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All those of you out there who volunteer – you are awesome. You give of yourself to something bigger than yourself.
A parish is more than just Mass on Sundays (although that is the most important thing we do here). It is a community. It is a family. We are sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus. Sons and daughters of God.
And how does a family work best? How does it thrive?
When everyone participates. When everyone contributes.
Now maybe everyone participating is a bit of a stretch – but maybe we can get to like half. Still too much? Maybe we can get to 25%… 20%? 15%?
Well, how about just one more? How about you?
And if you’re already volunteering – awesome! How can you (yes, you) invite one more person to help out – whether in the same ministry you’re doing, or somewhere else? If everyone volunteering recruited one more person, we would double our number of volunteers!
It’s real math!
From personal experience, I know that youth ministries are in dire need of more volunteers.
I know, I know. If you’re over 30, you’re probably thinking:
But guess what?! You’re not. I mean, I’m over 30, and I’m not too old…right?!
And to prove it, I want to give a shout out to two people who recently have started volunteering in youth ministry at my parish.
Brian led a 10-week small faith sharing group for Confirmation with his young adult daughter.. He was nervous and uncertain he’d be able to do a good job – but he was open. Not only open to leading it, but open to the conversations and connecting with the teens. In the end, he cared more for them and enjoyed the group more than he’d imagined.
Todd was a small group leader for the first time on our retreat a couple weeks ago. He brought to the retreat his energy, enthusiasm, competitive spirit, – and bad knees. He has a passion for helping teens – especially those who struggle with faith not only in God but in themselves.
I am so proud of them for serving in this way. It is no easy thing to do – trying something new. But working with teens can be so rewarding.
You don’t need to be young to serve in youth ministry. You just need to be willing to meet them where they are. To talk with them, not at them. To be open to learning just as much as we want them to be open. If you think teens are too difficult and disrespectful, ignoring them and waiting til they become adults isn’t going to work. We need faith-filled adults who are willing to invest in them, to care for them, to be present to them.
Below is a picture of those who led the retreat a couple weeks ago. I loved working with them because they are always ready to help and are not just waiting to be asked. So thank you, Todd, Kurt, Linda, KyVon, Fr. Randy, Jon, Myka, AJ, Isabel, Cassie, Ashlee, Laura, and Jeff (not pictured). Thank you.
