We hope you have all been weathering this snow storm well. We have taken the time to enjoy the small moments and put some of life's activities on pause. And just before the snow hit, we had a great turnout for the LIVG Evening of Prayer at George Mason. What an uplifting and faith-filled event.

But, now the snow is melting and we have lots of fun events and updates to share.  Don't forget to add our events to your calendar or, better yet, add our google calendar to make sure you never miss an event: tinyurl.com/gsYMcal

We have two fun-filled events planned for February.

Sunday, February 7 - Souper Bowl Party
This is a new and exciting joint venture with the St. Louis Youth Group at the St. Louis School gym!  Start time is 5:00 pm with flag football and other games in the gym. We will then have food available as the game starts and, video games projected onto side walls while the Super Bowl is playing on a main screen. The entry "fee" is a snack to share, and a can of soup or other non-perishable food item for a local pantry donation. Online permission form is due ASAP.

Saturday, February 13 - Lock-In
Join us for the first Lock-In of 2016. The event is open to all High Schoolers (MS students may attend earlier in evening, but not stay overnight). Pack an overnight bag along with some sleeping gear and a snack to share. We will have dinner, games, movies and lots of laughs. Registration begins at 4:30 pm and the event ends at 7:30 am on Sunday. Permissions online and due February 8.

Also in February . . . volunteer and/or join us for Donut Hospitality after all Masses on Sunday, February 7. Contact Liberty Franklin youthministry@gs-cc.org. Don't forget Sunday evening High School Youth group and Thursday evening Middle School youth group. 

The dates for the 2016 HS WorkCamp are set. Join us June 25 to July 1 in Massaponax, VA (Spotsylvania County, just south of Fredericksburg).

What is WorkCamp? WorkCamp is a week-long mission trip designed to help high school students live out their Catholic faith. This is accomplished through direct service with people in need, communal prayer and worship, small group discussions, talks, and more. The work you do depends on the work site you are assigned, but is typically light to moderate home improvement and/or construction. All work is well supervised and safe.

We prepare for WorkCamp as a committed team for six months, leading up to that one, wonderful and intense week. If you are only interested in completing service hours, WorkCamp is probably not for you. If you are open to God working in you and through you, and if you are interested in serving your brothers and sisters in Christ, then WorkCamp will probably be an amazing experience for you.

Still Interested? Read through the information packet and decide if you would like to make the commitment to be involved in WorkCamp this year.  Then complete the attached covenant and turn it in by Sunday, January 24. 

Kickoff Meeting & First Deadline - January 24
Join us January 24 from 4:30 - 6:00 pm for a family potluck dinner and kick-off meeting.  The Parish Covenant form is due at this meeting, it is also a good opportunity to speak with students and adults who have participated in WorkCamp before. If you are still on the fence, join us for dinner to learn more. 

In case you have missed it, we have three FUN events coming up. Check out the details and make sure to add these dates to your calendar.

Monday, January 18 - 10th Annual Dodgeball Tournament
Don't miss this fun and competitive event among area youth groups. Cost is $10 and includes a pizza lunch. We will again be playing at the St. Louis gym and the event is open to 4th through 12th graders. Permission forms and the team registration form are on the website. Good Shepherd is the reigning MS Champion, maybe this year we can capture the HS title as well. Mark your calendars and register early.

We have 3 ways for teens to participate in 2016 March for Life Events. The first is the Arlington Diocese Life is Very Good Evening of Prayer at George Mason University on Thursday, January 21. Tickets are very limited, but if you would like to attend contact Miguel miguel@gs-cc.org.

Our second event is the March for Life on Friday, January 22.  Meet at the Knights of Columbus at 9:00 am for Mass and a light breakfast. We will then travel by bus to Washington, DC for the March. We will return to KoC by 5:00pm where dinner will be provided. Permission forms are online.

The third opportunity is a Teen Holy Hour from 4:00 - 5:00pm on Friday, January 22.  Meet at GSCC for Adoration and prayer followed by service. We will provide dinner for our guests from Indianapolis and have some fun too. Make sure you mark your calendars!

Youth Ministry has so many wonderful things to offer our teens, but we cannot do them all without adult participation. As 2016 begins and the Year of Mercy is kicked-off, please consider donating your time to one or more of the many events we have. 

All of the events listed on this page need extra hands. Whether it is refereeing at the Dodgeball Tournament or helping serve pizza, chaperoning at the "Souper" Bowl Party, or driving to Whitetail for the annual Ski Trip, we need your help. And if January is too busy for you, then consider helping and providing service in other ways. We have lock-in in February and we welcome new faces at Sunday Youth Group.

Maybe you aren't ready to take the leap into leadership and would rather observe. If you are a parent of a 7th grader, then consider taking a junior role in MSYG this year or sign-up to provide snacks for MSYG or Sunday dinner for HSYG.

Finally, we need Adults for WorkCamp. Many Good Shepherd teens want to serve at WorkCamp this June 25 to July 1, but we need one adult crew leader for every five students.  Read about WorkCamp in our information packet and come to the Kickoff Dinner and Meeting on January 24 at 4:30 pm. Or, send Ed Gemperline a note and he would be happy to provide more information youthministry@gs-cc.org or 571-733-6225. 

Please consider helping with one or more of these efforts.