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St. Gilbert Parish Teen Ministry |
Contact: Fr. Sam |
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(847) 223-4731 |
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 St. Gilbert Parish kicked-off a new Teen Ministry, Teens Growing In Faith (TGIF), with a Summer Bash on Sunday, August 9th,, 2009 Over 100 teens of high school age attended the Summer Bash which included a cookout, music, games and casual socialization – it was strictly a night of fun. |
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 Father Sam Mukundi learns how to do the
"cha cha" slide with teens at the Summer Bash |
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The Summer Bash brought awareness to the new contemporary masses that are being offered at St. Gilbert. These masses are specifically geared toward ministering directly to teens and gaining deeper involvement from them in the parish. |
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 Teens at St. Gilbert sign in for the TGIF Summer Social Bash on August 9 |
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| Beginning September 13th, TGIF began offering contemporary Sunday evening masses twice a month, designed for high school aged teens. The new contemporary mass has a full band and choir that play contemporary Christian music. All participants in the mass including lectors, Eucharistic ministers and ushers are teens. The homilies are based on the readings and gospel, but are geared toward teens and their perspective at this point in their lives. The first two masses (September 13 and September 27) had an attendance of between 200-250 each night. |
 Teens pass raw eggs down the line during a fear factor activity on September 13, 2009. |
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Immediately after each Sunday evening mass, the teens have the opportunity to briefly socialize over snacks. Then, the Teen Life meetings explore difficulties faced by teens in the world today, how to deal with these issues, and how to help one another use faith to guide each other. Over 100 teens stayed for both of these first Teen Life Nights! The Life Teen night explorations feature speakers, videos, events and/or small group activities and discussions. |
 Adult teen leader, helps a teen hold a snake during the "Fear Factor" segment of the Life Teen Program. |
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The first speaker, Joe Raush launched the Teen Life program with a "Fear Factor" theme. Joe explored teens' fear of becoming too involved in their faith and what those fears are. On September 27, Rob Kaczmark, a 26 year old Catholic who has been exposed to the exciting world of the media, explored the idea of "Dying to Fit In". He showed the teens how exciting parts of the world can be, but that we can't lose ourselves while trying to fit in. He reminded them, that when they are in a relationship with God, they are able to experience true peace.
See below for future dates for the Teen Masses and Life Teen Events. |
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