Susan Dorfmeister and Kevin Daugherty lead the youth office in the diocese of Dallas.

(Cindy–office secretary, Tammy–former parish youth minister and current youth speaker, Susan–office director and Kevin–associate director)

They asked me to come in and do a short workshop for youth ministers about the importance of not becoming myopic about our youth work in light of the church’s larger mission. They also referred me to a pastoral letter from Bishop Edward Braxton of Belleville IL where he speaks of a “decline of common meaning.”

I chose the imagery of targets and arrows. Are we locked into programs and texts (arrows) more than we are the bigger picture or “punch lines” of all our work?

Susan and Kevin decorated the room accordingly. I always enjoy working in Dallas; they do such a good job in “setting the bar” and in paying attention to detail.

The workshop was challenging because it was a little more on the theoretical side than what I usually do. It was also tough because there was a wide scope of ministry experience in that room. Still, it was a good stretch for me.

A side note: I love when ministers choose to voluntarily get together to socialize or support one another. There’s a group of 8-10 young women in youth ministry who pray and discuss their work. While I was in Dallas, Susan playfully “commissioned” them “the order of the flip flops” for their preferred footwear. Tres chic!