October 2013 Newsletter

Christian (#8) with his lacrosse team after a
phenomenal win last season in Savannah.

Christian is one of our longest-tenured students to attend Club Beyond at Hunter Army Airfield and continues to attend this year as the only high school student to date. He attended summer camp with our epic group of students this past summer and it’s apparent – he believes in the continued community we offer together each week at Club. As we finished up our competitive, sweat-induced guys marathon day at Hunter, it was noticed by not only me but my buddy who attended that Christian was a leader. All of the boys that day were 6^th graders, except for him, and it was obvious. He comes weekly to Club, ready to play whatever game we get together to start – typically KanJam or Spikeball, both games he loved and played at summer camp. He’s always willing to jump on a team with a new guy to show them the ropes on how to play all the while never being selfish and remaining humble. It’s because of games like those, experiences at summer camp and events throughout the year like the guys marathon day that grow the relationship that continues with students like Christian. We get to know their passions – Christian’s passion is specifically in the high speed game of lacrosse. Rather than just know him each week from coming to Club, I have seen him compete and play in this game and it’s phenomenal.

A large mass of our high school students gathered outside
before kicking off Club one evening this month.
The group's exploded in size! 

In splitting our ages for middle and high school groups, we have been amazingly blessed beyond anything we can imagine. Our ‘core groups’ are now at least 25+ strong in middle school and near 30+ strong in high school. With so many things competing for their time on an ongoing basis such as sports, homework, extracurricular clubs, family, jobs, and anything else we can throw in – it’s unreal to see so many students in our high school group committed to attending each Wednesday night. After visiting with our leadership team about this topic specifically, we all figured something out: these kids want something ‘real.’ They want to get out of their routine at home and spend time with friends and adults where they aren’t judged and truly can be themselves and not put on another ‘mask’ like they normally will do wherever they go. It isn’t uncommon to see our high school group attendance to eclipse the middle school number weekly, which proves these thoughts correct. True relationships.

If that isn’t enough for bragging on what God has been doing here as of late, we’re preparing for our annual Halloween alternative event with our Chapel communities, the Fall Festival. Last year we were able to provide plenty of assistance to the event, however, God had more in store here this year. As of the latest count we have over 40 students signed up to help us out and bless our community in reaching out and caring for the families. It’s such a blessing to get to see so many students ready to jump and show their willingness to help out on an event that does so much for our community.

Cathy sharing with our students the importance of being 'poured into'
by God on our Sabbath so we can 'pour into others' throughout our week.

It all comes back to real life being lived with the youth. There are going to be leaders in the fray at the Fall Festival developing relationships with our youth who know how to have a good time but also care for them in the same breath of air. No matter their age or where they are coming from, our military teens want to know someone cares for them. They want to know that we’re there not just for the weekly “Club,” but for things they are interested in doing. It’s because of a blessed leadership team taking time out of their hectic and insane schedules to spend moments of time with these teens whose parents and/or family deployed at war or have just been told they’re moving – yet again.

We’re teaching our teens this fall semester about how God instilled the Ten Commandments to Moses and the people not as a list of rules, but a way of relationship with Him and His people. I am honored to have people surrounding us as we show the real way of relating to our teens and how God expects us to relate back to Him as He has called us.