The Cure for “Hurry Sickness”
POP Youth Ministry’s mission helps teens reboot their priorities
and reconnect their souls
By Matt Regitz, Director, Youth Ministry, July 2010
Prince of Peace Youth Ministry is on a mission: Evangelize the youth culture by meeting teens where they are and bringing them into deep communion with Christ, His Church, and one another. That is our mission, flowing from our parish mission, which gives us a reason for everything we do.
Whether we are hurling dodge balls across the gym floor, raising our hands in prayer, falling on our faces in Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, floating down a Venetian waterway in a gondola, or boarding a bus bound for a retreat or Steubenville Conference, our mission stays the same.
This mission also has many actors; real life participants wanting more from life or wanting their lives to have a purpose, a mission.
So teens…where do you fit in? What is your role in this mission? What is next for you?
The teens of our parish have a lot on their plates today, much more than I did at their age. So much so, that their mission often simply becomes getting from one place to the next or finishing a homework assignment on time, or maybe even just making it through another day.
Thomas Merton, a contemplative Trappist monk, said, “To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence.”
Doing something with the youth group might just seem like another item on an already crowded calendar, or maybe it is just what the Savior ordered for you at a time when you have been infected with “hurry sickness.”
Adam Forness, one of our stressed-out and busy teens, had this to say about his experience with getting involved in the mission of youth ministry:
“With my busy schedule, my parents think that Bible Study and Servant Leader just adds to my stress. But really, it’s my only way of escaping from that stress—through Jesus.”
Teens, this is where you come in; where Jesus wants to remind you that there is a way out and a way you can become a real life participant in this mission as well.
So, here we are in the middle of summer, at the perfect time for a “hurry sickness” cure and a reboot of your priorities and a reconnection to your soul.
And we want to walk with you and give you an invitation to join the mission to experience the freedom, forgiveness, and absolute love of Jesus Christ right where you are in your life.
So, if it’s been a while or if this is your first step, thanks for reading. If you are one of those busy Christians (like me), then this is also a message for you.
We all need to make some
room in our souls, to allow Jesus some breathing room in the
crowded clutter of our hearts, and to stop the violence of our
own “busyness”.
-Weekly Bible Study every Wednesday night, 7 – 9 p.m. in the POP
Teen Room;
-“Donuts and Jesus!” this summer on Tuesday mornings, 9 a.m.,
Community Center;
-Grade specific retreats with your peers;
-Faith formation sessions for all grade levels during the school
year;
-And a ton of social and spiritual events to keep it all balanced.
The faces of youth
ministry and the experiences we have may change, but not the
mission. One thing
always remains the same…JESUS!
He always shows up. He always meets us right where we
are, and He always loves…YOU!
“Your heavenly Father knows all that you need. Seek first his kingship over you, his way of holiness, and all these things will be given you besides.” (Matthew 6:32-3)