Rejuvenate the Spirit
By Joyce Lombard
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 Youth Directors, Coordinators and Volunteers….When
was the last time you attended a youth conference, training or even read a book
on youth ministry? Think about it. Evangelization is a very important part of
youth ministry. So often, we become so involved with our parish life that we
overlook opportunities to network or build a relationship with the diocese or
archdiocese in our area.
However, I attended the 31st National Conference on
Catholic Youth Ministry (NCCYM) for the first time. It was held in Las Vegas,
Nevada the theme was "And the Desert Shall Bloom" from November 30th through
December 3, 2006. The National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM)
also celebrated its 25th year anniversary. It was the largest adult Youth
Ministry conference with over 2,600 Catholics in attendance. The Diocese of Las
Vegas, the fastest growing diocese in the United States hosted the conference.
Approximately 50 attendees were black Catholics from different dioceses and
about 37 were first time attendees. However, I wondered why more black Catholics
were not present at the NCCYM? At the event the black Catholic ministers who
served the youth had an opportunity to meet and network with each other. The
NFCYM is the catalyst for the Catholic youth ministry on the diocesan and parish
level.
The conference provided over 40 workshops including
information on WYD 2008 in Sydney, Australia, and regional network gatherings.
It promoted youth sports through the National Center for Catholic Youth Sports
and National Catholic Committee on Scouting. There were over 90 Catholic Youth
Ministry Resource Expositions present. The conference was informative,
educational and spiritually driven. The National Catholic Youth Conference is
scheduled for November 8-10, 2007 in Columbus, Ohio and NCCYM will meet in
Cleveland, Ohio December 4-7, 2008. This is only a snapshot of the multitude of
information and resources that was available at the conference. Go to
www.nfcym.org for more information.
My brothers and sisters in youth ministry, let's
seek out the available information and resources for our youth through the
diocese or archdiocese. Begin attending meetings, hosting events, and submitting
youth names to the youth diocese council/board. We must promote our creative
ideas, culture, and music. Let us be part of the next planning team. If we don't
who will?
Joyce Thomas Lombard is the Youth Director for Our
Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Beaumont, Texas. In 1999, she received her
Certificate in Youth Ministry from The Institute for Black Catholic Studies at
Xavier University in New Orleans, La.
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