Fall is in full swing as we have noticed the seasonal shift in starting mornings in the upper-40s and no longer seeing high temperatures in the 90s like our unseasonably warm summer. School is back in full swing as well, which means football games under the Friday night lights, building relationships with students over school lunches, and a plethora of other activities that keep our calendars busy. The need for direct contact ministry with students is such a vital part of what we do as a Youth For Christ affiliate. Equally important, is continually taking the time to sharpen our skills and glean from others on how we can improve our effectiveness.
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| Amy, David Kinnaman and Phil during the Fort Leavenworth Symposium |
We recently had the opportunity to glean from others while attending the Next Generation Religious Support Symposium at Fort Leavenworth. This event spanned the course of 3 days. We were able to hear from various chaplains throughout the military regarding their experience, expertise, and vision to reach the upcoming generation. The opening keynote speaker was David Kinnaman, President of the Barna Research group. He has authored several books and conducted numerous hours of research on millennials, and generation z. The resounding theme of many of the speakers' messages, was that if we want to reach this generation of students with the gospel, we have to approach it in a fresh, new way, that allows us to connect with these students on their level. It sounds simple enough, but what makes it so difficult? After all, that's exactly what Jesus did, he went to where people were and simply met them on their level.
Attending the symposium allowed us to realign our hearts and our vision to keep ministry simple and just meet students on their level. Students crave to be in authentic relationship, and that's exactly what we hope to do in empowering our adult leadership team members in building time with the students that they encounter, with the hope of sharing Jesus with them. The symposium also encouraged our staff as we have felt God's leading to us in meeting our teens specifically in schools and places they already are in the normal day.
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Phil got the opportunity to see the local news station give the starting
running back with the player of the week award.
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As we have been going to where students are, the affiliate is gaining new permissions in several areas of Leavenworth County. Phil was recently granted the permission of being the chaplain for the Leavenworth High School football team and has been getting to know many of the players on the team. The players have come to appreciate his presence in the locker room and on the field during home games. He is able to share a devotional during team meals, practices, and before they take the field. In addition to the football chaplain position, some of the students attending the basketball nights at the Salvation Army are also on the football team at Leavenworth High. They are really starting to crave more and more time together, and a small group of them are wanting to dive in deeper into a faith conversation. Most recently, a small group of those guys will gather together to do exactly that! How awesome is that?! They will be meeting on a weekly basis for a couple of hours and begin unpacking what it means to be a Christ follower.
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Allison (center) with two students from
Basehor-Linwood Middle School
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Diving down south of our area into the city of Basehor, our other staff person, Allison has continued to build upon her mentor relationship in the middle school and many students and faculty are excited to see her back. Specifically, the leadership of the affiliate met with a few highly interested Basehor parents who wanted to see the possibility of Campus Life launch in their middle school. Apparently all it took was sharing the information and the plans for our next meeting and how to prayerfully invite the right folks who would like to see this happen in the school, to include administrators, local church leaders, community leaders, other parents and any folks who would like to know more about YFC and how Campus Life can impact the school. Allison has shared how much opportunity the administration and teachers have permitted her to go in and through the middle school whenever she is present and can impact the teens and build upon relationships with them. We ask you to be praying for our upcoming 7 October meeting in Basehor which will build upon our initial adult interest meeting and what God has in store for these teens in their school.
Then there's Patton Junior High, located directly inside the front gates of Fort Leavenworth in which we have returned to serve their teens in the common areas before school and return the same day during lunch, building relationships with them and serving the need for more adult supervision. The biggest part of our return this year which we have immediately noticed was the impact for the teens to get outdoors during their abbreviated recess in their lunch hour. They usually can't get outdoors unless there are two more adults to help oversee the students in going outside and coming back to get to class. To be able to serve these military teens in this capacity has been an amazing blessing and it was readily welcomed in our return for this school year.
Staffing updates:
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Allison with her friend, Sierra at
her recent wedding in Florida
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Allison Adragna - This month Allison had the privilege of traveling to Florida to celebrate the marriage of one of her closest friends. Being in Florida also allowed her to spend time at one of her favorite places to rest and recharge: the beach. Please continue to pray for Allison as she diligently works to become fully funded.
Phil, Amy and Parker Parsons - Parker's first birthday is on the way, 10 October and we are excited to celebrate it with him. Goodness how fast the time has flown! Please also celebrate with us that a chaplain friend of ours on Fort Leavenworth has chosen to sponsor our limited access cards (LAC) on Fort Leavenworth. This will allow us permission throughout the next year on and off the installation with ease!
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We can NOT thank you all enough for praying for us wherever God leads us to serve His youth in this amazing area throughout the county, either on post or all over the area. Please continue to do so as we are seeing immense Kingdom opportunity. Should you have questions about how, what, why and anything in between of our mission, please reach us anytime at pparsons@yfcmail.org or 913-683-1793. We are always prayerfully seeking new partners who want to invest in the Kingdom work that we are called, therefore if you would like to do so at any time, the link to do so is listed below.
To give to the YFC Leavenworth County Affiliate, you may go to this link: https://yfc.givingfuel.com/31081.
