February 2016 Newsletter

"New Games are Essential for Connections"

 

Our middle school girls lined up for the

candy cane competition!

The holidays are over and the New Year is well under way. Students are back in school pressing through to the end of the school year that will soon be here before we know it. Stores are trying to rid themselves of their post-holiday inventory with drastically reduced prices on everything from décor to Christmas-wrapped candies. We are always looking for new games to introduce to our middle and high school students to keep things fresh and relevant at club. 

 Via social media, we were able to find just what we were looking for. Immediately it was a hit with our students. A huge mound of candy canes are laid out on a table and each student is given one to hold in their mouth with their hands behind their back. The object is to “hook” as many candy canes from the pile as possible using the one held in the mouth and successfully drop the ones that are picked up into a bowl, with the winner being the team with the most candy canes collected. Our students formed teams of boys vs. girls and had a blast as the blaring music in the background served as our signal that the time had expired for the round. The new game provided a platform for students to have fun, connect as they cheered on their team to victory, and test their hand-eye coordination. 

"Never Give Up on Invitations"

 Three weeks ago was nacho night at Hunter Club. In walks one of our middle school girls with a friend in tow. Sydney is kind of quiet and prefers to be behind the scenes rather than in the limelight. We quickly notice a face we have never seen before, and introduce ourselves to her friend she has brought with her. We meet Valeria and learn that she lives across the street from Sydney in one of the neighborhoods on post. We break the ice with the animal game while we wait for our nacho cheese to melt into golden deliciousness for mealtime. 

Sydney and Valeria (left) 

 As we sit around and chat over nachos with the students at club, we worked to get to know our new friend better. Valeria was quick to make new friends and connect with some kids she knew from school. She was able to strike up a conversation about anime. Several of our Hunter students are crazy about anime--the Japanese style of hand-drawn or computer animation. The night unfolded and we continued to have fun as we made connections and laid the groundwork for building a relationship with our new student. Sydney and Valeria shared with us how Sydney had been trying to get Valeria to come to Club with her for 2 years, but she just never did. Sydney didn’t give up on her friend though, she kept inviting, and finally, she came. 

 After Valeria’s first experience checking out club that night, she was wondering what took her so long and wished she had gotten plugged in sooner. Valeria is hooked on Club and has been coming each week since! We’re so glad that Sydney was persistent in sharing her experience at Club with her friend Valeria, inviting her to join us, and didn’t give up on her.

"Their Story Matters, Each Time We Gather"

 “Hey Mr. Phil, I want to share my story!” is a phrase we’ve been hearing a lot lately from both our middle and high school students. Using the 3-story model, we seek to connect to our students by listening to them share their stories of who they are. By doing so, we earn the right to share a little about our own story with them and introduce them to Jesus as we point them toward God’s story. During mealtime at club, we have created a space for students to volunteer to share a bit of who they are with other students and the leader team.

 

Ashani taking a pose before we start Club.

Ashani, one of our high school girls offered to share how a severe car accident that left her with third degree burns requiring multiple surgeries and skin graphs helped her to see the hand of God in her life. She talked of how she was teased and made fun of for looking differently from other students, but also of how that has helped to strengthen her and build her up. She talked about the heap of fiery mangled metal, how she had to be extricated by emergency crews, and how she shouldn’t have survived the crash. Her beautiful story allowed other students to see that even the most horrific things we experience in our life, God can work together for our good.

 As students brave through their fears of public speaking or judgment by their peers, to

Jaylon as he shared his story with us

during the meal at a recent HS Club.

unfold the story of who they are, others are encouraged to speak up and approach us about wanting to share. Jaylon is one of our high school boys that recently shared his story. His story included a recent arrest at the beginning of the school year and a trip to jail that left him missing quite a bit of school. He shared about how before his arrest, he was all about goofing off and living on the edge, in which he admitted to making some pretty poor choices. His time in jail gave him a lot of time to think about life and how he could begin to make better choices and do things differently. Upon his release, he returned to school. He had to work hard to get caught up in his classes as well as implement ways of not falling back into his old patterns. He spoke about how he considered consequences before taking action and how doing so guided him in a different direction most of the time.

 An astonishing 85% of the students we reach through Club Beyond are un-churched. By creating a safe place where kids can come and unpack the emotional baggage they carry, provides life and freedom. They are not met with shame or judgment, but with love and encouragement. Sometimes students question how we are able to love them through their mess, which opens the door for us to share with them how God loves us in the same way, no matter how dirty or broken we feel. We all have a story; we just have to be willing to share it with others.

We ask you to continually pray and lift up our leadership and students as each of them look to share their own ‘story’ with us, allowing us the opportunity to know them and each student to be known and loved in the eyes of Christ.

Ever so thankful for each of you.

Phil & Amy