EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

Jeff Lambert 2018-2019 Chairman

The Knights of Columbus is founded on membership and growth, and developing programs for young men who can build into a member for the local council. According to the website Newman Connections, there are 24 Newman Center throughout the state. First, we need to work on building the relationship with your local Newman Center and/or college groups. Reaching out to that Newman Center Director, and treat the Newman Center as a roundtable parish. Assign a member to be the point of contact between the council and Newman Center. At first be a support organization to the Newman Center. Raising money for the Newman Centers for their programs and services will be greatly appreciated. Meet with the Director of the Newman Center to find out their needs. Don’t come in thinking that you want the Newman Center to do Knights of Columbus programs. There are so many Newman Centers that are doing a great job as is, and all they need is the financial support. That means not all colleges need to have a college council.

When it comes to developing membership through college age men, there are several points to know. First, college students are at point in their life where they are focused on their education. Adding another program or organization to their schedule will most likely discourage the member from continuing their membership. Secondly be aware that college students are at a fluid point in their life. Don’t expect a college age member to be apart of your council for a lot of years. But that doesn’t mean you discourage some to join the Knights of Columbus. Lastly the young adult men are looking for more than just Sunday mass, they want to learn about their faith and build community with fellow parishioners. This is where the Knights of Columbus councils can be supporting Newman Centers and Parish Young Adult programs.