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5. Interview with George Barrett
(Part 1)
Interview
with George Barrett, Director of Education and Faith Formation
7/11/01 - 3pm
Hal, Greg, AmyG
Hal led, Amy scribed
Hal did a brief intro of the project and we each introduced ourselves. We did confidentiality info as well.
FF: Tell us about yourself
I came to BSM 8 years ago - I was working in the archdiocese and came in to help them to figure out how to do youth ministry in an urban setting with no neighborhood. I had 19 years in youth ministry before that. We had very small children's ministry, had the potential of having our first block party, only 12-13 families involved in the youth ministry
FF: So you had 19 yrs before coming here -
I did blended work with BSM for a couple of years (part time here and
part time at another parish) and came full time 5 years ago.
When I came, we had a small group of young adults who wanted to meet and
we created a program called Avenues for them. It was a small staff for
that - I was the only person. Now there are four of us because of the
young adult work we do - up to having a full time marriage coordinator.
I am the team leader for the youth and young adult ministry- I coordinate
the adult ed and new member - most of which are young adults - 93 last
time we took in new members.
FF: What age range do you mean when you say young adult?
Young adult youngest is 23 oldest is 35
FF: Tell me about Avenues.
Started as a small group who wanted to socialize together so we came up with the concept of having wine, beer, cheese & crackers on the first Friday of every month. Our assoc pastor would host that. 12-14 people would come. Over time we had a group of up to 200, now consistently 125-150 each month. The purpose is to have a real sense of hospitality. A team is trained to welcome people into a physical space in the church - as if it were Rock Bottom Brewery - a setting easy and comfortable for them but in the physical setting of the church. At those events we advertise our other events. Our outside ring is all social - its meant to be that way, the first step of evangelization is social. The people are trained in the whole hospitality ministry - there presence is to be Christ to the people but they don't talk about it that way and that's intentional. We ask our leaders for a six-month commitment and then we change leadership.
FF: With your leadership changing does it have its own rhythm?
Avenues is larger than 1st Friday - Gwen is the chair of the Avenues executive committee (1st Friday, restaurant of the month, a number of social activities, connections to service and other opportunities). She just turned 40 - has some involvement over the last 5 years and saw the flux that goes thru and saw that it needs some organization throughout, so Janel Gwen and I are working to organize those fluxes. Now we'll say good-bye to those who served and welcome in those who will take over leadership with celebration to mark the tradition. We've never done that before but I think it will be really helpful.
FF: So there's a lot of turnover?
People serve strongest when they are new, and then their lives change or they move and that's just the way it is with this age group.
FF: So staff has been the consistency.
When I came in we sat down together with the initial group - 8 young adults - when avenues was just social, and came up with a mission statement and a structure: Hospitality ministry for people in their 20s 30s and 40s - a conduit into the regular ministry of BSM.
FF: Of the 90 odd new members, what percent of the group comes in thru Avenues?
Small percent. Most of the young adults in Avenues are already connected with a religious group - lots of Catholics. Catholics are the biggest pool because we already have that connection. There are non-Catholics who come but not necessarily through Avenues, attracted by the building and the sense of liturgy. They are amazed by the deep liturgical tradition - those that come in to the physical space are attracted to a deeper sense of faith because of the liturgy.
FF: Do a large proportion of those who attend worship come to Avenues stuff?
5000 worshippers here on the weekend- 60% are young adults which is a much larger population than we attract with Avenues. We know that. All the Avenues info goes out to those people but getting involved in BSM in the next step after Avenues.
FF: Any ministry congregationally based you have age specific stuff but not everybody shows. Confirmation being the only exception.
Like the high-risk retreats (i.e. lots of self-disclosing) that narrows your pool of participants. We find that with adults. Liturgy is probably the safest place for these people to come to. There's a whole liturgical spirituality that attracts people. I believe that.
I just dropped off a young man who's Baptist, came to the block party, took the tour, was struck by the beauty of the place, came to the liturgy and now wants to convert. We have lots of young adults that come in that way. The BP was meant as a way to get people on our premises - to connect with people get them comfortable here.
FF: So the heartbeat of growth in your Young Adult ministry goes much deeper than the program?
With young adults they've come into the process in all kinds of different ways. There's lots of kids - we did 228 baptisms last year so the numbers are just staggering because of this young adult population that has invested in this congregation
FF: So are they urban or suburban?
Once they have kids, a majority live in suburbs. Most of the young adults who come into the parish thru liturgy or avenues are urban - and western suburbs St LP, Golden Valley, Minnetonka, etc.
FF: Programmatically are there other pieces?
We have both sponsored supported sports teams, there are numbers of that - lots of those people have no connection to the physical plant of BSM - have a friend that's connected or something - but hopefully their team captain has had hospitality training and the team bears the mark of what the BSM is about. There's some sense of connection to the church. There's a way in for people that is non-threatening. There's the social activities - camping, Shakespeare in the park, bowling, golf, Mall of America. The present committee is saying we don't want to draw ourselves too thin. All these activities are burning out our volunteer leaders - who are in flux anyway. We need to be careful. In our structure our consistent pieces are communication and membership - we need to do that well. Attentive to what they need and communicate with our members.
There are also big events 3 times a year - a significant money laid out by the BSM reimbursed by the event - mardi gras at the Fineline, boogie boat cruise, Halloween dance.
FF: And the block party is one of those things?
The block party is a separate entity that runs by itself.
FF: Wasn't it initially started by some intention with Avenues?
It was started for that age group, (like Avenues, all young adult retreats and social events) but isn't part of the YAM staff responsibility. I have to make sure that the people invested in Avenues have a way to be connected to the BP hospitably - rather than just signing up as a volunteer. Avenues took over certain booths so people could know each other and be safe together in the midst of 15,000 people.
FF: Would you say the whole church is a hospitable place to come to?
Hospitality is part of our mission - in the way we serve food - cookies at every meeting. We facilitate we have physical hospitality. People have been trained or have skill building around their own hospitality and how to welcome. At least with all of our programs.
FF: What are you passionate about? What part of your work do you get jazzed about?
The whole initiation. I am honored to be involved in people's faith stories. Like this young man who has been struggling to find a church home for 4 years and to be able to be involved in that discussion, and take him on a journey with the community and get him connected - it's amazing. To watch people come alive in their faith… I remember sitting with this good-looking couple who wants to get married here. So I'm thinking the whole thing is about the wedding. But the conversation starts to change me. An hour meeting turned into a two-hour session about faith and struggle to find it in the midst of wealthy families - finding at the BSM. I was blown away. After every session they are the last people out because they have so may questions. That's what gives me passion. It's wonderful to be a part of that - it's an honor to be a part of that journey
FF: When your work gives you venues to talk about what's real and discover God's care - that's where it's at.
The structure of Avenues and these young adults is difficult because it's mostly about social opportunities. But it also provides the opportunity to invite someone in and say 'Hey Julie, would you think about being a sponsor for someone?' Now this person who's been catholic her whole life her faith means a different thing - it changes comes alive because someone saw her gifts and invited her. She comes alive in a new way. The most difficult thing is the constant transition - it's hard to encourage Gwen that she's doing a good job and that it's working in the midst of that.
FF: What's your mission statement?
