April 17, 2009
Oyaya
TEC needs adults to lead others to Jesus
BY STEVE DABROWSKI (Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry)
“Well, I guess it started at TEC.”
That sentence floored me recently. I was talking to a Catholic missionary from the Diocese of Evansville, and I asked about the beginnings of their faith; after all, most of us reading The Message would claim to be Christians, but precious few of us would pack up and move around the world to a foreign land to minister to others. Now, being candid here, I was expecting to hear that the Heavens opened and a voice said, “Go to a foreign land . . . .”
Yeah, that’s not what happened.
Instead, I was told that the conversion that led to ministry in a far-away land started at St. Mary Parish in Ireland . . . uh, Indiana, that is. While spending time in front of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, this young woman came to a real and abiding faith: Jesus was real, Jesus knew her, and Jesus was calling her to minister to others. This occurred on a Teens Encounter Christ weekend right here in the Diocese of Evansville, and because of this, countless lives have been touched around the world.
I don’t think we do a good job of telling that story.
See, TEC isn’t a retreat designed to make good little Catholics. TEC introduces young people to Jesus Christ, shows them He is real, He loves them, He died for them, and that they are called to make sure others know this, too.
My missionary friend is not alone. I can think of many examples of young people who experienced God’s love at TEC who then went on to live exemplary lives as priests, religious, ministers, missionaries, government leaders, teachers and so on. And this is precisely the reason why TEC is looking for young adults to become part of this movement.
Let me ask you the question I asked my missionary friend: When did you come to really know Jesus? Take a second to think about that.
So, what’s your answer?
If, like my friend, your answer includes TEC, then I am going to challenge you to take action. We need you! We need you to lead others to Jesus Christ through this great movement, and there are two opportunities for you to restart your TEC journey.
First, Heidi Litwiler heads up the TEC Core Team, and she is looking for people to help. She can also assist you in getting on a TEC retreat team (another weekend is coming up July 25-27th). If you have yet to make your first TEC and you’re an adult, no worries: TEC retreats invite observers to participate in the weekend so that you can join a future team. Regardless, it all starts with a quick e-mail to Heidi: You can reach her at hlitwiler@gmail.com, or get in touch with me, and I’ll pass your information along to her.
Second, are you a member of the 4th Day Community? If so, a series of meetings is currently underway to evaluate the ways TEC can be improved. The next meeting is scheduled for April 30th at 5:30 CDT. If you’re interested in joining us, send me an e-mail, or call me at the Catholic Center.
Either of the above will be of great benefit to the TEC community, and you never know, that young person with whom you share your faith on a TEC weekend may be on his or her way to Africa, Asia, or another far away land. You may be the “human cord of love” (Hosea) God uses to lead a multitude of others to Jesus Christ.
“Well, I guess it started at TEC.”
And the angels sighed.