St. Patrick Peer Ministry Leadership Team

Transcription

1 St. Patrick Peer Ministry Leadership Team Student Application Packet For the past 15 years the Peer Ministry Leadership Team at St. Patrick has been changing lives! The Peer Ministry Leadership Team (PMLT) is made up of a group of dedicated teens from a wide variety of backgrounds, schools and interests who place faith as a priority in their lives. The PMLT program offers many opportunities for HS teens and their families to get involved within St. Patrick Parish and also visiting outside parishes and programs. The leadership team prepares retreats, attends faith building programs and offers service to others. Being a member of the Peer Ministry Leadership Team involves dedication, prayer and responsibility. The Director of Youth Ministry at St. Patrick Parish is Mike Zak. Please feel free to contact Mr. Zak at any time with questions or concerns. St. Patrick Youth Ministry Office 6N487 Crane Road St. Charles, IL Cell Phone ~ Office Phone ~ mikezakym@gmail.com youthministry@stpatrickparish.org

2 Peer Ministry Leadership Team FAQ s Who can be a Peer Minister? All students who will be in High School during the school year are invited to apply to be part of Peer Ministry. What does it take to be a Peer Minister? The first step to being a Peer Minster is a sincere desire and willingness to learn more about and share your faith. The Peer Ministry team, like the church, is made up of individuals at different places in their faith journey. FORUM is the next step to learning about and sharing your faith. Please try to attend FORUM on a regular basis to see if you are ready to take the next step which is Peer Ministry. FORUM meets year round on Thursday evenings from 7 9 pm in THE UPPER ROOM at the Downtown Church campus in the old school building. What is the time commitment of the Peer Ministry Leadership Team? After attending FORUM, if you decide that Peer Ministry is for you, then the time commitment is merely adding a couple of hours to your schedule each week. First, by committing yourself to Prayer each day. Second by attending FORUM and PMLT Leadership Team meetings that typically take place before Forum on Thursday evenings from 5:30 6:45 pm. Meeting schedule will be sent to team members via at the beginning of each semester. Occasionally, additional meetings will be scheduled to prepare for Retreats and other activities. Those dates and times will be provided to you in advance. There are certain things you are expected to be part of and that includes Training Retreat in August, EDGE program for Middle School students, The Winter Forum Retreat in January and HERE I AM LORD in March. Please make every effort to attend these! I ve never done anything like this, will I get training? Training will be part of the Leadership Meetings that will take place before FORUM on Thursday evenings at 5:30 pm. There will also be training offered during the summer. Please check the on-line Youth Ministry calendar for specific PMLT training, team building and social events. What if I have a previous commitment on Thursday Evenings? Almost everything in Peer Ministry takes place on Thursday evenings and on weekends. With that in mind, you will have to decide what it is you really want! We are aware of many HS activities that conflict with the times. If a seasonal sport or activity keeps you from participating, then join us when the season is over. NOT EVERYONE IS ABLE TO DO THIS!!! To be honest if you play sports year round, are in a club sport that has practice every Thursday or if you have a job that requires you work every Thursday then PMLT is probably not for you at the present time. Please don t apply to be part of the PEER MINISTRY LEADERSHIP TEAM unless you are willing to make a commitment. This is not something you can just show up to four or five times a year. With well over 40 teens currently active in PMLT, we will not allow people to join just to pad their resume or be considered as a counselor at CAMP WOW. You are ALWAYS welcome to come to FORUM or our Youth Ministry events that are open to everyone. Being on the Leadership team requires commitment.

3 Do I need to be available for all retreats? NO! - Our ROCKED BY GOD Retreat team puts on retreats in the Chicago area and beyond throughout the summer and school year. Retreat Team Members are chosen from those in Peer Ministry based upon their commitment, schedules, leadership skills, dedication and most importantly, spirituality. Consistent attendance at both FORUM and Peer Ministry meetings is key to being chosen to be part of any retreat team. There will be many opportunities throughout the year to present retreats both at the parish level and away. Retreat teams will meet as needed to prepare for upcoming retreats they are chosen to lead. What is expected of Peer Ministry Leadership Team members? Regularly attend and promote FORUM to their peers. Make every effort to attend meetings and activities as scheduled. Assist in other areas of parish life as requested by the Youth Minister and Adult leaders Strive to conform to the Code of Conduct, Dress Cross and Modesty Policy Set an example based upon all of the teachings of the Catholic Church. Set aside time each day to pray for themselves, their families, fellow team members and the parish. What will I get out of Peer Ministry? Since we live in a world that always asks what s in it for me, this in an appropriate question to ask. As a Peer Minister you will be with fellow students who are seeking, just like you, a way to grow in their relationship with God. Within Peer Ministry you can feel safe from peer pressure, develop leadership and organizational skills, and build friendships that will last a lifetime. You will find personal growth and satisfaction in many of the programs you participate in and produce. Developing your leadership skills in Peer Ministry will be a tool you will have for life. Does Peer Ministry cost anything? The annual fee for Peer Ministry is $350. Early Bird Discounted Fee is $300 if paid in full by August 21 st for returning teens or by August 28 th for teens new to Peer Ministry. If you need to set up a payment plan, please contact the Youth Ministry Office. The fee includes all events throughout the school year - including snacks, retreats, field trips, event t-shirts, the Here I Am Lord conference, sweatshirt, dinners, and transportation. If there are 2 or more members from the same family in Peer Ministry, each additional member charge is $100. (Example: 2 teens-fee is $450($400-EB), 3 teens-fee is $550($500-EB)) Camp Wow, Summer Mission Trip and/or Steubenville trips are NOT included in this fee. Please note the per diem cost of PMLT retreats, events, trips, etc. that PEER MINISTRY TEAM members and their families participate typically exceeds $600 per person. The annual fee helps to underwrite these costs. While NO teen (family) will be turned away due to financial issues they are expected to perform additional service work to give back to the parish. Please call Mike at to discuss financial options.

4 I want to be a Peer Minister. What do I do now? 1. Complete the attached application 2. Review the application and the commitment with your parents 3. Return the following pages 1. Student application 2. Parent comment form 3. Master liability 5. Enclose the $100 application fee payable to St. Patrick Youth Ministry OR pay annual fee by August 21 st and get early bird discount! Completed application packet should be returned by August 21, 2013 for returning teens and August 28 th for new teens Office of Youth Ministry Peer Ministry Leadership Team Application 6N487 Crane Road St. Charles, IL Mr. Zak will be meeting with all PEER MINSTRY LEADERSHIP TEAM applicants members during the summer. He will contact you to schedule a time that meets within your schedule.

5 Please fill out application and send back with your payment Parent Form may be downloaded, filled out and returned by mail If you are new to PMLT, please Download the Master Liability Form and return by mail with application. It will be kept on file while you are in high school Student Application Name: Home Phone: Address: City: Zip: Cell Phone: High School: Grade in 2014/15: Address: T-Shirt Size (Adult) Facebook Account: Birthday: In addition to and/or text messaging, we will use a Peer Ministry Group on Facebook to disseminate information to all Peer Ministers and/or parents about meeting dates and times. If you are going to be part of Peer Ministry then you have to be willing to conduct yourself on the various social networks in a manner expected of a Peer Minister. You must allow Mr. Zak to be a friend. Know that your actions may be monitored periodically Inappropriate pictures, videos, wall postings, conversations and other behavior may be grounds for suspending your participation in Peer Ministry activities. Repeated violations will result in your permanent removal from Peer Ministry activities. Please complete the following questions as completely and thoroughly as possible. Use additional paper if needed, FOR THOSE NEW TO PEER MINISTRY, PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS Why do you want to be a Peer Minister? Please describe your relationship with God at this time.

6 Please list and briefly describe two strengths or gifts you would bring to the team and two weaknesses that the team could work with you on to turn into strengths. What activities do you participate in school, work, home, hobbies?..and how will this affect your ability to participate in Peer Ministry? Tell me more about yourself and reasons for wanting to be a Peer Minister. RETURNING PEER MINISTERS: Please share HOW GOD CAN USE YOU TO BUILD UP YOUTH MINISTRY AT ST. PAT S IN THE UPCOMING YEAR. ALSO SHARE THE BIGGEST IMPEDIMENT TO YOUR FAITH JOURNEY WITH ME. Date Final Note : Peer Ministry is not a dating service and as such you will agree not to use Peer Ministry as your personal dating pool. When doing PMLT activities, your boyfriend or girlfriend relationships end as you enter the event and you are asked to conduct yourself as brothers and sisters in Christ s love. If you do not conduct yourself appropriately, you will be called out by your fellow team members and Mr. Zak and the other adults involved in Peer Ministry.