Bridge Building

I just got back from an advisory board meeting on which I serve for the "Santa Barbara Bridge Building" program. Bridge Building is a regional young adult ministry program specifically intended for young adult Catholics ages 25-35 in the Santa Barbara Pastora Region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Young adults of this age range have a difficult time fitting into programs in this area - because most programs are either for much older Catholics, or if they are "young adult" events, they are typically for kids ages 16-24. Young adults 25+ are at a different area in life, spiritually and maturity speaking. So with the help of our regional bishop, Bishop Thomas Curry, and the Sisters of St. Joseph, Bridge Building was born.

The program proceeds in cycles. It starts with listening, then education and developing, and then service. We began the program with "conversation circles" in which we invite a bunch of young adults to come and talk about their spiritual lives, their experiences of being a young adult in the Church, and those things in their lives that prevent them from developing their spirituality as they'd like. It gives them a chance to meet one another and to gain other insights about what it means to be a young adult Catholic in Santa Barbara. Based on these things, we arrange lectures, retreats, prayer nights, and other education opportunities given by people who can speak to those needs for our age group.

Currenty, our next stage is our mission/service effort. We are arranging mission opportunities in the community to help young adults get involved, if they desire.

We then begin the cycle again. It may go an entirely different direction. Being on the advisory board to help plan these things has been a very insightful experience. It has helped me connect with other ministers in the region. What is really excellent is that I have really met a very diverse group of young adults, many of whom I number as good friends today.