Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations.

Matthew 28:19

Mission +

Mission+

For 4 years the Youth Discipleship Team (YDT) has been developing the pre and post-mission work with the Schools that have Cross Purposes Missions. It was realised that the Mission is much more fruitful if the School community prepare for it prayerfully as well as practically.

Each school is assigned a Mission Coordinator from YDT, someone to walk with the school as it prepares and follows up the Mission. The Mission Coordinator visits the school a total of 3 times before the Mission week itself. Excluding the first pre-mission visit, these visits are full day visits and include such things as:

• Short assemblies introducing the idea of Mission and looking at our faith
• Meetings with pupils who are already interested in getting involved looking at how they can get involved, how to lead prayer and how to share their faith
• ‘Time out with God’, a 10-minute voluntary prayer time at lunch
• Training for local Clergy and Laity preparing the local Parishes to receive the young people back into a parish setting after the Mission
• Meetings with key Staff looking at the vision for the school, for the Mission and follow-up
• Full staff meeting to inform of who Sion Community are and how we would be working in the school

During the Mission week itself, the Mission Coordinator may visit the school to help the young people to deliver what we have been helping them prepare. Such as facilitating them leading ‘Time out with God’ or sharing part of their faith story in one of the assemblies. Time would also be spent on preparing a Youth Mass for the weekend after the Mission.

For some time Cross Purposes Missions were seen to stand-alone but it is so important to have things in place for after the Mission week. This is where the post-mission follow-up work of YDT comes in. We aim to do two things:

• Youth Mass – this would happen in a local Parish the weekend after the mission week. Time would be spent during the Mission week preparing some young people to help deliver the liturgy of the Mass and lead the parish in the celebration.
• Post-Mission visit – this would be another day visit to the school by the Mission Coordinator and possibly a member of Cross Purposes Mission team. It can take any form suitable to the follow-up of the school and may include: short assemblies; meeting with a core group of pupils; delivering leadership training for staff or pupils and ‘Time out with God’.

Further follow-up is available and is tailored to the needs of the particular school community. A meeting is held on the Friday afternoon of the Mission Week to collect ideas of what the young people would like to happen as follow-up to the Mission and these are the ideas that YDT work with alongside the school.