Local News Archive

Print Issue: July 4, 2002

Faith, Fellowship And Fun: Recipe For 'Gospel On Rye'

Eighteen-year-old Danny Gonzales, a 2002 graduate of St. Pius X High School, Atlanta, serves as master of ceremonies for the Gospel on Rye series at Mellow Mushroom Pizza, Dunwoody, June 24. (Photo by Michael Alexander)

By ERIKA ANDERSON, Staff Writer

For the past two years, every second and fourth Monday of the month, teens have been gathering for fellowship and faith - not to mention extra cheese.

Gospel on Rye, a program that gives teens and young adults a chance to grow closer to Christ and their peers while meeting in a fun environment, is held at the Mellow Mushroom on Chamblee-Dunwoody Road. Father Scott Reilly, LC, chaplain at St. Pius X High School, Atlanta, started the program in Atlanta after hearing of the success of Gospel on Rye in Cleveland, where it originated.

A priest-friend of Father Reilly's started the bi-monthly meetings at a local Cleveland deli, giving the program its catchy name.

But here in Atlanta, rye bread has been replaced with pizza dough. Twice a month, dozens of teens gather to hear music and guest speakers share about their faith.

On June 24, teens munched on pizza and fanned themselves from the heat while listening to guest speaker Meghan Elkins, youth minister at Mary Our Queen Church, Norcross, share of her "love affair" with Christ.

Elkins was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer in her neck when she was 16 and a junior at St. Pius High School. She told those gathered of the fear she felt while undergoing surgeries and the self-consciousness she experienced because of surgical scars. After praying a novena to St. Theresa, she asked for a sign and received a single red rose on the ninth and final day of her novena.

"It was a very blatant sign that I could handle whatever came along if I put my trust in God," she said.

As she went through a time of struggle, she began to spend more time in prayer, and said she fell in love with Jesus.

"He's my best friend and confidant and he's the one who has stayed with me the entire time," she said. "I offer up the little things to him and that helps me to deal with the bigger things."

She told the teens that her faith has grown as a result of her illness.

"I no longer see this as a cross, but as a blessing, because I've grown closer to Jesus," she said.

Father Reilly told the teens that "God's graces are everywhere, they're sprinkling all over your souls."

"Maybe you are facing a very difficult time," he said. 'But the key to overcoming all difficulties is in answering the question, 'how will you respond?' Only you can control that response."

Father Reilly said that the mission of Gospel on Rye is twofold.

"Our goal, first of all, is to set up a fun venue in which our kids can connect with Christ, and second of all in which they can connect with other kids," he said. "They create friends and form a support network."

Natalie Caron, who is home-schooled, and a member of Mary Our Queen Church, said that Gospel on Rye gives her a chance to evangelize.

"It's good to be with kids my own age who share the same faith. There are usually good speakers," she said. "I like to bring my friends, because it helps me to bring out my faith and to show them that it's not just a stuffy old Catholic Church."

Danny Gonzales, who graduated this year from St. Pius, said he enjoys meeting with his peers. He also plays a leadership role in Gospel on Rye, planning the speakers and other tasks.

"I think within the Catholic Church we can always use a little more fellowship," he said. "And we're creating a positive influence rather than a negative one. A lot of our speakers are our peers and we put them up there as peer role models. I have met a lot of different speakers who have convinced me more and encouraged me to keep going strong with Christ."

For more information about Gospel on Rye, contact Meg and Mike Bohn at (770) 886-7232, or e-mail at mbohn@adelphia.net.