May 2013 Newsletter

The whole Club group together during our New Year's Eve lock-in.

Just imagine: 50 youth, 12 large pizzas, shaving cream covered balloons and a razor, Oreos stuck to students’ foreheads and easy cheese with crackers stuck to a teammate's back – all part of God’s amazing culmination of this 2012-13 school year for our Club students. Both middle and high school students blended together for an evening of exciting games and challenges, a great pizza party dinner to celebrate and an intentional closing prayer over our dedicated high school seniors as they move onto a new part of their lives.

It’s interesting how quickly 11 months goes. Looking back to my arrival on Father’s Day weekend last year when we had one leader on the ground at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield and both locations were averaging about 8-10 students each time Club was held. My mind was in a whirlwind, but I knew we had to get the word out of what Club Beyond did for our students and their parents. Through hanging out at the PX food court, bowling,

Time for me to get the pie in the face for our food drive competition.

swimming events at the pools on post in the summer, word started to get out. We also encouraged our students to bring friends as part of our promotion going on to grow the group and turned out incredibly well.

Time to 'shave the balloon' to see if it pops on the kids!

At the start of the school year, we had the chance to experience a killer back-to-school kick-off spectacular which included a special guest speaker who used to play in the NFL and gave our students heartfelt advice. Sprinkle in our ‘invite a friend’ challenge to earn the brightest Club Beyond shirts I’ve seen, the group continued to grow and students’ passion began to show. As the student population grew, leaders started to come alongside the ministry and pour their dedicated time into our wonderful youth. Throughout the semester we experienced amazing paintball shootout events, flag football games, kickball at the Victory Chapel, a New Year’s Eve lock-in, a spectacular food drive which exceeded 500lbs donated in less than 3 weeks and a phenomenal Christmas Caroling event were only the beginning of what God was going to do in and through our efforts.

The spring semester of the school year was off and running due to a promise kept to take pies to the face from the food drive competition and goodness it really brought students out in droves to watch me take those pies! A lesson plan dedicated to share with our students the heroic men and women of the Bible essentially allowed us to have a focus of where God would lead us each week. It showed our students that they too could be heroes no matter where they stood in their own world at home, school or in their neighborhoods. As the leadership team spent more time together outside of Club, the intentionality also grew with our students. A ladies’ small group was launched for the first time at Fort Stewart and the high school men’s group continued on Thursday mornings over bacon.

Although we put the 2012-13 school year to rest this month and said farewell to some really amazing students who either moved or graduated, God came through every moment. We were able to reach over 2500 students throughout the first 11 months and had 15 leaders on the team between both installation locations. Countless meals were provided graciously from our families, easing the burden financially upon our group but also giving a way we can break bread together each night we met.

The 'Oreo Slide' competition on the last Club of the school year.

Truly, because of each of you, we are thankful here at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield for your individual contribution of prayer and financial support of God’s call on my life to reach these teens. As I have provided for you, will you consider praying over the areas we will face soon this summer looking into the next school year? Personally I would love to ask, where is God calling you to jump off the board into His plan for the ministry here? Everything matters because at the end of the day, it’s His plan and I’m honored to be a small part of the overall grand scheme.

The 'bros' together during the 2013 Liberty County HS graduation.

**prayer requests**

• New leaders to come into the fray as others move on or are led to other places to serve.
• That the summer program and next year’s program are fully blessed and brought in God’s timing.
• As funding continues to be always a job in progress, new financial supporters come on board to help carry the load with contract funding being tightened.
• Pray for my dear friends in the ministry who also lead in other communities who are transitioning, specifically back in Kansas and in Hawaii.
• For me to personally slow down and enjoy rest and peace in the summer program.