An Encounter with Christ

Part 2 - Are You Ready to Go Forth?

I'd like to say there has rarely been a point in time that we could force someone to have an encounter with Jesus, short of Saul's being knocked off a horse and blinded. The Holy Spirit is a gentle teacher and as much as we'd all like the formula for making conversion happen, we all must acknowledge the place that free will and the Holy Spirit meet.

As Catechists we can disperse information, set the stage and pray.  Our schools and churches do a good job of giving out information.  We have available to us, many great curriculums that encourage and teach the faith.  What we need to add is the "setting the stage" piece. 

At every age-level we need to provide mini-retreats and then full-blown retreats as students reach 5th -8th grades.  These need to be away from the everyday classroom and teacher. They don’t need to include going off campus or somewhere over night (although these can be very effective for middle schoolers). It simply needs to be a day or half day that is different than a normal day.

The retreats or mini-retreats must offer a special time for students to grow closer to Jesus. Excitement, music, engagement, a message, reflection, and wrap-up are all elements that set the stage for a meaningful encounter with Christ. Some ideas for retreats may be found in curriculum extra resources. 

If you’re still at a loss or looking for more, check out my store on Teacher Pay Teacher. There you can find two retreats;  Mini Retreat - Getting To Know You, Lord; Developing Personal Prayer (teacherspayteachers.com) and Mini Retreat - Being an Upstander for God; Working with Team Jesus (teacherspayteachers.com). Also, is a document to help you design a retreat yourself. How to Design a Mini-Retreat for Elementary Students by Go Forth and Lead (teacherspayteachers.com) Check it out!