What To Do?

By Jack Chui

I can look back at some of my earlier posts in the year and reflect fondly on how STAY has just transformed in just six months. People from church and sometimes outside of church have been coming up to me to tell me what an amazing group STAY is and then congratulate me on building such a wonderful community of young Catholic adults (no mean feat by the track record of other groups out there). I might receive all this glory as the leader, but all this credit really goes to God because I did very little in making STAY what it is today.

A friend from STAY recently told me about the patron saint for Priests - St. John Vianney. He was apparently not a very smart guy, barely making it through the seminary out of sheer persistence. His superiors took the safe option and sent the newly ordained and incompetent young priest to a remote parish (today known as Lourdes). When St. John Vianney reached there, he just prayed and prayed for many years - there were only a few people attending mass at the church. He also heard confessions for 16 hours a day and somehow, many were drawn to the parish and the whole town was converted to the amazement of other priests and his superiors.

I feel like I am like St. John Vianney, except much worse - I haven't been praying and I'm not 100% devoted to STAY or God. Yet the people just came, but not like before ... they actually "STAYed"... My aim and mission for the whole year was quite simple - just keep the ship from sinking... One of my gifts apparently is persistence - stubborn persistence sometimes and so I'm quite good at just keeping things going. That's all I really did for STAY...

Through little if any work of my own, the Holy Spirit brought new people to STAY, such that few if anyone in STAY from a year ago is still here today. They love STAY more than me and are so hungry for more of God that as the leader, I don't know what to do to meet their thirst or our simple goal of bringing God to young people. Because all I know how to do well is to keep the ship from sinking.

STAY is not in survival mode any more, and I've never been a part of a group as energetic and lively as this one. We have almost 20 people attending cell group each week (diligently for most) and at this run rate, STAY could have 40 people in mid 2014 and 60 people by the end...  I never imagined STAY would be more than 12 people at best given how few in number young adults are attending mass, and let alone having the time and will to attend a cell group. Its scary to imagine how much more of a powerhouse STAY can become (thankfully I don't have much imagination) because while its a nice problem to have - lots of people, it will come with more work and complexity of more relationships.

While keeping the ship afloat, I have been directed by the newcomers in STAY and they have been taking a lot of the initiative to run worship nights (Firebrandz), outreach for the refugees (Friends of Refugees), prayers and outings for the cell group. They have much more ideas and fire than me and I wonder whether it is time for them to take more control of the rudder to steer STAY towards to the will of God. I think I've not said no to any of their ideas. I have done my role faithfully, and while I have been advised not to stop until God waves the big red stop sign, I wonder if I should take more of a back seat so that the newcomers are not held back to take STAY forward. I have also thought about whether I should lead both STAY and Friend so Refugees or only one...

It might also be a good time for God to push me outside my comfort zone to try new things for His Kingdom so there might still be purpose for me to continue being a leader of STAY. My mission might also be to encourage people to become leaders and take on some of the cell group leading which I currently do. What to do ...? Already on the cards is a worship/music group for STAY/Firebrandz to play for Sunday mass and perhaps Firebrandz - to start in January 2014 while the regular worship bands at church take some time off after serving during Advent. Another initiative STAY had run in the past is a retreat in the 2nd half of the year.

I'm looking to study a professional course for my work early in 2014 of which I attempted last year and didn't pass. It would require a lot more study than trying to fit study around my many commitments and so my other worry is whether there are people willing and with the time to do more for STAY ... I think and hope that I underestimate the group and their abilities - it is time for God to shine more through the members of STAY. I pray that I can be not so proud to ask for their help.