We just got back from the 2017 Mid-American Steubenville Conference in Springfield, MO on Sunday night, and I am still feeling the effects of such a great weekend... The theme for this year for all the Steubenville Conferences was ELEVATE. and used the verse Revelation 21:5 which reads, " He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” We came to encounter Christ, to grow in our relationship with him and with others, and to find peace. And every. single. one of us found what we were looking for. You see, these conferences are designed for teens! From the loud music and brightly colored light displays, to the real and moving lyrics of the praise and worship songs being belted out by everyone there (CHECK OUT THE PLAYLIST!!!), to the dynamic and hilarious speakers, to the palpable message all teenagers are aching to hear: "You belong here. You are loved. You deserve the best." Many teens probably think that this weekend is for 'those holy kids' and we just pray all weekend, or that it's like one giant Mass for three days straight. They are mostly wrong, but a little right. You see we did pray all weekend. Everything we did was to grow closer to Him. We talked about Him, how we want to know more of Him. How we are hungry and searching for more in life. In fact, one of our chaperons, Maggie had posted this observation on her Facebook page... Conversations heard as I was walking around campus last night: "ya know that Jesus song?", "I went confession three days ago, do you think I should go again?", "I smelled a scent of roses and knew it was Mary." Ah..... love it. We goofed around in his name. We experienced the playful side of Christianity! For example... there is something called 'pinning' or 'clipping' where the teens decorate clothes pins and write inspirational sayings or bible verses on the pins and then mysteriously/anonymously try and pin or clip strangers without them knowing. Here, one of our girls, Danielle was 'clipped' by her youth minister and she had no idea... muah ha ha ah! So the clipping game escalated both in frequency and in skill. Below is a clothes pin found on my pant leg... I had no idea until she told me like an hour later so I just had to snap a picture to marvel at those skills. Bravo! So our weekend was filled with fun, filled with Christ, filled with good things. I am proud of our teens who came and took a chance. They came to trade their sorrows for joy, darkness for light, anxiety for peace. They came to elevate their lives and they did. Pray for all of us that we can continue to climb the mountain of God and continue our relationship with Him! Don't believe me that this weekend was priceless? Check out this recap video below! To keep up with Steuby throughout the year or if you want to listen to the speakers again, check out their amazing blog: https://steubystl365.com/
Can't wait for next year! I am taking reservations now ;) Love in Him, Stacy
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So... I am the type of person who likes to have fun. I love my friends and love to hanging out with them, having good conversations, eating great food, laughing til I pee a little... and I love the feeling I get going back to my life feeling refreshed to face the new day. Do you know what I am talking about? Is there something YOU have that helps you refresh, re-energize? Is prayer a part of that? It's ok if it's not a part of your life yet... because it can be... rather easily, actually. Each year I take a group of teens from ALLLLLLLLL walks of life. Some are straight A students who attend Mass each week. Some have been suspended or even dropped out of school at one point and dont know how to pray. Some fight their parents about going to Church and just 'don't get' the whole religion thing. But no matter who they are, or where they are at when they step on the bus... they leave a changed person. We have a blast on this weekend, listening to amazing and FUNNY speakers who teach us some pretty wise words. We have time to pray through praise and worship music that not only is beautiful to listen to and sing, but can move you deep inside like you never thought possible. The food is pretty great and the friendships made and strengthened is even better. You see we are ALL in need of God in our lives. We need his peace, his UNCONDITIONAL love, his passion, his mercy, his companionship. And our lives are 100% better after knowing Him and growing closer to him. NOT A SINGLE TEEN returned from our weekend unchanged. Every single person who attends this weekend has come back more peaceful, more loved, and more eager to know God in their every day lives. I dare you to give this weekend a chance. July 14-16, 2017 in Springfield, MO. I promise you will not ever regret it! Click For brochures and other info and a great video about our upcoming conference. If you choose to accept the dare, Shoot me an email ASAP so I can reserve your spot; then fill out and return THIS FORM with a $100 deposit for the weekend. The total cost for the retreat is $250 but with fundraising we can get that amount lowered. Also, there are scholarships available for those in financial need! Forms and deposits due ASAP but no later than May 1st! After I get your forms I will email you with the remaining registration details! Dare to grow, dare to be happy, dare to KNOW you are loved. Being holy... it sounds like a pretty tall order... like we have to "do everything right" which really leaves most (all) of us out because we all make mistakes. None of us is perfect!
But is that what holiness is? Not making mistakes? No-it's not. I love defining holiness as BEING WHO GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO BE. If each of us knew who God wanted us to be, it would make us happy, joyful even! It's that joy that can set this world ablaze as St. Catherine of Sienna famously quotes. Are you ready to find out your talents, what God has called YOU to do as a student, friend, daughter, son, sibling, boyfriend or girlfriend? This retreat gives us a chance to chill out, escape from what others want us to be and to just.... be... with God, with peace. Let's be a light in a sometimes dark world. Let's be ourselves and stop pretending. Let's light the spark. Turn in your forms and $50 asap to participate! We leave Friday around 630pm from St. Joe's parking lot and head to the St. Thomas More Center in Panora, Iowa and we will return Sunday around 1130am. Hi Everyone! If you know me, you know how much I love my job, and you know how much I love ministering to teenagers. What a difficult, exciting, stressful, enlightening, scary, and challenging time in our lives! But, especially nowadays, teenagers are feeling more and more trapped and burdened in their life, their studies, their social lives, etc. Oftentimes as parents and adults in these teens lives, we feel hopeless on how to help our teens embrace who they are deep inside, finding strength within them that does not depend on what they do or how good they do it. Randy Kiel, a close friend of mine and a fantastic public speaker, gifted therapist and all around amazing guy, is going to tell us about how the mind of a teenager works and how we need to shift our focus on our identity from what we do, to who we are as sons and daughters of a powerful, almighty and loving and merciful God. This special session is for both parents and teenagers. I guarantee this night will leave you feeling refreshed, affirmed and secure in the arms of our Lord. Please switch around your schedule to make sure you can attend--I promise it will be sooooo worth it! God bless you guys! Stacy EDIT: This retreat has been canceled with the possibility of a Spring Retreat.
This quote. It got to me. It spoke to me. Is it because I am a couch potato... maayyyyybeeee. You guys, we are living in a world that DOES need us to get off our butts and to make our mark! You are teens who have the FREEDOM to actually do this! I mean, I am trying to make my mark by hoping my children will survive another day! I mean, sometimes 4 days go by and I realized I have not bathed them... You guys I have my "mark" cut out for me. It's my kids. And it's you guys too. So, let's spend some time trying to figure out how YOU are going to leave your mark. What has God created you for? That's what this Fall Retreat is going to be about. Together we will learn about the Saints and the marks they have left on this world, the marks on our hearts and souls. We will also pray about what is God calling US to do? Spoiler Alert: It's not to be couch potatoes. See you in September! ~Stacy RETREAT DETAILS When: Friday to Sunday, Sept 9-11. Friday around 6, meet at St. Joes. We will carpool from there to Panora. Where: St. Thomas More Center in Panora, IA (where we had it last year!) Why: to search for our purpose and what God is calling us to, using the Saints as our examples and guides Cost: $50 per person but scholarships are available. Witness retreat forms available HERE. turn in to Stacy ASAP with $50. Scholarships are available if needed. |
AuthorWord up. I am Stacy, the youth minister of this amazing group of teens. I have 4 kids of my own, 2 heaven babies and like 60 teens I consider very large children of my own. Archives
March 2018
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