MGM

                Hello everybody! I’m back! This is our second week back in ministry after two weeks of Christmas break. So yes. I like to do everything in twos. Which is why now I’m going to talk on something that, biblically, Jesus told people to do in twos. In scripture, he told his disciples to go in pairs and to spread the word.

                Which comes to my title: MGM

                Wait Courtney, you might be saying, why are you throwing me random letters? And some of you might be asking me what a movie company-sounding title might have to do with NET and Youth Ministry and such. Well on NET we like to deal with acronyms, and MGM stands for Meet, Greet, and Mingle. Which at the beginning of the year, we were consistently doing in twos. Maybe that's stretching the biblical metaphor, but just go with me here.

                Basically, this means going out at the beginning of the day and just talking to the youth as they walk through the door. You have the basic questions such as what is your name? Do you have any pets? Are you super excited? It starts out as small talk, then the retreat begins. Maybe you'll be lucky enough to end up in a small group with that teen, and you have some sort of basis to talk with them. If MGM is a success, it'll be a successful retreat day. You see, NET is a relational ministry. This basically means that we try to get to know the teens and help them to encounter Jesus in that way. Once they know we’re normal people with similar interests to their own, and that we respect them wherever they are at, they are open to us. Then they may be a little more open to what we have to say. Then they might be a little more open to Jesus.

                It’s not rocket science, but it’s not as easy as one might believe. Maybe some people find it easy going up to strangers, regardless of their age, and talking. I personally do not. Even though I usually enjoy the conversations I have, it’s still hard to muster the courage to actually start them. However, it’s still one of the more important things we’ll do in a day. It’s just as much a part of the ministry as any of the dramas, talks, or prayers. In fact, without this portion of ministry, the teens will completely write off all the rest.

                So as you go on out into your everyday life, just remember NET and MGMing. Then the next question is: what will you do about it? Who is there in your life that you could just talk to? Have a friendly conversation with? Show that you’re actually a living, breathing human being as well as a practicing Catholic. They say that people don’t care what you know until they know you care, so find that person and show them that you care.