Youth Ministry Summer Nights: An Evening for Young Parishioners to Share in Faith, Fellowship, Fun

Community is an essential aspect of our faith life. It is within our faith community that we find like-minded friends, we volunteer our time in service to God, and we are challenged to grow in our relationship with Christ. Having a faith community is not only important for adults, but for the youth of our parish as well.

Here at St. Timothy Catholic Church, our Youth Ministry programs are offered year round. Justin Lantz, our Youth Minister, was blessed to be part of a wonderful youth ministry program as a high schooler, so he knows firsthand the impact that this community has on our young parishioners.

“Whether it’s Youth Ministry Summer Nights or just being involved all year round, Jesus is transforming lives,” Justin says. “I’ve seen students come in a little apprehensive, or even shy, but for whatever reason God uses games and sports to change hearts. I’ve seen it over and over again. There is always a sense of belonging when you get placed on a kickball team with some strangers, and then suddenly they know your name. There is a sense that God is real when our high school seniors get up to talk about their faith, and our younger students are keyed into everything they are saying.”

There are two programs that are offered during the summer. Life Teen Summer Nights take place on Sunday Nights from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Life Teen is specifically for high school students — anybody entering high school in Fall 2023. Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. are the Youth Ministry Summer Nights, with both high school and middle school students combined.

“The goal is for students to come, have fellowship and have fun with others in an environment that will still engage them spiritually,” Justin says. “During the school year, I would say Youth Ministry is 70 percent formation/catechesis and 30 percent fellowship/fun. When summer hits, we flip that around. The summer season is a restful time for students and we like to encourage that in Youth Ministry.”

A typical Youth Ministry Summer Night evening is broken up in three segments. The youth start the night off with free time, during which they play basketball or volleyball in the gym, or head outside to play football, four square, or gaga ball. They can also spend time in the café with food, drinks, foosball, arcades, pool and ping-pong. After about an hour of free time, students are brought together for an organized, large-group game of flickerball, volleyball, or kickball. Finally, they end their evening by listening to a lesson or Bible study given by one of the older students and prayer, praise, and worship.

“Our older high school students often lead our prayer time and lessons,” Justin says. “We talk about topics that are relevant to our students’ lives, such as resolving conflicts with others or how to pray. We take time every night to lift up each student’s prayer intentions out loud, if they want. We almost always put Bibles in student’s hands, so they can get used to flipping through it and reading it.”

The Youth Ministry is always looking for adult mentors who are on fire for the Lord to be with their students. During the summer, volunteers would help with tasks such as setting up snacks, chaperoning the students, and even joining in the games.

If you are interested in the Youth Ministry Summer Nights or have any questions, please contact Youth Ministry Coordinator Jen Linder at jen.linder@sainttims.org or 813-542-5968.