Youth Ministry

Mission Trip 2008

Red Lake Reservation, MN

When? Sunday, July 27 to August 1, 2008.

Where? Red Lake Reservation, MN Youthworks Camp.

What is Youthworks? Youthworks is a non-denominational Christian mission trip organization that runs short term mission camps (www.youthworks.com ). This year’s trip is a pilot project providing Catholic Programming in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

What will we do? We will paint houses, visit the elderly, and teach young children about God through Kid’s Club. We will do daily devotions, sing, pray and engage in fun social and cultural activities.

Who can go? Up to 16 teens in grades 9 through 12 and 2 adult chaperones. Non-parishioners may apply but priority goes to SJTW teens.

How much does it cost? The cost is estimated at $450. Fundraising will be done to lower the cost throughout the year.

How do I sign up? Apply by putting your name on the Application Sign Up list on the Senior High bulletin board and submit the attached application and Mission Agreement with a deposit of $100 to the attention of Barry Shay by March 7th, 2008.

Information Meeting: There is an information/planning meeting on Sunday, March 30th following the 10:30 am liturgy (from about 11:40-1 pm) at SJTW. Additional forms, Schedules, Fund Raising activities, and 2nd installment will be covered at that time.

Mission trip purpose: Mission trips offer the following objectives: an experience of service to others as Jesus modeled to us; an opportunity to build friendships and experience Christian community; a time for personal spiritual growth and focus on relationship with God; an opportunity to learn about other cultures; an opportunity to learn about poverty and social justice; and a chance to put our Catholic faith to work in real life situations. St. Theresa of Avila put it this way: “ Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which He looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world.”

Stop by the Faith Formation office to pick up your registration paper work.

Registration Procedures: Complete the following: (1) Registration form (2) Permission form / Code of Conduct (3) Driver Agreement / Information Sheet (4) Volunteer Background Packet (for drivers that have not previously completed one for SJTW).

Return ALL forms with your $115 payment (made out to SJTW) to the Faith Formation Office by 4:00 PM ON MARCH 14, 2008. After April 30th, the whole payment becomes non-refundable. For the first time since 2003 we have had to increase our fee, mainly in response to increases in transportation costs.

There are 110 openings for this program. First priority will be given to those who are parishioners at SJTW; if space is available after sign-up, teens from other parishes, that don’t offer Summer Stretch, may be included. A lottery will be used and waiting list created, if necessary. Groups will also be formed at random by age group (7th graders in groups with other 7th graders, etc.). Due to the nature of the program, no requests for groups will be taken. Please attend a BRIEF, MANDATORY parent/teen meeting on Sunday, May 4 at 4-5 pm in St. Joseph’s Hall to address all questions, explain the program fully, and hand out information (group lists, driving dates, etc).

For more information, call Barry Shay at 763-425-9801, ext. 235 or bshay@sjtw.net

A parental commitment to DRIVE AT LEAST TWICE during the Summer Stretch Program is REQUIRED in order for your child to participate in this program. Each driver will need to arrive at SJTW by 8:15 am to receive driving directions, etc. As groups are dismissed around 9 am, each group will go with the two or three drivers assigned to them (drivers will not necessarily drive their own teen). The same drivers will return the group at 11:30-11:45 am and return them to SJTW. You may be required to remain at the service site, please indicate below if this is not possible (Each group will need to have at least two adults stay with them). Because of the large numbers of people to coordinate and the various distances to and from the service sites, all are asked to be as flexible as possible. Drivers will need to notify me in advance if there are any changes after the schedule is posted on May 6 (and I will do likewise).

Drivers must be 21 years of age to transport our teens. If you have not already completed a background check through SJTW and VIRTUS training, you will need to complete both before driving. You will receive confirmation of the final driving schedule at the May 6th meeting.

If you want to try something new, I will also be in need of chaperones for the afternoon activities (no cost) and Valley Fair (no cost). We will need at least 1 chaperone per 10 teens! In order for this to be satisfied, I might need to call upon a few to volunteer for three times. If you can help out three times or more, thank you in advance! Time commitments for chaperoning are typically 12:30-5 pm for the afternoon activities and 8:30 am-6 pm for Valley Fair.

Stop by the Faith Formation office to pick up the application paper work.

Job Description: Summer Stretch group leaders are high school students who actively lead Junior High students through their Summer Stretch experience. Leaders facilitate small groups, help provide site supervision, role model Christian values and behavior, guide Junior High students to complete assigned tasks, help with meals, pray with and for their group members, engage Junior High participants in recreational activities and develop positive spiritually, enhancing relationships with them and their fellow Summer Stretch leaders.

Qualifications: Summer Stretch leaders must be in grades 10-12 as of Fall 2008 and be members of SJTW. Previous leadership experience is a plus. Leaders need to be assertive, kind, flexible, committed to the schedule, and above average in their desire to serve their Church and community. Leaders must attend one of the leader training dates on May 20th or 21st from 6:30 to 8:00 PM here at SJTW. Cost for the leaders program involvement is $60 DUE MARCH 14, 2008. If you are not selected, your fee will be returned to you. In addition to this form, please submit a reference check with your application (see Fr. Mike’s letter). If you have already done this in the past, do not submit it again.

Selection Process: Due to the limited number of leader positions, not all who apply will be able to serve as leaders. This is a very important job in that the leadership seriously affects the quality of the Summer Stretch program. Leaders will be selected by Barry Shay and Joan Burnett based upon the following criteria: The desire to serve as a positive role model for other teens, leadership experience (there is a qualitative need for a solid core number of experienced leaders) gender, and grade in school (will strive for an equal number of male and female leaders from each grade). Experience with Summer Stretch or

Summer Stretch dates to Remember are:

June 17 & 24 Service and afternoon activity
July 8, 15 & 22 Service and afternoon activity
August 7 Valley Fair

Meeting dates to remember are:

Brief mandatory for participants Sunday, May 4 from 4 PM to 5 PM
Mandatory Leader Training dates Tuesday, May 20 from 6:30 – 8:00 or Wednesday, May 21 from 6:30 – 8:00

Service sites where we will be volunteering at this year include:

Feed My Starving Children
People Serving People
Second Harvest
PRISM
Mary's Place at Sharing and Caring Hands
CommonBond
CROSS
St. Therese Home
Waterford Manor
Northridge Care Center
Bershire Residence
Home Free
Families Moving Forward Day Shelter

We will also be doing work around the parish with the Garden Ministry, Angel Quilters, Vacation Bible School, Maintenance staff and other parish ministries.

Jr. High Recreation Nights

Looking for ways to kick off a three-day weekend or ways to beat the winter blues? Come hang out with your Jr. High friends at St. Joe while learning more about the Catholic faith. All are welcome so bring a friend. The events are free; if you wish some pizza, bring a $1 per slice. Do you have any ideas of suggestions of what we all could do together? Share your ideas with Barry and the J-Team at bshay@sjtw.net. We will be posting the 2008-2009 Schedule soon

Parents are needed to stay and help out with evenings. Please contact Barry at 763-425-9801 ext 235 to volunteer.

Junior High MAYHEM Lock-In

This annual multi-church event at the Maple Grove Community Center is scheduled each year for the last Friday in January, running from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Saturday. Plan to attend with your friends from other area churches!

Evening events include a service project, swimming pool and ice area access, inflatable games, a DJ, Guitar Hero, DDR stations, movies, open gym, dodge ball games, and late night pizza. It is open to teens in 7th through 9th grade and is for those in 7th-9th grades. Teens from parishes that are not going are welcome to sign up with a friend from St. Joseph the Worker. The cost for 2009 has not been determined yet.

J-Team Peer Ministry

J-Team is a teen-driven ministry for those who would like to further share their faith and talents with the Church and community at large. J-Team members act as a council for the Senior High Program, help lead retreats for the Elementary and Junior High grades and engage in service projects and implement social events for the entire Senior High Program. To get involved, teens may contact Barry Shay or drop in on any scheduled J-Team meeting.