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Dawn Masterson, 461-3048, or birondawn@yahoo.com
OUR MISSION & VISION
The mission of the St. Bernard's Church Youth Ministry is to establish a youth voice in our parish community. It will create an opportunity for youths to grow spiritually, gain leadership and decision making skills, while building our parish family and having FUN!!! The ministry is targeting three main areas of focus - Spiritual, Stewardship, and Social activities. Throughout the year, activities will be provided to strengthen and deepen the youths' lives with a Catholic twist.
Ultimately, the vision of the St. Bernard's Youth Ministry is to have the future generations of St. Bernard Church become a stable group of young heroes role-modeling a lifetime Catholic ethic of giving back and making a difference in their community.
The Youth Ministry welcomes any youth in grades 6 thru 12 to participate on a volunteer basis. This ministry is not a requirement of CCD classes but should be thought of as a great opportunity for young adults to become involved in their church and give back - not only to themselves but to others as well.
SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES
The spiritual activities will provide the youth an opportunity to learn more about being Catholic and how it can enhance everyday life. The LEARN IT, LIVE IT NIGHTS are a series of evenings every other month, dedicated to strengthening the spiritual growth of the middle school and high school grade level youths. The meetings will be open to anyone and will explore our SPIRITUAL GIFTS: Prophecy, Serving, Teaching, Encouragement, Contributing to the Needs of Others, Leadership, and Mercy. Each Gift will be discussed separately every other month and tied to scripture (Learn It!) and then acted out in some type of service project chosen by the group (Live It!) in the in-between time. As a modern day Catholic, we should be about hearing and doing (James 1:22). This is an opportunity for young people of St. Bernard's Church to hear God's words and see him through service. And yes, it could be different and scary for you but it is an experience that will allow you to witness what God can do through a group of young people who are willing to put their FAITH IN ACTION.
We are also singing and performing in our newly formed YOUTH CHOIR at our Youth Masses and possibly WorkCamp. The Choir practices once a week (TBA) and is led by Alison O'Shea, our music director. We are also, taking a more forward role in Sunday masses by becoming LECTORS, collectors, gift bearers, and greeters.
STEWARDSHIP ACTIVITIES
The stewardship activities will develop a sense of responsibility by helping others in our parish communities and beyond. The F.A.I.T.H (Faith Actions in Teen's Hands) TEAMS aim to reach out to our church and local community through small teams of middle school students and led by adult volunteers and high school students. Teams include: a Rosary Bead Making Team, Lector Team, Nursing homes Visiting Team, Home Improvement Team, and Special Olympics/SPRED Team. Partnerships will be created and the teams will confirm and complete monthly COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS throughout the year. We will also continue to host the Halloween Costume Party, Breakfast with St. Nick, Easter Breakfast, and help out with other parish happenings. We will provide a well-needed BABYSITTING SERVICE we call Parents Night Out, every other month. We will also recruit a team that will commit to our LEARN IT, LIVE IT! nights, fundraising, and attending a GROUP WORKCAMP.
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
The youth will participate in a variety of field trips and other gatherings to create a bond with fellow classmates. Our SOCIAL FUN NIGHTS are usually on Saturdays and we will play games, invite friends and just hang out!! All our activities will give the youth a chance to get to know each other and build friendships and have tons of FUN!!
