Equip Athens- "Equipping young adults to grow in Christ."

The need it meets

“Equipping young adults (18-25) to grow in Christ. "... to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:12).”

Where it came from

Equip Athens was started in 2013 with the goal of building a Catholic community of young adults through fellowship, to foster unity through prayer, and to equip and form missionary disciples of Jesus Christ through the Sacraments. Equip is guided by the Holy Spirit and led by the examples of the Saints. We strive to bring people to love and follow Christ through the example of St. John Paul the Great and the patronage of Our Lady, Star of the New Evangelization.

How it works

Equip Athens is a young adult ministry of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Athens, Georgia. Equip hosts faith formation talks, discipleship groups, special liturgies, socials, and more for young adults in and around Athens and the University of Georgia.

The results

Paloma Carroll, Vice President and Events Coordinator for Equip says:

"It has been amazing to witness how much Equip has grown and developed over the past three years. When Equip was first started, we had around 20 to 25 young adults show up to our events which we held at the parish hall. This past year, however, we could barely fit our events in the restaurant that hosted us...we had around 60 people at our biggest Theology on Tap events! Although the growth in participants is exciting, what is most important to the other leaders of Equip and me is the impact that this ministry has had on individuals in the Catholic community. Not only have the events fostered many important and holy friendships, but they have provided the tools and formation for all of us to grow in our relationship with Christ and strive for sanctity. This past year I had two people tell me that Equip was the highlight of their weeks, and the same has been said to the other leaders, as well. God has blessed us in many ways, and we are full of expectation for the future. Please pray for all of us who help with Equip and those who we serve."

Key elements

-Catholic young men and women hungry to learn about the faith

-Coordinator willing to take such an apostolate upon him/herself

-Venue to hold meetings

-Parish willing to sponsor

How to implement it

To find out more about Equip Athens or to get information on how to implement something similar, please visit the Facebook page (Equip Athens) or email equipathensga@gmail.com

Fr. Paul Moreau is pastor of St. Joseph's.