News
NETworks Issue 4, 2022
In this issue: Thank You, Maddie & Peter · Annual Fundraising Dinner · Ministry Impact 2022
THE GOSPEL WOULDN’T BE STOPPED
THANK YOU!
Happy Advent! What a year!
On November 19 we celebrated the Thanksgiving Mass and Banquet for the 2022 NET Missionaries with their family and friends. It is always a significant moment in the year. In my final address to all those gathered I said to the team members,
"In a world that sometimes wanted to stay closed down - the Gospel would not be stopped, you would not be stopped! I said at the Commissioning Mass, "NETters are the best people in the world" - and you are! You took the theme scripture for the year from St Paul to the Romans, "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord" and made it real! You are apostles to your generation, you are people of hope, vitality and empathy; just what our young people need amidst the environments of confusion and instability. You have loved Jesus and embraced the Church and as a result, through your witness, many other young people know the love of Jesus and are more part of our Church, because of you."
It is true that these young women and men, under great pressure at times, turned up each day, faithfully fulfilling the call on them – we are so proud of them, as are their family, friends, the young people they have engaged with and the local communities that hosted them. Please join me in congratulating the NET Missionaries of 2022! I want to thank you for all that you have given to this ministry during year, especially your prayer support. The late Archbishop of Brisbane, Archbishop John Bathersby had a saying "the more I pray, the more coincidences seem to happen" we certainly experienced that support this year in many, many ways. As we begin to turn our minds to the training in the new year, we look forward to your continued journey with us in 2023. On behalf of us all here at NET Ministries, I pray you have a happy and holy Christmas and fruitful beginning to the New Year. Peace,
Mark Lysaght
Executive Director Australia & New Zealand
GRATEFUL FOR THEIR ‘YES’
Thank you, Maddie & Peter
This year we say farewell to supervisors, Maddie Luciani and Peter Munns. We are so grateful for their ‘yes’ to this ministry, first as missionaries and then as staff members. We asked both of them to share with you a short farewell reflection message.
Peter Munns
NET has gifted me with five years of joy-filled, mission focused adventures and for that I am beyond grateful. I joined NET straight out of highschool and after three years on team and two years on staff I can safely say that it is through NET that I have grown up and learnt lessons that will stay with me forever. NET not only has formed me as a youth minister, presenter and speaker but as follower of Christ. It is on NET, that through others I have come to understand mercy, love and witness to the power that a life centred on Jesus can have. I came onto NET wanting to share what I had found with young people. I wanted to live a mission and share a love that I knew was lacking in this world and I can say that I am leaving having experienced that love in more profound ways than I could have ever imagined through the mission.
NET has set me up for the next stage of life, I will never be satisfied living a life of mediocrity and will be focused on building the kingdom. I am forever thankful for the works which I have witnessed God do in the lives of countless young people across Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. NET is a gift to the Church, not just in Australia and New Zealand but throughout the world, and as my time with NET comes to a close I pray that hearts are set on fire and that more and more people come to know the boundless love that Jesus has for them.
Maddie Luciani
It’s hard to put into words just how grateful I am for the past five years I’ve spent serving and working with NET Ministries. Many people walk away from NET describing their year (or years) as life changing, full of growth, challenging, a time to be formed, joyful, adventurous and a chance to grow deeper in their relationship with Christ. For me, it is all of that and so much more that a paragraph or two can’t fully express. I walked into NET wanting to make a difference in the lives of young people. My heart longed to be involved in mission and share the love of Christ I had experienced in my own life. The work of NET continues to inspire me to remain active in building the Kingdom of God every day. I give thanks to God for the way He has used NET Ministries to change my life and the lives of young people across Australia and New Zealand. My call to mission continues to expand beyond just my time here. As I leave and wrap up my time with NET, my prayer is that the Holy Spirit would continue to use the gift of NET to inspire, teach and change hearts, in the same way mine has been transformed!
THANKSGIVING
MASS & DEBRIEF
For the first time in two years all NET Missionaries were able to attend Wrap Up Week. To say that they were excited to see each other would be an understatement. The week includes a debrief of their experiences throughout the year, opportunities to share their various journey's as teams as well as having some down time before heading home to family and friends. The environment at Glendalough on the Sunshine Coast is a perfect place to reflect, gain perspective and prepare for the next chapter. It is something that many young people do not often have the opportunity to take part in. So, to watch these young men and women reflect deeply on what they have been part of, those they have served and the relationships forged was very special. The week culminated with our traditional Mass of Thanksgiving and Banquet. The Mass was celebrated by Fr Josh Whitehead, friend and supporter of NET.
ANNUAL FUNDRAISING DINNER
On October 13 we held our Annual Fundraising Dinner with keynote speaker, Auxiliary Bishop of Brisbane, Bishop Timothy Norton SVD and Master of Ceremonies, Sr Mel Dwyer of the Daughters of Charity (Canossian Sisters). As always, it was an excellent night, with 130 guests in attendance and we raised just over 60K towards costs of the 2022 year. Some of you might know that a permanent endowment was set up a couple of years ago and 10 mins before the night began a very generous benefactor deposited 500k into the fund. This gives NET Ministries an annual dividend of 25k a year to support our work. We are so grateful for the generous support that we receive for the proclamation of the gospel by young people with young people. Thank you!
MINISTRY IMPACT 2022
Each year we collect the stats of the team. Here is what the four teams were able to achieve with your support.
Events, March to November 2022
- 424 events
- 16,915 young people attending
- 6,563 group conversations and 13,177 one-to-one conversations (since early May)
Encounter Day responses
- 96% enjoyed their time with the team
- 69% feel closer to Jesus
- 65% want to engage more with their faith
Events by type
- 83 Encounter Days (19.6%)
- 86 Youth Groups (20.3%)
- 89 Classes (21%)
- 29 YA Events (6.8%)
- 137 Other Events (32.3%)
Can you help us transform the lives of young Australians and rebuild the church?
As always, please pray for us as we seek to fulfill our mission. We hope to see young hearts transformed as they encounter Jesus. That's why we exist. Thank you for your generosity.