Tips for young adults in search of community

It can be hard to find your place in the church when you are in your 20s and 30s. You're no longer a teenager in a youth group or a college student at a campus ministry center. How do you find your peers and a community that will help you continue to develop your faith? It takes work, but here are some suggestions: 

1. Put out your feelers. Information may not come from one obvious place, so scope out your local church, call the diocese, surf the web, post a Facebook status, and ask a few people in the know.

2. Take initiative. If you can't find a faith community, create one! You may be surprised how little it takes to get the ball rolling. Start by recording names and e-mail addresses of interested young adults. Watch the momentum build.

3. Think outside the box. If the parish down the road doesn't have a young-adult group, look to a neighboring parish, the diocese, a local Catholic organization, or even a religious community.

4. Start small. Your local parish is likely to have limited resources, so begin with a humble request, like $50 for a pizza night for new graduates or newlyweds.

5. Harness the web. E-mail, blogs, Facebook, Twitter. Put it out there.

6. Roll up your sleeves. Don't just accept the status quo: Speak up and suggest a much-needed improvement. Then make it happen--and invite others to share their special talents, too.

This article appeared in the September issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 75, No. 9, page 26) along with In good company [1]. Also read: Tips for faith community in search of young adults [2].

Image: Tom Wright