Spiritual, service and social: 20/30 Faith sharing groups—a future of being church
Last November I was contacted by young adults in the San Francisco Bay Area who were seeking to create a place for progressive young adult Catholics to come together to pray and socialize. I immediately thought of what is known as the ‘Three S Program”: Spiritual, Service and Social. In my previous ministry work, I ran young adult groups using the “Three S Program” and had a great deal of success attracting young adults.
After our first meeting, the Bay Area young adults were very enthusiastic about the “Three S” model, and have since met several times. In their first gathering, their spiritual time was focused on a discussion of the book With Listening Hearts: Understanding the Voices of Lesbian and Gay Catholics, their service aspect was assisting people experiencing homelessness, and for their social time, they shared an afternoon hike together. These organizers continue recruiting like-minded young adults, and Call To Action serves the community as a supportive organization.
I envision young adult faith sharing communities as one of many new models for Call To Action. This is a model where young adults come together, pray, do service and enjoy each other’s company. It will look different than what CTA has always known as “chapters”. For today’s young adult this is a way for them to belong to CTA in their own communities, which resonates with them without eliminating or minimizing the wonderful work that chapters do.
I have been in contact with young adults in multiple cities that are looking to start the ‘Three S Program’ in their area. In the next few months I will be traveling to New York, Minneapolis, Boston, Chicago and New Orleans. I have been invited to theses cities by young adults to help them start programs.
If you or a group you are involved in is interested in starting a young adult faith-sharing group, please email aaron@cta-usa.org for more information on how we can help you get things started!
Please keep these young adults in your prayers as they look to find their rightful place in the Church!
by Aaron Bianco, Program Outreach Associate
