Youth Group Update

Hey everyone!
Last night's youth group was awesome! Thanks for all who helped out and participated!

At the Edge night we had some special guests who were parishioners from St. Anthony's community. The middle schoolers got to hear some personal stories from the parishioners where they shared about their faith and why being involved in a church community has helped them grow closer to God. Then the teens got a chance to interview them about their lives and their faith. Finally, at the end of the night for a fun activity the teens got a chance to make popcorn balls with our guests! One of my goals for youth ministry has always been to connect the youth to the parish community because I believe that teens can learn and grow by getting to know the people in their community. Parishioners of all generations have a lot to offer our teens and we are all, as a church, called to minister to our teens.

The Life Teen night was called, "Poor Me" and was all about issues on homelessness and social justice. Some of our teens shared their experiences of immersion trips and service trips to Portland and how they've learned to be more compassionate and caring towards homeless people. It is amazing to see the growth and transformation in many of our teens! I challenged all of them at the end of the night to take action by helping others in need. By simply getting involved in service projects to help others they can change lives!

St. Anthony's Youth Group is starting a service project to collect socks, hats, and mittens to give out to the homeless in downtown Portland. See Portland Service Trip for the blog article on last year's experiences. If you can help out in any way that would help us greatly! Bring any new hats, mittens, and socks to the marked boxes at the Church or Office by December 6th. Thank you in advance for your kindness and support!

This holiday season your challenge is to make a difference in the lives of others. Remember that Christ calls us to serve and put others first. With the Advent season coming up I though I'd share this video which I found very inspirational and I hope you enjoy it!