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Youth Nights: Rooted in Faith and Community

Plan engaging and interactive youth nights focused on social, catechetical, issue-based, and service activities. Use the Ecclesial Method to guide the night's structure. Sample calendar and theme included.

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Youth Nights: Rooted in Faith and Community

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  1. “He came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way.When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.’And he came down quickly and received him with joy.When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, ‘He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.’But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvationhas come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.’” -Luke 19:1-10

  2. Types of Youth Gatherings • Social – events that are mainly social in nature and are focused on the pre-evanglization stage through fun and community • Catechetical – events that focus on a topic on faith through presenting the topic in am interactive and dynamic way • Issue – events that focus on current issues that teens may be experiencing or questioning • Service – events that provide opportunities for service. These can be incorporated into catechetical or issue nights

  3. Sample Calendar Theme: “Rooted” • September: Kickoff Night! – BBQ with backyard games tournament and prizes • October: Catechetical – Rooted in Identity - Who am I? What is my purpose? • Capture the Flag • November: Catechetical Night – Building the Kingdom/Rooted in the Church • Building contest • December: Social Night – Trip to LaSalette • January: Issue Night – Dignity of the Human Person • February: Catechetical/Service – Rooted in Service/Valentine’s Day service project • March: Social Night – Joint social with neighboring parish • April: Catechetical – Rooted in Truth/Q&A Night • Dodgeball • May: Catechetical – Rooted in Prayer • Adoration/Confession • June: Social Night – End of Year bonfire!

  4. HOW TO PLAN A YOUTH NIGHT

  5. ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF YOUTH NIGHTS • Engaging Environment • Non-spiritual draw • Evangelization Plan • FOOD!!!

  6. PLANNING OUT THE NIGHT • Pick a topic • Come up with a catchy name • Promote the night • flocknote • social media • bulletin • etc. • Meet with the Core Team to create a basic outline • Assign roles for each night

  7. The Ecclesial Method

  8. 5 Parts to the Ecclesial Method PREPARATION PROCLAMATION EXPLANATION APPLICATION CELEBRATION

  9. Preparation • Intentional beginning to the gathering • Social and community time • Relational Ministry • Transition into the night through calculated disengagement

  10. Proclamation • Word or short phrase to introduce and sum up the topic • Should be repeated throughout the night

  11. Explanation • Main teaching portion of the night • should only last 10-15 minutes depending on the topic and method • Examples include: • Brief talk • Witness/testimony • Interactive teachings • Meditations

  12. Application • Intentional way to discuss or show teens how the topic can be applied in life • small groups • prayer activities (Stations of the Cross, Adoration, etc.) • Service projects

  13. Celebration • Intentional ending to the night • brief wrap-up • present a challenge or a goal • bried fun or prayer-based activity to close

  14. Sample Calendar Theme: “Rooted” • September: Kickoff Night! – BBQ with backyard games tournament and prizes • October: Catechetical – Rooted in Identity - Who am I? What is my purpose? • Capture the Flag • November: Catechetical Night – Building the Kingdom/Rooted in the Church • Building contest • December: Social Night – Trip to LaSalette • January: Issue Night – Dignity of the Human Person • February: Catechetical/Service – Rooted in Service/Valentine’s Day service project • March: Social Night – Joint social with neighboring parish • April: Catechetical – Rooted in Truth/Q&A Night • Dodgeball • May: Catechetical – Rooted in Prayer • Adoration/Confession • June: Social Night – End of Year bonfire!

  15. Sample Youth Night Rooted in Identity Youth Night on Identity as children of God Preparation (1 hour) Dinner (30 minutes) - Dinner as teens arrive - Recognize any new people or birthdays for the month and give them prizes Game - Capture the Flag (30 minutes) - Split the teens up into 2 teams to play Capture the Flag - Before the game begins, invite each team to create a name and identity through coming up with a team name, painting their faces, and coming up with a team chant - Play Capture the Flag Proclamation (5 minutes) - Regather in the main space - introduce the topic - opening prayer Proclamation verse - "God created mankind in his image" - Genesis 1:27

  16. Explanation (15 minutes) Brief Talk about Identity (10 minutes) talking points - What are things that we identify with in life? - How the world tells us to live - Our identity is complete in God as His children - purpose of baptism Witness/Testimony (5 minutes) from Core leader or other adult about searching for Identity and finding it in God  Application (20 minutes) Small Groups Introductions Ice-breaker - "Two Truths and a Lie" Small Group Discussion - What are things that we identify with in life? What interests do you have? (sports, school, activities, friends, etc.) - Where do you see yourself in 10 years? - What sort of expectations exist in our culture for you? What do you ultimately want out of life? - Do you see your faith as something that can help you get there? 

  17. Celebration (20 minutes) Renewal of Baptismal Promises (5 minutes) - Gather in church - 2 minute wrap up talk - brief renewal of baptismal promises Intentional Invitation (5 minutes) - Place a bowl of water and a crucifix at the front - Invite teens to take a few minutes in quiet prayer to reflect on their own lives right now - Invite them (when/if they want) to come forward and dip their finger in the water and make a sign of the cross and a sign of placing our identity in Christ - Play soft music and spend the next 5 minutes in this activity Closing Social/Announcements - Invite everyone back to the main space for ice cream - Announce any upcoming events - Promote the next gathering

  18. Communication Tips Flocknote Use parish database of families to create an initial email list to promote activities At Kickoff, gather numbers and email for email and text lists Social Media Create a Facebook and Instagram page to promote events and document past events Snail Mail Create a summer mailing to teens and families promoting kickoff and calendar of events Bulletin Announcements

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