Faith 4 Life, St. Margaret of Scotland’s Youth Ministry, continues the faith formation of the teens of our parish after they have received the Sacrament of Confirmation.  The teenagers of our parish are provided with opportunities to grow in their faith through fun and engaging activities, mission work both inside and outside of our parish, and participation in other parish ministries.  They also interact with adult youth leaders who have a sincere interest in providing the teens with the Spiritual guidance needed to develop a personal relationship with God. The teens carry out the mission of our parish through prayer, faith formation, and service.  

FAITH 4 LIFE Meetings

Faith 4 Life meets every Wednesday evening in the church auditorium.  During this time the teens actively read the Scriptures, participate in skits and role playing activities, and share within small groups.  The small group sharing is an essential aspect of the teen’s faith formation.  The teens develop a faith-based relationship with other teens and their small group leaders, which provide them with a network of support as the teens individually grow in their faith.  Music is a very important part of the teens’ worship experience and Faith 4 Life provide teens with a variety of contemporary and traditional Christian music to assist the teens in developing a worship style.  Our worship team uses live music that engages teens and encourages prayer.  Teens learn that worship is prayer and that singing is like praying twice.  Through the Music Minute teens are given the opportunity to view and listen to popular Christian artists. This exposes them to music choices that have a positive message as well as a great sound!

Mission Weekend

Teens involved with Faith 4 Life also experience service through the annual mission weekend, which takes place each November.  This Mission weekend challenges the teens and provides them with a venue to serve others both within the parish and in outlying areas. Through this weekend the teens discover the great potential they have to help others and they begin to realize how to use the gifts they have been given through the power of the Holy Spirit. This weekend includes working with “Habitat for Humanity”, serving at “Little Flower Children’s Services”, serving at “Canine Companions”, and participating in the New York City Breakfast Run.   Teens also serve our parish family and work around the homes of parishioners who are in need of assistance.  The teens learn about Spiritual poverty as well as financial poverty, and come to realize how they can alleviate the poverty of others in St. Margaret’s Parish community.

 SML

The annual variety show “St. Margaret’s LIVE!” is yet another way in which teens can express their faith through their musical and theatrical talents and serve the parish with their talents in an entertaining and meaningful evening.  SML is yet another way that the parish can see how the teens interpret their faith experiences through their performances on stage.  It also creates a place in which the teens work together on performances and develop closer relationships in the context of a variety show and the youth ministry.

 “Serving Our Parish Community”

The 5:00 PM Mass is where many of the teens involved with Faith 4 life serve the parish as ushers, lectors, altar servers, and Eucharistic ministers.  Teens recognize that their service can extend beyond large projects and that they can serve in many ways with their talents, gifts, and willingness to wash one another’s feet.  Our teens also serve the parish in less visible but important ways such as the peanut butter and jelly ministry, as catechists, and behind the scenes at many events.

The teens also serve others through creating Thanksgiving Baskets for those parishioners who are less fortunate.  They go out in the community on a Wednesday evening and collect food donations from area residents. This event, called “Wagon Wednesday”, is the way the teens can collect food for those who are in need in our parish to create Thanksgiving baskets the following week.  The teens experiences the sacrifice of walking all over a selected area of the parish to collect food for those who experiences both spiritual and financial poverty.

 Steubenville East Youth Conference

Each year, Faith 4 Life uses the theme of the Steubenville Youth Conference as the theme for our youth year from which all our activities are derived.  The Scripture passage associated with the annual youth conference is used as a foundation for the Faith 4 Life youth ministry year.  During the course of a weekend in July, our teens experience praise and worship, inspiring talks, uplifting music, a time to create stronger bonds and deepen friendships, and the opportunity to deepen their relationship with God, along with several thousand teens from across the northeast in Attleboro, Massachusetts.   Essential parts  of the weekend are Eucharistic Adoration and Reconciliation. The teens are encouraged to spend a great deal of time focusing on the Eucharist as the way to meet God in prayer and Reconciliation as a place to gain strength from the forgiveness of the Lord.  This year’s theme “The Word became Flesh” is a powerful theme that reminds us that God is above all things and that we need to place God first and trust in the Lord.

Prayer Room Experience

The prayer room is a multi sensory worship experience with a theme. such as example preparation, service, forgiveness etc. It is a sacred space where and individual can experience God in a variety of ways including quiet time, art, contemplation, scripture, forgiveness, and adoration. Within the prayer room are several stations that a person “walks” through and can encounter God. Usually a prayer room is created around a scriptural theme or passage to which all of the stations relate. Being quiet in the prayer room is important because of how noisy and loud the rest of our lives are giving us a chance to hear and listen to God.

Summer Youth Ministry

Faith formation continues throughout the summer with a wide range of activities to help maintain the relationships the teens have developed with each other and with God. During the summer, teens have participated in “hang-out” nights and fishing trips where they are in a place where they can have fun with their friends from youth group. Doing this encourages the teens to express their faith and to build stronger friendships outside of the church building.

So what happens after Confirmation? The answer is Faith 4 Life!

This ministry gives teens a place where they can find friendship and direction to help them make better choices and be witnesses of our faith.  The goal of Faith 4 Life is exactly what it is called…it is designed to lay the foundation for teens to nurture and develop their faith for the rest of their lives. Teens are given the tools necessary to make the best life choices. These tools include receiving Eucharist weekly, the Sacraments, prayer, Scriptures, sacrifice, mission, and fellowship.  In Faith 4 Life Teens recognize they are not alone and need the support of others to develop into mature Catholics. 

Through Faith 4 Life the teens of St. Margaret’s will realize that they will have and need their Faith…for Life.