Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.We have enjoyed another full year of youth ministry at St. Gregory's. The goal of this ministry is to encourage youth on their Christian walk through a balanced program of worship experiences, religious education, spiritual and moral guidance, service, and social activity.
Here are some of the highlights for 2011. The senior high youth rang in the New Year at Winterlight, held at Kanuga Conferences in the mountains of North Carolina. Both high school and middle school youth boarded the bus again in June for a week of summer camp at Kanuga. Both conferences offer a rich blend of worship, teaching, fun and service projects. In August, we traveled to St. Thomas, Coral Gables, to gather with youth from across the diocese for Kanugacita, a weekend of keeping the Kanuga experience alive.
We were well represented at the Spring Happening, with Fr. Joel serving as Spiritual Director and St. Gregory's youth serving as weekend leaders. We also observed a special Lenten Youth Group series, culminating with our teaming up with the Simple Gifts ministry to present a dramatic and interactive Stations of the Cross.
The youth have weekly opportunities to nurture their spiritual growth through Sunday School, Sunday worship; regular youth group meetings, and our two-year confirmation program on evenings. This fall, we began offering confirmation classes two days a week, Sunday mornings during the Sunday School hour, and Wednesday evenings. Youth attend one of the two meetings each week. Thank you to all who quietly help with these regular activities, which are the backbone of our ministry to youth.
Our dedication to outreach and mission prompted us to serve a meal and build some picnic tables at St. Laurence Chapel, attend the "Sleepout Under the Stars" for the Lord's Place, and serve dinner for missions at the Diocesan Convention. We had several fundraisers for our annual summer mission trip, including a Mardi Gras Pancake Supper and a Rummage Sale. In June, we traveled to New York City for a week of service, learning, and worship at Trinity Wall Street and St. John the Divine. Thank you to everyone who so generously gave in support of this year's mission trip.
St. Gregory's Youth joined forces this year with The Brothers of St. Gregory's, the ECW, and other parish groups to participate in the CROSS Dinner, the Butterfly Release, the Spooktacular, and the Emporium. Thank you to everyone for your ongoing support of St. Gregory's Youth.
Just for fun, we went horseback riding at Indian Hammock Hunt and Riding Club, attended Disney's Night of Joy, and rung in 2012 with a New Year's Eve Lock-In, during which we spray painted "space photos" using a technique we saw earlier in the year in NYC.
