Secondary Mission Process

Overview And Vision

Our Secondary School Mission Team works all over Britain. We proclaim the Gospel to young people in a way in which they can understand and just as importantly, to which they can relate, inviting them to centre their lives in Jesus. 

It is often to be associated with rules and boring services. Our innovative and dynamic team turn that on its head and find that many young people choose to actively engage in their faith.

Pre-Mission

The Youth Team works with staff and pupils, training and equipping them in skills for ministry. together they capture the vision for mission and are enabled to actively participate in the mission week itself. 

This is a key element that enables the mission to actively transform the spiritual and community life of the school. 

The Mission Week

The Mission Week itself consists of a variety of elements which include interactive and enjoyable assemblies. The assemblies usually include music, drama, dance, sign language, testimony, preaching and prayer. 

Some of the pupils will be involved in the assemblies as we work with them throughout the week and during the pre-mission phase. 

As well as assembly work, the team spend time with each classroom group and provide workshops. Throughout the week the Team provides opportunities for individual prayer ministry and the opportunity for sacramental reconciliation. With two evening presentations to enable parents and governors to cath the enthusiasm it's a packed week which concludes with a celebratory mass on Friday

Post-Mission

During Mission week a number of activities take place which are designed to have a lasting legacy after the team have left. As well as these activities Sion Youth recommends and offers various follow up ideas as outlined below. Our biggest desire however is to see the people who have encountered Jesus to enter the body of Christ at the parish level where deep-end discipleship can really take place. 

We will also keep in close contact in the months following the mission with periodic phonecalls (week, month & 6 months) to check how everything is going and if we can help in any way.

Post-Mission Day

The aim of the day is to enable you and whoever you deem appropriate (and is available) from the staff and student body to partake in a learning community whereby we will facilitate you in thinking about the pastoral plan and vision for the faith of your school. Thus we hope that the mission will have acted as a launch pad into a new season of growth and discipleship in the school.

The day typically takes the following format with each session lasting approximately an hour although we can adapt this to your lesson times if this is easier:

1. What is I: Looking at the current state of faith in the school using various evaluative tools. 
2. What is II: Introduction to a discipleship model that will help focus the faith journey you want to take pupils on during their time in school. 
3. What could be: Sky blue thinking and dreaming session with tools to provoke creative thinking. 
4. What will be: Creating a 6 month action plan to help you concretely implement your plans. 

If you deem the learning community a useful experience, the next one, which will focus on raising up young leaders, will be held for staff during our summer camp.

Summer Camp 
Summer Camp is for the core group of students in years 10-13 that we work with during the mission. Our desire is to allow the young people to grow in their relationship with Jesus as we intentionally disciple them in a more intimate setting. The Summer Camp will hopefully fuel every young person’s relationship with Jesus so that they are ready to serve and return as a beacon of light to your school community!

Other than accompanying their pupils to the summer camp we desire the staff members to get as much out of the four days as possible. They will therefore have special time set aside within the camp timetable. This will be not only time to develop the spirituality of their school alongside other staff from all over the country, but also to relax and tend to their own spiritual life. For more information click here.

D Weekend 
D Weekend is a  follow up weekend retreat for students in years 7-9 and takes place in Brentwood in Essex. Information for this can be found here. 

Prayer 4 U
Many young people and staff will have powerful encounters with Lord during this prayer experience which takes place in the afternoons of mission week. Recognising this we train older students in how to minister this type of prayer so that it can be continued after the team leaves.


Lightfever
Lightfever is often a stand out point during the mission week and due to its simple model can be continued after the team have left (on a monthly basis for example). We will equip you with all the tools and ingredients to make Lightfever a space of encounter with Jesus. Both Prayer 4 U and confession can also be available and often work well during this prayer experience.

Alpha
The team will kick off the Alpha Youth Film Series on Wednesday after school during mission week. This 10 week course is a great way to continue the momentum of mission week and establish a space for young people to ask questions and explore their faith:

One of our main concerns is that you build strong links between your local parishes and the school community by feeding the pupils into parish life after the mission has finished. To facilitate this one suggestion we offer is to run the Holy Spirit Day as a retreat day in your local parish.

PODS
Pockets of Disciples are student driven prayer groups which are established as a result of the mission. They are designed to be a space for praying, sharing and encouragement which takes place through study of the YouCat and Prayer 4 U. They are evangelistic in nature and are outward in their approach always seeking to invite new members. Once a POD gets to a certain size, it can split and thus a multiplier effect can occur through the school.

Student Testimony Training
A way in which to build links with local parishes is for older students to give testimony of their experiences of mission at Sunday Masses. We can provide the resources and training in order for this to happen.

Onelife
Onelife exists to connect and equip young people to become exceptional leaders in every sphere of society. We as a team attend the Watford conference in the February Half term and  recommend that schools take 4-5 faith filled student leaders along as well! http://www.onelifeonline.org.uk/