Eight Days 11-11-14

Like in the Beatles’ song Eight Days a Week, youth ministers work so hard it is like working eight days a week. Here continues a weekly series to serve you over your next eight days with eight notes for your information and formation. Pass these along in your e-newsletters (and offer Project YM a little love in the process, please.)

If I seriously believe that parents are the primary spiritual influencer in their child’s life, then as a youth worker, claims Jen Bradbury, I not only have a responsibility to help equip them for this role in their home, but to make the space for them to engage with their teen in my ministry as well, knowing that doing so has the potential to create shared memories and foster deep conversations.
In case you have missed the sudden influx of holiday related television commercials, well, Christmas is coming! Here are some family traditions to pass along to families.
Our cover image is a thumbs up for you and our weekly poster again features a recent tweet from the Holy Father. (left click to enlarge, right click to print, save, or post it and share!)
If you are brand new to ministry, here are some tips on fund-raising efforts.
From the business world’s perspective of Fast Company, here is a guide to habits that foster productivity and focus.
Surprise! Kids are on-line. Here are some observations from kids themselves regarding their experiences of transversing the digital world.
Wowser, What a week here at Project YM. In the last seven days, we have looked into the #AlexfromTarget phenomenon, continued a weekly series of Gospel reflections, considered the Brittany Maynard assisted suicide controversy, offered a Thanksgiving program suggestion, sought peace amidst the culture wars, recognizing that vulnerability is the difference between social services and youth ministry, and a reflection that our truest vocational call is towards saintliness.
Again thumbs up to both the Project YM writers and to you readers, saints all!. For you, we ain’t got nothing but love, babe, eight days a week.

D. Scott Miller

D. Scott Miller is the dean of Catholic Youth Ministry bloggers which is a polite way of either saying that he is just plain old or has been blogging for a long time (since 2004.)

Scott recently married the lovely Anne and together they have five adult young people and also grandparent three delightful kids (so, maybe he is just plain old!) Scott presently serves at Saint John the Evangelist in Columbia, MD as the director of youth and young adult ministry.

He has previously served on the parish, regional, diocesan, and national levels as well as having taught within a catholic high school. He is one of the founders of RebuildMyChurch and has returned to posting regularly (keeping regular is important to old guys) at ProjectYM.