RESOURCE - Need a Self Directed Retreat?

Did you miss the Youth and Young Adult Ministers Retreat and you are looking for a way to do a self directed retreat? Our retreats are often rooted in a book that taps into what we need to replenish ourselves for ministry and ourselves for our life beyond ministry. The links that are listed here provide you with details about the books, and in the case of "Sabbath" provide you with a searchable copy. All of these sites offer discounts for used copies if you would like to go that route. You may of course choose not to purchase from these sites but they sometimes give options that the publishers do not.

This year, we examined, "Sabbath - Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest" by Wayne Muller. Last year, our retreat was based on "The Godbearing Life - the Art of Soul Tending for Youth Ministry" by Kenda Creasy Dean and Ron Foster. Many of you may recognize that Kenda was one of the keynotes from the National Conference of Catholic Youth Ministry (NCCYM) held in Cleveland, OH this past year. We have also had the opportunity to hear Mike Carotta present from the book he wrote with his wife entitled "Sustaining the Spirit - Callings, Commitments & Vocational Challenges". All these books would present worthwhile opportunities for some self reflection, challenge and affirmation of the work you do as a minister but also who you are as a person of faith independent of your role as minister.

I encourage you to take the time to do a little bit each day to engage in the care of you and your relationship with God. God gave us the commandment, we just have to obey!

RESOURCE - "Sabbath, Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest" by Wayne Muller

This book was the basis for our Youth and Young Adult Ministers Retreat last week because as ministers we don't always engage in the traditional Sabbath because of our role and duties in ministry that take up our Sunday. The book gives many short reflections about rest and renewal from a variety of faith traditions and maybe most importantly it also gives practical suggestions about how to integrate Sabbath into our lives. It is critical for us as ministers to incorporate our Catholic faith and our relationship with God into our daily lives beyond the minstries that we facilitate. This book is a good resource to do so...

Youth and Young Adult Ministers Retreat

In the previous post, Mike Yaconelli, referenced the need for us to care for own souls as ministers. What greater way than to come on out to St. Andrew's House for our annual Youth and Young Adult Ministers Retreat on May 25-27. Check out the promotional video that shows the facility that we will be enjoying. They are wonderful at providing outstanding hospitality and very good food!


Our theme will be focused on "Sabbath - Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest" and facilitated by OYYAM staff. To make the opportunity more accessible, there is a two-night option (Tues-Thurs) or one-night option (Wed-Thurs). We will gather on Tuesday night for a prayer experience and wine and cheese social, with the content of our retreat beginning on Wednesday morning. We will have time together on Thursday, share brunch and end by 1pm.

Participants are invited to sign up for prayer times so that we can experience the breadth and depth of our fellow ministers. There will be plenty of time for enjoying the facility and the beach nearby for rest and relaxation.

For more information, to receive a registration form or to RSVP, please contact Tauno via email or by phone at 206.382.2019.

YYAM Retreat Registration

Caring For Your Own Soul While Ministering to Others

Mike Yaconelli was the co-founder of Youth Specialties, spent 43 years of his life in ministry to youth and was considered by many in the field to be the "grandfather of youth ministry." His untimely death in 2003 left family, friends, and the youth ministry world with a great void. But during his lifetime, he touched countless lives and helped make youth ministry the respected calling it is today.

While some of the language he uses referencing church structure may be foreign to us because he was not Catholic, his core message hits home for those of us in the field of youth ministry. As we near the end of the "program year" and the coming intensity of summer mission trips, pilgrimages and activities, I hope that you will find his words both affirming and challenging!

Please click on the link below to read the entire article of the excerpt below.

Blessings,

Tauno

"What I Wish I Knew When I Started Youth Ministry,
Part 2: Caring For Your Own Soul While Ministering to Others"
by Mike Yaconelli

Everyone was saying that I was doing really well, but something inside was telling me that my success was putting my own soul in danger.
—Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus (Crossroad, 1989)

The call of God is difficult to explain but impossible to ignore. It is the nagging, conscious awareness asking you to do something. The asking comes not from words, but from deep within, as though a voice had been planted inside and, now, is beginning to speak. This voice, the calling voice, has many ways of speaking—your passion for young people, the unique parts of you that seem to attract young people, the sense of joy and fulfillment that overflows into your soul when you're with young people. It is the great YES of your life that fills you with a sense of belonging, the warmth of being home. Heady wine, this call to youth ministry.

The call of youth ministry is unmistakable, relentless, captivating.

And dangerous.

Because in reality it is a job. And once ministry becomes a job, the rules all change, and Youth Ministry The Job conflicts with Youth Ministry The Call.

Youth Ministry The Job has a job description, performance objectives, mission statements, evaluation forms. It's about measuring—how many, how much…growth, success, results.

Youth Ministry The Call, on the other hand, is a mystery—and (trust me) the mystery of youth ministry is very frustrating for church boards and executive pastors.

Youth Ministry The Call has a rhythm all its own—slow...