Evangelizing teens can happen in church and on trips

By PAUL QUIRINI- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Jake Stomieroski has some pretty interesting ways of evangelizing teens at St. Mary's parish in Ballston Spa.

As youth minister, he sends each teen in the parish a birthday card, even if he or she doesn't come to church or attend religious education classes. He also brings teens on camping trips and encourages them to participate in prayer services during their excursions.

And, of course, having cool religious education teachers -- some of whom were students themselves -- also helps in evangelization among teens.

Example

Perhaps the best way that Mr. Stomieroski brings God's message to teens, however, is by being himself and allowing them to see how much he has in common with them.

"I show the kids in my program all the time how human I am," he said. "One of the things I stress is no one is more or less faithful than anyone else."

Mr. Stomieroski sees many teens in the parish not only through his involvement with youth ministry but also in his work as a physical education and special education teacher at St. Mary's School. He has been at St. Mary's for two years, and by interacting with such teens who are familiar with parish and school events, Mr. Stomieroski evangelizes to them on a daily or weekly basis.

Steps to interest

Religious education classes must be interesting "so that kids like to come instead of having to come," he said.

Sometimes, parents will tell him that they forgot about class, but their children remembered, and he is pleased that his students are so conscientious. "Kids saying that they want to come to religious education classes is a positive thing," he noted.

Having religious ed teachers who relate well with teens is essential for good evangelization to happen. Some teachers graduated from the religious ed program or were confirmed recently and are completing the certification program, Mr. Stomieroski said.

Faith alive

Evangelization to teens should have its benefits outside the classroom, as was the case with one girl who graduated from the religious education program and attended the Christian Leadership Institute.

Her grandmother lived with the family and died while the girl's parents were out of town. Mr. Stomieroski believes that the lessons she learned by participating in religious ed and CLI enabled her to cope with her grandmother's death under such circumstances.

"She has a strong enough faith to handle the situation," he said.

Teens at Mass

Getting teens to come to church might best be accomplished by taking them far away from it. Mr. Stomieroski tries evangelization through recreation by offering camping trips for teens to have fun while learning about faith. He invites them to bring friends who may attend religious education classes but are not involved in any other parish activities.

"By opening it up to friends and having that first contact, sometimes that's a success story," he said.

At prayer

During these trips, Mr. Stomieroski conducts prayer services and is happy to see the teens themselves play an active role.

"Sometimes, the friends of the kids that come will get involved in the prayer service," he remarked.

Incorporating a prayer service into a camping trip can serve as a means of effective evangelization, but it's important not to go overboard, Mr. Stomieroski noted. In fact, too much prayer or proselytizing can turn off teens to expanding their faith horizons.

"It's okay to have a prayer service, but you can't preach to them. I show them how human I am. I make mistakes all the time. Make them feel wanted and needed. You have to be yourself," he said.

Effect on family

Evangelization to teens also may help teens to bring God's message to their families, Mr. Stomieroski noted. In some cases, a teen attends religious ed classes, but his or her parents don't come to church themselves. And church attendance doesn't necessarily mean families can't grow in their faith development.

"Families that come to church every Sunday might still need evangelization," he said.

For those teens who don't come to church regularly or avoid religious education classes altogether, the task of evangelization becomes more challenging. That's one reason why Mr. Stomieroski sends a birthday card to each teen in the parish, to make contact with them and make them "feel that someone from the church knows them," he said.

Commitment

When teens are preparing for Confirmation, he reminds them of the importance of receiving this sacrament and the commitment that they are making to the Church.

"They shouldn't stop going to church because they can. Even if your family doesn't go to church, you should go to church because this is what you've said you want to do," he pointed out.

Mr. Stomieroski emphasized the significance of evangelization as a component of youth ministry and said that actions, not words, are the best ways for youth ministers to evangelize.

"It's evangelization though example, when you and your teachers are as themselves," he said.

(11-05-98) [[In-content Ad]]