ARK Youth Ministry November2017E Blast

““The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become – because He made us. He invented us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be. . .It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own.”- C.S. Lewis-

“Lots on my plate”, “No down time”, “Crazy busy”, “Going from one event to the next”, “Dinner on the run again”, all experiences that we find ourselves in far too often.As teens you move so quickly, there is school, homework, sports, clubs, worrying about good grades and the list goes on and on. Suddenly we find ourselves putting all other things above God the Father, we let everything else come first and we give God our left overs, if there are any. Let us strive to change that; to let God be the center. “If God is the center of our lives, everything else will fall into place.”It is in Jesus and our getting to know Him that we truly find ourselves. My prayer is and has been that our youth ministry program gives all an opportunity to do exactly that, by getting to know Jesus in a personal way; that is the beginning of it all. With all that in mind I encourage all to come and join us twice a month at a gathering and experience the difference God can make in your lives, the difference He wants to make in your lives.

Peace and blessings,

Lisa Valentino/Director of Youth Ministry;

(908)852-3320

Please remember to fill out Permission slips and Registration forms for the year. If possible the donation suggestion of $60.00 for the year would be greatly appreciated to help cover the cost of our dinners at each gathering. All events, gatherings and permission slips can be found on our church website under the tab Youth Ministry.

Steubenville Youth Conference deposits are due. If you are currently in grades 8-12 why not consider joining us this June 29th-July 2nd at Franciscan University followed by a day at Hershey Park. See the attached flyer for more info. Another great way to grow closer to God!

Please remember to turn back your clocks this Saturday

Sunday Nov.5th5-7PM Middle School Gathering

“Who Do You Say I Am?

Join us for dinner and great discussion as well as dodgeball. Who is God in your life, what role if any does He play in your life? Who do you say God is, you not your parents or your friends, but you? Now is the time to discover who God is to you and have some fun in community while doing so.

Sunday November 5th 6:30-9PM

College Care Packages: Bonded through Christ”

No matter we go in our lives on this journey it is much easier when we have support, when we know others are praying for us and care about us. Christian Community; our common bond is Christ, He strengthens our relationships and helps keep us close. Tonight we will pack care packages for our college students in or parish community, please join with us for this awesome event as we realize and experience Christ working in each one of us bringing us closer to one another and our awesome God!

TuesdayNov.13th “Altaration” Session #3 and Pizza 6:30PM for High School Students

Join us as we continue this series on the Mass. Tonight we will begin to dive into the more mystical realities that occur throughout the Mass. We will look at the background behind the liturgical moments, and how everything we experience at Mass is designed to lead us to an encounter with Jesus Christ. All of this helping us to see and understand that the Mass is not an hour we lose each week, but a place where we become one with the God who created us.

Sunday Nov. 19th12PM Youth Mass

Come and take on an active role in our community celebration by serving as a reader or usher, we need you! This Mass has contemporary Christian music played with guitar and sung by Dan Minogue. Let’s fill the church once a month with all of our young church and their parents! To volunteer to serve contact Lisa Valentino.

Sunday Nov. 19thARK Middle School Gathering 5-7PM

“Authentic Friendship”

We all know that good friends can add so much to our lives and that friendships are needed, people who know us and love us as we are. People who will be there for us, people we can truly be ourselves around. How do we create these kind of friendships and are we surrounding ourselves with people who truly care and are good for us? Where does God fit into all of this? Come and see as we have a meal together, do some cool icebreakers and play some sports.

Sunday November 19 ARK High School Gathering 6:30-9PM

“Altaration Session #4

Dinner in community as we view one of the final sessions in our program on the Mass. There is deep intimacy available to us through the Mass, there to empower us to respond to God’s grace to live out our mission for the kingdom of heaven while here on earth. The Mass seeks to prepare us for sainthood and heaven. Now that does not sound boring at all. Come and discover the Mass and why God commands us to go, not to tell us what to do, but out of love.