GENEVA – Young adults ages 19 to 39 are invited to a picnic hosted by The Catholic Brew, an outreach ministry of St. Peter Catholic Church in Geneva.
“There was a need in the Fox Valley area for outreach ministry that targets a special population,” said Laurie Brown, the high school and young adult minister at St. Peter. “There is a uniqueness to young adults. There is a lot of programming for families or teens or children in religious education programs, but not for young adults.”
Although the events are Catholic-sponsored, events are open to any young adult, she said.
Called the ultimate picnic, the gathering will be at 12:30 p.m. Sunday in the south pavilion at Wheeler Park, 822 N. First St., Geneva. Participants should bring a dish to share. Hot dogs and lemonade will be provided.
Brown said she and St. Peter’s pastor, the Rev. Martins Emeh, created The Catholic Brew this year, with some programs focusing on topical issues. Others are purely social.
The name comes from the definition of brew, which means “a mixture of events, people, or things that interact to form a more strong whole,” Brown said.
Their first event at St. Peter drew 36 people from 20 parishes in Rockford, Loves Park, Wheaton, Northern Illinois University and locally from St. Peter, Holy Cross in Batavia, and St. John Neumann and St. Patrick in St. Charles.
Guests from the John Paul II Renewal Center in Sycamore spoke on "Authentic Love in a Real World," Brown said.
Most stayed nearly two hours after the program ended at 8:30 p.m. and made plans to go somewhere else, Brown said.
“This is our own initiative, our own wanting to support young adults in the area,” Brown said. “It’s neat that so many parishes are coming together to support this. It’s wonderful.”
The Catholic Brew’s next scheduled events are:
• “Was Jesus Ever Stressed Out?” at 7 p.m. July 24 at St. Peter, 1891 Kaneville Road, Geneva, in McLoughlin Hall. The Rev. David Peck, pastor at St. John Neumann, will focus on coping with stress and anxiety.
• Kane County Cougars Country Music Night at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 1 at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark, 34W002, Cherry Lane, Geneva. Advance registration is required by calling Brown at 630-232-0124, ext. 113, or emailing yam@stpetergeneva.org.
• Deacon Bill Johnson from St. Patrick in St. Charles will teach prayer as an action step toward having a personal relationship with Christ and others at 7 p.m. Aug. 14 at St. Peter’s McLoughlin Hall.