I'm "Keeping It Holy": Peer Ministry's Impact on Me
I have been a part of Campus Ministry as a peer minister for two years now. I can
gladly tell anyone that Campus Ministry is a great group to be involved in. I'm not going to lie--there are a lot of compelling perks that come with being a peer minister. You get the Thursday lunches, the cool ‘Keep it Holy’ t-shirts, you get to miss school because you're at retreats, and you can chill in the new peer ministry room. While all these are nice, that is not what peer ministry is all about, and if they were to get taken away like they never existed, it wouldn't change my mind about how much I've enjoyed peer ministry. Peer ministry has made an impact on my life, and it can make an impact on others lives too. Peer Ministry is about helping other people grow in their relationship with Christ. It’s about meeting them where they are and helping them take it further. We work to reach out to the Bergan community and let them know that God loves them and wants to be apart of their life. He wants to build a relationship with them. The number one way we do that is by planning retreats for each class in the middle school high school. The retreats allow the students to take a day out of their busy schedules’ and start building their relationship with God. So far this year it has been a blast as a peer minister. I have definitely changed leadership roles from my junior year to my senior year as a peer minister. My junior year I was more in the background, and now in my senior year, I have decided to step up more. I’m currently helping plan retreats, changing the bulletin boards around the school, and leading retreats. All these things I would never have imagined myself doing before becoming a peer minister because I was shy and quiet. Now I’ve allowed myself to be open to the idea of taking the lead on things and doing them to the best of my ability. I feel like peer ministry has helped me to step out of my box and raise my voice. I’ve also made so many friendships since joining peer ministry that I would not have made without it. It's such a cool feeling when you can walk into a room, and all your favorite people are there and you know it's going to be a good time. Most of all peer ministry has impacted my faith life, and I have definitely grown in my relationship with God. I have been praying more, and the peer ministers have given me the push I need to challenge me to do the extra things such as going to bible studies and going to other masses besides Sunday mass. My favorite memory from this year so far is working on the bulletin boards in the peer ministry room and out in the hallways of the school. It has allowed me and other peer ministers to bring out our creative skills and give somewhat of a facelift to the school bulletin boards. I've loved collaborating with other people and hearing what they have in mind to make things work. Sometimes how we got the bulletin boards open was how planned, but it was a fun time that I will remember after I leave Bergan. All the lessons, leadership skills, and memories I’ve gained from peer ministry will stay with me forever. I am genuinely thankful for just the opportunity to be a peer minister and all the life lessons that come with it. I’m grateful for the whole peer ministry team because they have forever impacted my life.
