Welcome to my blog for Merciful Redeemer Parish's Youth Group! Here you will find information about Edge and LifeTeen, as well as our calendar of events and some pretty awesome resources to help you grow in your faith and develop a closer relationship with Christ! Enjoy! - Miri

Volunteer!


Is God CALLING YOU to serve Him by bringing the youth of today to Christ?

 Consider volunteering with Merciful Redeemer’s Youth Ministry Office for the 2013-2014 school year!
High school students, university students and young adults are especially encouraged to apply, but there are openings for adults too.

Scroll down to view the positions available:
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for young adults and adults: 

*Youth Ministry Prayer Warrior* 

Description:

Without prayer, any work we do cannot achieve the fruits God intended. If you would like to help our youth ministry but cannot commit to our Life Teen or Edge programs, consider becoming a "prayer warrior". Prayer warriors support us enormously in battling the spiritual battle waged against Christ and our teens by spending time in prayer every week (ideally before the Blessed Sacrament) for the intentions and the success of the youth ministry, including the volunteers, the staff, the priests, and of course, the teens themselves. 

Time Commitment:

Prayer warriors choose how much time to commit every week for prayer, and what time to do so. For example, someone could offer one hour per month, while another may offer one hour per week. If you would like to sign up, please contact Miri at ym@mercifulredeemer.org


*Life Teen Core Member or Edge A-Team Member*

Description:

Core members and A-Team members are young adults and adults who help bring teens and tweens to Christ through relational ministry, and they plan, lead, and execute Edge nights (for tweens in grades 7 and 8), Life Teen nights (for high school students), and teen retreats. 

Responsibilities include:

Giving talks (Life Teen and Edge provide resources for this), acting on skits, sharing testimonies, attending brain-storming/planning meetings, supervising sign-ins/sign-outs, setting up and serving during the Youth Mass (as extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, readers, etc.), leading small group discussions, decorating the hall, cleaning up after Life Nights/Edge Nights, attending teen events (such as school plays, concerts, etc.), chaperoning during field trips and retreats, praying with teens, and supporting them. 

Time Commitment: 
Life Teen Core:
- Saturdays from 4:00pm until clean-up for the Life Night is complete (between 10:30-11:00pm), EXCEPT for long weekends (no Life Teen on long weekends).
- Commitment of one year (Sept-July), which may be renewed annually
- Core members commit to attending at least 3 Saturdays per month and attend the Youth Mass, sitting at the front with the teens. It is also expected that the Core members will attend Life Teen retreats and field trips, as well as all Core training retreats/sessions.

Edge A-Team: 
- Fridays from 6:00pm until clean-up for the Edge Night is complete (between 9:30-10:00pm), EXCEPT for long weekends (no Edge on long weekends).  
- Commitment of one year (Sept-July), which may be renewed annually 
- A-Team member commit to attending at least 3 Fridays per month and attend the Youth Mass on Saturdays when possible, sitting at the front with the teens. It is also expected that the A-Team member will attend Edge retreats and field trips, as well as all A-Team training retreats/sessions.


Requirements: 
1. Be a fully-practicing Catholic and in full communion with the Catholic Church. Here are some specifics:
- currently attending Mass every Saturday night/Sunday and receiving Communion frequently
Here are some specifics:
- willing to commit to receiving the Sacrament of Confession once a month
- willing to commit to making an effort to visit the Blessed Sacrament frequently
- if unmarried, living in a state of chastity 
- accepting of the teachings of the Catholic Church (if you have questions or doubts about a teaching of the Church, then showing commitment to learning about the Church's position is vital - Miri can help you with that)
- living your faith in every aspect of your life, including your social networks/online communities, the music/movies you consume, etc.
2. Be 19 years or older (for those who have just graduated from high school, one year as junior-Core-in-training is required)
3. Have a sincere desire to serve the Lord and an ability to commit to the program (both in heart and time)
4) Police Background Check for the Vulnerable Sector
5) Three letters of reference (not from family members) and volunteering form (get it from Miri)
6) Interview with screening committee and with Miri
7) Attend MANDATORY CORE/A-TEAM TRAINING (Bible Study). Details:
-- Friday, July 5 - 6:30-10:00pm (includes pot-luck dinner)
-- Saturday, July 6 - 9:00am-10:00pm (includes Mass and Adoration)
-- Sunday, July 7 - 10:10am-4:00pm (includes Mass)
-- Cost: $20 to cover the cost of supplies and food. If this is a problem for you, let me (Miri) know.
-- It is NOT an over-night retreat.

-- If you cannot attend on these dates, you may attend a make-up session in August. Details and date TBA.
Important: The role of Core and A-Team members is to serve as adult role models and mentors for teens, rather than as friends or peers. Core members offer teens support and encouragement, and help them grow closer to Christ through prayer and example, while still maintaining a professional boundary with them. 
**Those seeking letters of recommendation for teachers' college or teaching positions may obtain them after completion of a full year of volunteering.

For more information and to schedule an appointment, email Miri (Youth Ministry Coordinator) at: ym@mercifulredeemer.org

Interviews and training will begin soon!
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for high school students

*Edge Crew Member*

Description:

Crew members are high school teens who help bring elementary school tweens to Christ through relational ministry, and they plan, lead, and execute Edge nights and retreats. Community service hours are awarded upon completion of a full year of volunteering.

Responsibilities include:  

Attending brain-storming/planning meetings, acting on skits, giving talks (senior Crew only), sharing testimonies, supervising sign-ins/sign-outs, serving during the Saturday Youth Mass (as readers, ushers, etc.), leading small group discussions, decorating the hall, cleaning up after Edge Nights, attending tween events (such as school plays, concerts, etc.), praying with tweens, and supporting them. 

Time Commitment: 

Crew Members:
- Fridays from 4:30pm until clean-up for the Edge Night is done (between 9:30-10:00pm), EXCEPT for long weekends (no Edge on long weekends).  
- Commitment of one year (Sept-July), which may be renewed annually 
- Crew members commit to attending at least 3 Fridays per month and attend the Youth Mass and Life Teen on Saturdays (at least twice per month), sitting at the front during Mass. It is also expected that the Crew member will attend assigned Edge retreats and field trips, as well as all Crew training retreats/sessions. Crew members are highly encouraged to attend Life Teen events, retreats and field trips as well.

Requirements: 
1) Fully-practicing Catholic. Here are some specifics:
- attending Mass every Saturday night/Sunday and receiving Communion frequently
- willing to commit to receive the Sacrament of Confession once a month
- willing to commit to make an effort to visit the Blessed Sacrament frequently
- living in a state of chastity
- accepting of the teachings of the Catholic Church (if you have questions or doubts about a teaching of the Church, then showing commitment to learning about the Church's position is vital - Miri can help you with that)
- living your faith in every aspect of your life, including your social networks/online communities, the music/movies you consume, etc.
2) Be a high school student (grade 9-12)
3) Attend Life Teen on a regular basis (at least 2 times per month) and making an effort to attend Life Teen events, retreats and field trips (must have attended LifeTeen for at least one semester prior to joining Crew)
4) Have a sincere desire to serve the Lord and an ability to commit to the program (both in heart and time)
5) Three letters of reference (not from family members) and volunteering form
6) Interview with screening committee and with Miri
7) Attend MANDATORY CREW TRAINING (Bible Study). Details:
-- Friday, July 5 - 6:30-10:00pm (includes pot-luck dinner)
-- Saturday, July 6 - 9:00am-10:00pm (includes Mass and Adoration)
-- Sunday, July 7 - 10:10am-4:00pm (includes Mass)
-- Cost: $20 to cover the cost of supplies and food. If this is a problem for you, let me know.
-- It is NOT an over-night retreat.

-- If you cannot attend on these dates, you may attend a make-up session in August. Details and date TBA.

Important: The role of Crew members is to serve as peer role models for tweens. Crew members offer teens support and encouragement, and help them grow closer to Christ through prayer and example, while still maintaining a professional boundary with them. 
** In order to obtain community service hours, Crew members must complete a full year of volunteering.

For more information and to schedule an appointment, email Miri (Youth Ministry Coordinator) at: ym@mercifulredeemer.org

Interviews and training will begin soon!
__________________________________________________


Dear A-Team, Core and Crew,

I would like to personally thank you for all the work, time, effort, energy and prayer that you give towards this ministry. Without you none of our programs would be possible, and I want you to know how appreciated and loved you are.

I have decided to share with you some of the blog posts from the LifeTeen website that I have found to be excellent resources on how to approach youth ministry. I will add more as I come across them, but feel free to browse through the website yourself and find topics that interest you.

God bless,
Miri


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