Youth & Young Adults
We continue to work hard to provide the young people of our community with opportunities to encounter Jesus. We are so grateful for God’s grace and for the support of this community as we build a place for our youth to grow into the people God intends them to be, especially as they are challenged by various parts of our society. It is a privilege that we are able to offer any and all support, and we thank each of you for your part in helping us provide that support.
We continue to welcome around 40 students to youth group each Friday night. This year we have been journeying with the word “Spirit” and seeking to understand where the Holy Spirit is moving in our lives. We are currently in the middle of a Bible series, looking at a handful of people’s stories from the Old Testament and what we can learn from their lives as young people in the 21st century. Kingdom Youth will begin again for Term 3 in Week 2 on Friday 19 July from 6pm – 8:30pm at Unity College. All in Years 7 – 12 are welcome, regardless of faith level or school attending.
Our young adults have ventured into a new pattern of meeting. On the second Wednesday of each month, Adoration is provided by our team for the whole parish. All parishioners are welcome for prayer, Reconciliation, music, and Benediction in OLR Church from 6:30pm – 7:30pm. Our young adults often gather after for a short dinner/catch up. On the fourth Wednesday of each month, all young adults are welcome to dinner somewhere local at 6pm, before we start in the Church at 7pm for input and prayer. So far, we have covered topics such as Pentecost/Acts 2 and the Sacrament of Marriage, with guest speakers from the Brisbane Youth Office and Vocations Brisbane. Our next YA event is Wednesday 24 July on the topic of Charismatic Worship. All young adults are welcome.
Once again, we are now preparing to head to Ignite Conference in September. Our current projection of numbers is around 30 students and 10 young adults, giving us another group of over 40 from Caloundra and surrounds. Ignite is a place for our youth to encounter Jesus through the beauty of the Sacraments, in fellowship with others from around Australia, and within each other as they make this journey together. So many of our youth are serving on Friday nights and Sundays because of their experiences here. We can’t take this many alone and appreciate all the support we receive. Please save the dates of our two upcoming fundraisers:
- Bake Sale & 100 Board Fundraiser, Sunday 14 July after the 9:30am at OLR (tickets for the board will also be sold at the Saturday 5pm and Sunday 6:30am – tickets are $10 each and the winning ticket will win $300)
- Car Wash & BBQ, Sunday 4 August from 7am – 11am at OLR Church, Caloundra.
If you find yourself in the position to give and would like to sponsor the registration of one student, please contact the parish office. Thank you so much for your generosity!
More than anything, please continue to pray for our ministry and the young people of our Church. Our youth are not just the Church of the future, they are the Church of today! And they have so much to give to the life our universal Church and our community. If you would like to contact us, please email [email protected].
Briefly to conclude, we have had some changes to our Youth & Young Adult Leadership Team. As they take some time and move forward into new places, we thank Elijah and Erin for their service, and welcome Sandy Kay on board! We are grateful to Sandy for saying YES to serving our Church in this way.
God bless,
Felicity, Kath, Sandy, and Fr Gerard