Youth workshop slated for Feb. 23

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
January 26, 2006

Youth ministers and anyone interested in youth ministry in the Diocese of Sioux City are invited to attend the Effective Practices for Dynamic Youth Ministry Workshop.

The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 23 at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake.

"The overall goal of the workshop is to give research on the latest in Catholic youth ministry," said Jessica La Fleur, director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the diocese. "It will also give tools to those who already have youth ministry going on. What are you doing well? How can you do it better? How can you take what you are doing well and maximize that?"

The workshop is also for those that do not have youth ministry in their parishes to give them ideas on how to get it started.

"Instead of just being for youth minister Joe or Jane, it is for the parish staff and as many people that can come - pastoral associates, pastors. It really encourages the priests because they are the head of the parish. They really need to be involved in youth ministry especially in the early stages," said La Fleur.

She continued that it goes beyond the youth ministers to the DREs, which sometimes overlap. She also wants to include Catholic schools.

"It is very important for them," said La Fleur. "They have pieces of youth ministry - campus ministry. They need to be in contact with the parish. We encourage their participation as well."

The presenter for the workshop is Ann Marie Eckert, a coordinator of youth ministry for the Center for Ministry Development.

Eckert is the author of Ministry Resources for Community Life and Ministry Resources for Youth Leadership Development in Total Youth Ministries series. Eckert previously held the position of associate director for youth and youth adult ministry in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and assistant director of the Youth Department in the Diocese of Buffalo. She holds a master of arts in pastoral ministry from Christ the King Seminary in Buffalo.

"Her focus is youth ministry training," said La Fleur.

Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. Prayer and session one, The Willing Parish, will start at 9 a.m. Session two is titled Qualities and Dimensions of Dynamic Youth Ministry, such as what it looks like. Session three will focus on Putting it Together: Models for Dynamic Youth Ministry. The final session is called Leading and Planning for Dynamic Youth Ministry - finding leaders, giving ideas on how to train, how to keep it going.

"With youth ministry, while there is a general idea, the needs of the youth vary from parish to parish. The youth ministry program within each parish needs to cater to those needs," said La Fleur.

There will be time for group discussion if parishes decide to bring a team.

La Fleur had attended a workshop put on by the Center for Ministry Development in December and learned a lot.

"They gave me so many ideas for diocesan youth ministry and then I found out that they do this workshop all over the United States," she said.

La Fleur pointed out that she will have a resource table of materials from Saint Mary's Press.

"Saint Mary's Press has donated a lot of books for me to have available for people to look at and see what is out there," said La Fleur.

The follow up workshop is slated for May also presented by the Center for Youth Ministry Development.

"It will be more focused on the youth minister - the one in the parish," said La Fleur.

Cost of the workshop is $10, which includes the book Effective Practices for Dynamic Youth Ministry as well as other materials and lunch. The workshop is being paid in part by Centennial Campaign Funds.

The registration deadline is Feb. 9. Send registration and fee to the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, PO Box 3379, Sioux City, IA 51102. Make checks payable to the Diocese of Sioux City.