Page 4 - Annual Report to Parishioners RTP 2023 - 8 Page

Fruits of Your Giving

Youth and Family Ministry Programs

This year was defined by new growth in response to the pandemic. God is blessing us in every direction!
Baptism
At the end of the year, Teresa Wright, Baptism Ministry lead, announced her retirement. She
will be missed on the staff, even though she’ll continue helping in the parish. Her quality
work, teaching and leadership was a great benefit to St. Stephen’s. Note: We are happy to
announce the hiring of Ellen Golden in August 2023! She will lead this ministry well, and is a
blessing to our parish!

Bible Camp
Bible Camp was amazing! With pandemic impacts, we were ½ the ‘normal’ size, welcoming families that were
ready to be onsite. Even at half size, our camp was bigger, more interactive, and so much freer than previous
years! Camp felt more personal, and we experienced Jesus’ holy presence in new ways. Our team has started to
rebuild.

K-5th Programs
We started the year with under-catechized children, families who didn’t know each other, and a team of 4. The
Wednesday night prayer community had grown. With 125+ people attending Wednesday Mass, Adoration, and
Reconciliation, the church space was no longer available to us for teaching/prayer. (A great problem to have!) We
needed to rebuild and grow the community while benefiting from parish changes and all we learned during
covid. We started with a monthly Family Mass. Then we divided students into 3 formation groups. Each group
had monthly on-site gatherings with community-building, parent formation, and child classes. (Parents taught at
home for the rest of the month.) A beautiful community started to form, especially among newer members.
Children wanted friends and time with catechists. Families wanted a deeper connection. We benefited from the
Encounter School of Ministry. Encounter students brought new prayer forms to children and families. We found
new ways to grow in knowing and loving our Lord and Savior, Jesus. We learned how Mary can help us to know
and walk with her Son. We are still learning, and we are blessed.

Ministries to Our Littlest Ones
Unable to find a new Preschool Director, we’ve deferred opening the school until
we can find a sustainable way forward. We also deferred opening childcare, as we,
and most of our families, were unsure of continuing covid impacts. We are
confident in God’s guidance as we move forward in this area.

Youth Ministry
We saw profound changes in Youth Ministry as well, starting the year with a covid-decimated program and our
beloved Youth Minister, Debbie Blomquist, planning to retire in December. The program dramatically evolved
through the year.
Our first Confirmation celebration was in October, a carry-over
from the year before. With a couple of valiant volunteers, we
were able to start a small Confirmation class for the new year, a
heroic effort! However, by the first week in December, all
programs had been canceled and we did not have a new Youth
Minister hired. Fr. Ed and Shannon Battles partnered to lead the
youth, working to rebuild and create a post-covid paradigm. With a super-charged core team called ‘Hearts on
Fire,’ which was heavily formed in the Encounter School, we re-visioned Confirmation, casting a wide net to
include 50 candidates. The focus: bringing them together in community, setting their hearts on Jesus, helping
them hear His voice and follow the Holy Spirit. These essentials are basic for surviving as a person of faith in
today’s culture. Without them, other formation risks becoming irrelevant. was also able to re-build
the All Teen/All Parent Nights into a program that lifted up parents, provided amazing food, camaraderie, and
connection with Fr. Ed. This was a major, Holy Spirit-led change in our paradigm for equipping parents.