SEMESTER OVERVIEW:
I’ve posted the summaries of each of the Life Nights that we’re planning to do this semester. I’ve also included the names of those who have expressed an interest in helping to plan those nights. Please e-mail me at saintiyouth@mac.com if you would like to be included on one of the teams.
TITLE: “Pass the Salt” DONE!! and what at great night - THANKS planning team!!
GOAL: Teens will better understand the communion of saints and how our heavenly community joins to us as one body in Christ. Theteens are reminded of their call to sainthood, and that truly living the Christian life necessitates prayer and help from the community.
ABOUT THIS LIFE NIGHT: This LIFE night focuses on the support we need and are given from the Body of Christ on earth and in heaven. Teens are taught the value of independence and the do-it-yourself lesson that means success. But more importantly, we are a part of a community that extends beyond what we can see, with so many teenagers wanting help and support in their journey. The balloon game is a tactile way to get the teens thinking about all the value in community; being part of Christ’s body means we have so many others we can draw from for help and support. The video shares the world’s thoughts about saints prior to the teaching on the Church’s view. In small groups, the teens identify where they are on their walk and investigate saints and virtues that are important to them. The prayer calls on the intercession of the saints.
ENVIRONMENT: Decorate with various pictures or icons of saints, and devotional candles with saints and Mary on them. Helium balloons floating around the room. Cool, upbeat fun music (i.e Relient K) music plays. Use black lights for fun effects.
TITLE: “Death By Chocolate” COMING MAY 15th
GOAL: To address popular misconceptions of the end times by providing the teenagers with a foundation of the last things: Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory.
ABOUT THIS LIFE NIGHT: By the end of this night, teens will be able to refute misconceptions about the end times with solid Catholic teaching on the Afterlife and Final Judgment. The teenagers will be taken on a tour of the Final Judgment Factory to learn about Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. After an opportunity to ask questions, they will delight in eating the chocolate.
ENVIRONMENT: Decorate the room with the Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory on one side, and the flaming fires of Hell on the other. Teens sit in the middle. Suggestion: make the fires with red and orange crepe paper lit with a red or yellow light from underneath and a fan blowing up. The result should resemble the flames on the ride, "Pirates of the Caribbean." A train on the Hell side that reads "Charcoal Express" and a huge vat of Coppertone is another idea. Have fun with the Willie Wonka side buying food coloring to make a chocolate or strawberry river, along with a giant gumball machine. The centerpiece of the room should be a DEATH BY CHOCOLATE machine, which will serve out helpings to the little visitors as they tour the "Final Judgment Factory." All Environment should be able to be done using butcher paper, markers, and cardboard.
CURRENT PLANNING TEAM: Mrs. Arszman and her band of teens ... you know who you are!
TITLE: “Peanut Butter and Jelly”
GOAL: To help teens to realize that we cannot and do not "earn" a way into heaven, but that it is a freely given gift of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As a natural extension of that gift, however, it vital that we encourage all Catholics to be good stewards of the blessings that God gives us, sharing them in good work, with the world.
ABOUT THIS LIFE NIGHT: The theme of this LIFE Night is based on the "The Science Guy" show. There are all sorts of scientific reactions that we see happen around us when things combine. The purpose of this night is to help teens see the connection between "faith" and "works." When combined properly, there is a magnificent reaction that brings all sorts of power and energy into our walks with Christ. Yet one or the other, without the combination, leaves you empty and void – they simply go together.
ENVIRONMENT: The room is set up to resemble a science lab. Place beakers and test tubes around the room. A periodic table is hanging in the front of the room, with a large cross hanging in the back. Play an audio loop with the sounds of things boiling, and flames burning through your PA system. As the teenagers enter the room, give each teen an extra thick rubber band and ask them put it around their wrist. The rubber band will be used in the Send portion of the night. On one wall in the room, hang a large sign reading "FAITH" and another sign on the other side of the room reading "WORKS".
CURRENT PLANNING TEAM: Mr. Arszmen and company