Faith Friends
Faith Friends is a mentor program between youth and adults as part of the confirmation program at Holy Cross. Faith Friends are caring adults who are members of Holy Cross and meet with youth one-on-one for one year. Youth matched with a faith friend mentor around February of their 8th grade year and have large group meetings in March, April and May. One-on-one mentor meetings begin in November of their 9th grade year and continue for the whole year.
Faith Friends: a youth perspective
"Faith friends is being able to say whatever you really feel to someone who will actually listen. It is also having a good time talking about faith with an adult friend."
Faith Friends: adult perspectives
"I've been lucky to be a faith friend for some talented, intelligent, and mature individuals. I just have asked God to make me a good listener and to speak His words through me that each teenager needs to hear at that time in their lives. I've kept in touch with several of them into their adult years, and that's the reward for me to see how they have turned out."
"It is difficult to reach out sometimes, but as we get outside our comfort zone and simply be who we are God takes the lead. God guides and directs the time that is spent with our young people. Our world is so filled with mysteries and confusion. I sort of feel like I bring in some balance just because I care and am here."
The Faith Friends program seeks to:
"Affirm the importance of youth in our congregation through the development of adult/youth relationships with intentional conversation about faith and life."
"Indeed for what purpose do we older folk exist, other than to care for, instruct, and bring up the young?" ~Martin Luther (to the councilmen of all cities in Germany, 1524)