‘There am I in the midst of them ’ Alive in You Catholic conference, service camp brings teens to diocese

By Gabrielle Nolan

Jesus tells us in Matthew

18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

It is without question that Jesus was present when nearly 300 teenagers descended upon Knoxville on the campus of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus for the Alive in You conference the week of June 27–July 2.

According to its website, the vision of Alive in You is “to enable our participants to open their hearts and allow Christ to become the center of their lives. Our goal is to educate, motivate, and provide young people with a life-changing Catholic experience. Alive in You is grounded in the beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church, and we strive to provide the perfect balance of faith, service, education, and fun.”

Alive in You was founded in 2006 by youth minister Jim Weir and his wife, Heather.

“I was a youth minister in Or- lando at the time and was looking for an experience for our teens that really was a little bit more of a blend of service and spirituality,” Mr. Weir said. “We would take them to a conference and they would do, you know, have a lot of great things for the teens spiritually, but then they wouldn’t have service work. Or we might go to a work camp or a service event and do great work, but then it didn’t have the spiritual elements to tie into it. So, we created Alive in You to kind of blend those two things so the kids could really understand how our faith is really what inspires us to go serve other people and the connection there.”

Mr. Weir currently is a youth minister at St. Joseph Parish in Fayetteville, Ark.

“I do junior high and high school ministry there, confirmation; I also teach eighth-grade religion. Then in the summer, I take leave from my job there and run these camps,” he explained.

This summer’s camps included locations in Mobile, Ala., Orlando, Fla., Fond du Lac, Wis., and Knoxville. High school teenagers from all over the country travel to the camps.

Alive in You has come to the Sacred Heart Cathedral campus five times.

“We have this beautiful, annual relationship,” said Scott Barron, director of parish ministries for the cathedral. “We’re an evangelizing parish, so they match up with our mission. … It’s kind of nice to have high school-age kids living on campus and kind of just being part of our culture for a week, joining us in worship, and getting to meet with our staff as well. So, it’s kind of fun just to meet kids from different parts of the country.”

Mr. Weir agrees that “everybody on staff here and everybody at the diocese really understands and believes in our ministry and is completely sup-

Alive in You continued on page A17

T h e C l a u d e M e l l i L e a d e r s h i p S u i t e

Claude Melli, born to a farming family in Constantine, Algeria in 1929, enjoyed a long and prosperous career as an agronomist, farmer, and business owner His aptitude for success in business was rooted in a strong work ethic, enthusiastic attitude, and a commitment to improving himself through education In addition to his zest for entrepreneurship, Claude was passionate about his family, friends, travel, and a variety of interests that fulfilled his desire for a vibrant, active lifestyle Claude passed away in December 2021, but his legacy endures through an endowment gifted to St John Neumann Catholic School by Lydia Melli, his wife of 45 years

Lydia is passionate about the lasting impact education can make on one’s life, as it did for her and Claude Growing up in Morocco, she, too, came from a farming family, and her mother was a teacher Lydia studied to be a teacher in college and taught young girls in Morocco for a short period early in her life

Shortly after Claude passed away, Lydia thought that a gift to St John Neumann Catholic School would be a fitting tribute to him and a symbol of his belief in the everlasting value of education She decided to establish an endowment that would provide financial assistance to students as well as resources for teachers’ salaries and professional development In recognition of this endowment gift, the school leadership suite has been named in memory of Claude

“Claude was a firm believer, as am I, that education is the key that can unlock countless doors," said Lydia “Education, and particularly the wonderful teachers we were blessed with in our lives, made a lasting impact on us and our family My intentions with this gift are to remove barriers for students wishing to receive a Catholic school education, and to provide resources that will help SJNCS continue to recruit, retain, and develop the best possible teachers for its students ”

Fr Joe Reed Pastor of St John Neumann Catholic Church and School, said of the Claude Melli endowment, “One thing I love about this gift is that it supports the full spectrum of the educational experience, providing opportunity for both students and teachers to learn grow and thrive The faculty, staff, and students of St John Neumann are grateful for Lydia’s thoughtfulness and generosity, and we are honored that our school leadership suite is now adorned with Claude’s name and magnified by his legacy ”

To learn how you can give to St John Neumann Catholic Church or School, please contact Patrick Wade, Director of Development at pwade@sjnknox org or (865)777-3410 To give online, please visit sjnknox org/give