youth to the Parish a. In what ways do you connect youth to the worship and prayer life of the parish? b. In what ways do you connect youth to the community life of the parish? c. In what ways do you connect youth to the service life of the parish? d. In what ways do you connect youth to the leadership of the parish? e. Which are for junior high/middle, high school, both? 7. Connect with Families a. In what ways and about what do you communicate with parents? b. What programs, resources, and support do you provide for parents to help them in their parenting role and as the faith formation leaders of their domestic church? c. In what ways beyond providing something (e.g., food, driving, chaperone) are parents involved/welcomed in your youth ministry events or programs? 8. Involve Youth in Leadership, Ministry, and Service a. In what ways are youth in leadership roles in the parish youth ministry? b. In what ways are youth in leadership roles in parish life? c. In what ways are youth involved in service? d. Which are for junior high/middle, high school, both? 9. Youth Ministry Core Team a. Do you have a group that is charged with helping to plan, implement and assess youth ministry)? b. If so, what is its structure? (# of youth, # of adults) c. What are its specific responsibilities? 10. Adult Volunteers a. Do you have adults volunteering in your youth ministry? b. How many of your adult volunteers are regular (present at most of the events and programs)? c. How many of your adult volunteers are occasional (present at some or few of the events and programs, usually in specific functions like drivers, food providers, chaperone, etc.) 11. Ministry Resources a. What resources (print, AV, training, music, online, curriculum, programs, etc.) do you use or draw on in your youth ministry? 12. Youth Ministry Budget a. Approximately what is the annual budget (expenses & revenues) are for youth ministry in your parish? b. Is there a formal and established budget for youth ministry in your parish? ( Formal means that the youth ministry is a line item in the budget.) c. Are you asked to annually submit a proposed budget for the coming year or is the budget simply provided for you? d. If you don t have a formal budget, how do you secure funds for operating your youth ministry? e. Do you engage in fundraising for youth ministry? f. If so, for what do you fundraise? g. What kinds of fundraisers do you do? h. Approximately how much do you raise in fundraising?