March 2015 Newsletter

Dear friends of the military ministry, 

Back in December, Amy and I sent out a number of our personal magnets sharing the desire and need for prayer upon God’s harvest for more adults to reach our teens between Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield. For us to say that your prayers have been answered would be a misrepresentation of His amazing blessings upon the ministry sites already in 2015. So, come join us and read over what God’s been doing here……

Club Ministry

One of our giant groups of Fort Stewart
middle school teensplaying 'pinball!' 

A group of our HS teens gathered for a game! 

It might sound cliché, but energy always builds around the nicer weather down here especially since our weather turns quicker than most places. We’ve seen explosive growth from all fronts – middle school and high school Club and Bible studies at Fort Stewart have been growing all spring and we are seeing record crowds each night. Our core groups of students are multiplying and there are record numbers of students bringing other friends to come and experience Club weekly. One of my favorite things happens at least once nightly when a student rushes up to me and says “Mr. Phil, this is ____ and they’re new here.” It’s awesome. Our teens are eager to be celebrated upon for their eager hearts to bring their friends to a place they love to come each week. When we shared about the harvest, we never imagined our groups to become a steady and growing 35+ each week, however that IS what God has had in store for us because of your fervent prayers.

Bible Studies

At Hunter Army Airfield, students attending our ongoing Bible study which overviews and opens up dialogue of our ‘talk’ each week prior are hungry to go deeper. One of our newer high school attendees, Jacob, asked an awesome question about what happened to the Garden of Eden after sin entered the world. What a question! We’re seeing our students being unashamed just like Jacob who will ask the tough questions they are unsure and know they aren’t being judged by their curiosity of God’s Word. Because each of you have been praying for us, our Hunter teens are showing up weekly with a deep hunger to know more about God’s Truth. 

Leadership Team

We’re also seeing an explosion of growth on our leadership team at both of our locations. Fort Stewart’s crew of adults has grown with an increase of new folks who have moved into our area and are starting to own their part of God’s puzzle in reaching our military teens, whether at Club or outside of it. Two of our newest folks, Amy and her daughter Nia, have come to us with experience from  Fort Hood, Texas which also has Club Beyond ministry. They have joined our forces and have already made strides in impact bringing new games and energy to our teens. Not only this, but they have a passion to see things unfold in ways we never imagined.  Amy and Nia plan on helping spearhead our upcoming spring break work project and retreat. Your prayers have brought us a team of phenomenal adults who want to spread Christ’s love to these teens in shepherding and caring for them ‘right where they live.’

Community Partnerships

Ezra (left) and I at the spouses luncheon
sharing about the impact their contribution
has made upon our teens and the ministry.

Amy and I never imagined these things unfolding the way they have in the ministry this spring semester, but God brought MORE yet. Each ministry location is encouraged to develop strategic and ongoing community partnerships with groups to be fully part of the community and allow the community to experience the ministry outside the doors of weekly Club. Let’s just say God wasn’t bringing one or two partners this spring, He was on mission to blow away our expectations.

Kicking off the month of March began with a repeated partnership with the Fort Stewart Red Cross and our spaghetti dinner for their 5k packet pick-up and late registration. Another new partner added to the mix are the wonderful ladies of Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC) who chose to come alongside us and provide all the pasta and fixings for the meal!

Being the banker and financially minded guy I am, I still desire to provide some great education and training to prepare our students as they head out after finishing high school. The great folks of Army Community Service (ACS) are highly interested in joining the efforts and we’re currently working on a workshop to provide a financial resiliency opportunity for our teens in high school.

A few of our HS teens helping at the 5k! 

Two of our middle school ladies who
ran and placed in the Red Cross 5k!

Each year we work diligently to provide an opportunity to reduce the financial strain on families to send their teens to camp each summer.  I approached the Marne Community and Spouses Club (MCSC) in the fall of 2014 to prayerfully consider awarding us another grant for summer camp. A parent and board member for community outreach for the MCSC  called me this month sharing they are partnering with us again as they did last year, pushing our total fundraising figure to send 60 youth to summer camp at ½ price!

You can see how your amazing prayer and partnership has been unfolding already in immense ways this spring. We thank you for being part of it and pray for each of you as we obediently serve our military and their teenagers. It’s not only breathtaking, but humbling to be part of this each day.

~Phil and Amy 

February 2015 Newsletter

What books are on your ‘must read’ list?  A great friend of mine who is a Pastor in Kansas City shared with me the name of a book that I should have on my ‘must-read’ list, “The Cost of Discipleship,” which was written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I am currently reading, “Bonhoeffer as Youth Worker ” which was based upon Bonhoeffer’s accomplishments within the confines of working with youth and the way he did ministry during Nazi Germany regime. When I dug deeper in this book, it shared how Bonhoeffer states many times throughout that we are used by God as His stellvertretung, or “place sharers” with our teens in ministry. Specifically, Bonhoeffer makes the case that when we work alongside people as one of Christ’s ambassadors, we join them in living together and sharing what they are experiencing in life. Whether or not it’s recognized, Bonhoeffer began relational ministry with those around him using this method of sharing places and stories in his lifetime as a pastor, mentor and friend.

In the start of our spring 2015 semester, I have been compelled to peel back the onion more on my own personal life and share deeper with the students what I have experienced pertaining to God’s love showing up in our lives when it feels undeserved. Specifically, I took moments in back-to-back weeks to share my intimate thoughts and feelings in the area of my dad’s passing in 2014 and in my divorce back in 2007. Not only did I relive these moments, but I truly gave our teens insight into where my personal faith was throughout these times along with my flaws showing up in my faith background too. God allowed me to lay a foundation for us to get real, together.

Some of our all-star middle school students warming up
during our Groundhog Breakfast fundraiser which raised
an astonishing $1100 for summer camp!!

A rowdy group of middle school teens playing
together, but have been gripped and evaluating
how God is using the talks to work in their lives.

To say and share that God opened a floodgate of opportunity would take away the magnitude of what God did in those two weeks. Our students at both Stewart and Hunter were gripped with their own lives coming into play when my life was shared and how God’s love was interwoven somehow. Our middle school crew got the first talks of each week. We had one girl, CR whom I knew would be impacted by the sharing of my father’s death since she had recently lost her mother. For some reason, God gives me the ability to see when our kids are ‘faking it’ when I ask how they’re doing personally. CR is definitely one I noticed in the past weeks. Sharing with our middle school students about asking why God would love me enough to take the man I love as my daddy from this world was enough to peel CR’s onion. God’s Truth shook the ground which she was planted. I felt it was necessary to check in with her after ending the talk with how we are comforters to those who need comfort and how God uses this ‘junk’ to identify with others’ junk too – 2 Corinthians 1:3-11.

Isaiah on the left side of this photo during game time
at Hunter Club. 

If that wasn’t enough, this same message at Hunter broke through some kids I never thought would listen or be reached. Soon after I finished the talk, one of our boys named Isaiah stepped up to me and opened up, sharing his story about his dad’s recent failing health and being hospitalized. As he was sharing with me this intimate and personal feeling about his dad’s well-being, Isaiah’s eyes were welling up with tears, although he was fighting them off. God created a space where emotion and life could be shared with one another. A ‘place shared’ with our teens.  Stellvertretung.

A few of our high school ladies goofing off
while I took a 'selfie' together, but many have
been gripped by the talks and what God is
doing in their hearts and lives. 

I could go on and on with name upon name of our teenagers who have been impacted because I was obedient in sharing myself with them in the recent weeks. All we can ask is that you keep them in prayer. Isaiah, Kyle, Christian, Katie, CR, Gavin, Adeline, Ali, Shelby, Cora, Riley, Carissa, Reggie, Brandon, Matt……and many more that God will allow us to ‘share space’ alongside.

God doesn’t make these moments up. They are precious. Join the ride.
Humbly thankful,
~Phil and Amy 

January 2015 Newsletter

A new memory, during the
Christmas tree lighting @
Fort Stewart! 

Taking a moment to enjoy
a photo with one another
before the tree lighting.

Greetings and Happy New Year! 

During this part of the year our locations take intentional time off for our teens to rest, relax and enjoy time with their families and friends before going back to school and rushing into another semester. The same goes for our leadership team as well as Amy and I, which influences us more than ever to slow down. The best part about this is how we started new traditions and how we saw God’s hand all over the 2015 vision and plan for reaching teens.

As most of you know, Amy and I traveled a ton in the first 5 months of our marriage, which made us desire to stick around Georgia and make the most of being home for our 1^st Christmas and New Year together. Although missing family traditions and loved ones back in the Midwest, God blessed our time and provided moments which were wonderful for us. If it weren’t enough in starting new traditions with one another, we also were blessed with our first home in Hinesville which God totally blasted doors open for us to purchase over the break. Therefore, we also enjoyed setting up our own beautiful Christmas tree in our home and enjoyed an amazing Christmas dinner together that evening.

Amy caught a moment as I laid this wreath
on his tree during the ceremony. 

Taking a moment to breathe it all in
during the Warriors Walk ceremony.

Another blessing about staying in our area was being part of annual events happening around Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield. Each year at Fort Stewart, soldiers lost in the ongoing battle overseas are honored at the Warriors Walk by the ‘laying of the Christmas wreaths’ in an amazing fashion. Warriors Walk is an amazing and sobering memorial lining the parade field where our soldiers from the 3^rd Infantry Division deploy and come back home from battle. Each tree represents a life given in battle in the Iraq and Afghan wars. To say that it was humbling and breathtaking doesn’t come close to the emotions which hit me in this event. We not only went to witness this annual event but we also chose to lay four wreaths upon trees since these soldiers’ families weren’t able to do it for them.

Being that we took the time to slow down and rest over the holiday season, it was apparent that God was calling us into a new season. Leadership was starting to change over the past few months and recent weeks due to moves and job changes. Our photo magnet we sent out for Christmas to many of you shared the need of praying for additional help as God has brought the harvest and continues to do so. We are thankful to share your prayers already have brought new people into the fray for leadership to fill the gaps left from others moving!

Us together as we took the keys
to our home in Hinesville! 

Finally, a resonating feeling as of late in healthy discussion with other ministry leaders and friends plus inward soul searching and discernment led me to see God is bringing us into 2015 doing ministry ‘simple and effective.’ I have had some fruitful conversations with our military leadership to include the Garrison Chaplain who all believe this is and can be an impactful year in this direction. We’re finding out in our time of rest that our students don’t need all the ‘bells and whistles’ of attraction to get them to hang out; all they really want is our undivided attention and a person who cares for them and speaks into their life. Please continue to pray for us in this new season since it will include bringing more intentional plans on our time with our students and how we do ministry effectively at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield.

The Harvest is upon us. Let us execute well as God anoints His plans! 

Amy and I enjoying a new tradition with our
Christmas tree decorating in our home.

~Phil & Amy Parsons

December 2014 Newsletter

Us together at Carolina Point summer
camp with our high school students.

With the holiday season upon us, many find themselves reflecting as the current year comes to a close. For me, Amy, this year has been one of a lot of changes. Never in my wildest dream, did I think I would be living in Southeast Georgia, married to a man doing youth ministry with military teens.  Sometimes during our time of reflection, we often wonder, “How did I end up here?”

Initially, I felt completely unprepared for this mission to serve military teens and their families. I wasn’t quite sure how things would unfold, if I would fit in, or if the students would even like me---which I am learning, are all very similar feelings of these military students we work with. As I began to reflect, I have seen the hand of God woven throughout my life experience, preparing me all along the way for this mission.

I grew up in a very missions-minded church. Not only did we support missionaries all over the globe, but also many families within our congregation were either away serving in the field or had at one time. Annually, we had a missionary fair that allowed the missionaries we supported to come and provide updates and share all that was happening where they were serving. I always enjoyed helping out with the event and soaking up all the exciting stories of the far away lands and the work that God was doing through our missionaries and the people they were serving. Not only was my church one that was very missions-minded, it was also comprised of many military families from neighboring Fort Leavenworth. It wasn’t uncommon for the military families to get connected, only to just disappear a few years later due to orders they had received to move to another installation.

Phillip and I together after Melissa's
baptism last month at Chapel Next.

A snapshot of us during the 2014
staff conference.

Given my upbringing, it was only natural for me to develop a servant’s heart and a desire to help others. As a high school student, I went on a mission trip, and did all that I could to serve those in my own backyard that were in need. As I began to think about a career path, whatever I ended up doing, I knew it would involve serving others in some way.

Phillip and I on the golf course
during our outing at the 2014
Club Beyond Staff Conference.

After college, I found myself still searching for my purpose for my life’s calling. I pursued a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, where I also felt compelled to serve military families through the lens of mental health. It was shortly after I began my graduate work that I remembered the “crazy guy” that had attended my life group the year before trying to raise financial support to work with military teens. I had the opportunity to connect with Phil while he was on a visit back to our church in KC in December 2012. Just like the exciting stories from faraway lands I enjoyed hearing as a child at my church’s missions fairs, I was so intrigued to hear Phil share about the work God was doing through him in Georgia, as well as share my new-found passion to serve military families. We could have talked for hours, but life had to move forward for both of us. Neither of us ever imagined that our paths would ever cross again, but once again, God’s hand was busy at work, preparing us for the journey we are now on together.

As I sit and reflect about how I have ended up here, I think about athletes. Whether football players or marathon runners, it takes a lot of training and practice for them before they can take the field or enter the race. I feel that my life up to this point has been a lot of training and practice, sitting on the sidelines observing the game. Now, I find myself taking the field, in the middle of all of the action, serving alongside my husband as we serve military students. My journey hasn’t always been a smooth ride, but I am forever grateful for all of my life’s experiences that have helped pave the way and prepare me to travel this current road. As I reflect, I am grateful for my Christian upbringing; for all of the missionaries that poured into my life, and for all the service members of the United States Military that sacrifice so much for this country. I am grateful for all of you that have chosen to partner alongside us in this mission, whether through prayer or financial support. As this year comes to a close, I encourage you to reflect on your life and how the hand of God has been woven throughout your story. I am excited to see what God has in store in the upcoming year as He continues to use us as His vessels through Club Beyond.

Phillip and I at the 2014 Club Beyond Staff Conference in
Panama City Beach, Florida.

If you are already currently partnering with us through prayer or financial support, we thank you for your gifts that keep the mission to reach military teens alive. If you have yet to join our team, we ask that you prayerfully consider joining us in whatever capacity you are able. One-time gifts are just as vital as ongoing monthly support.

Merry Christmas from Phil and I to each of your families! 

November 2014 Newsletter

Amy and I had the wonderful opportunity to get back to the Midwest and spend some great time with so many friends, family and loved ones. Stops along the way in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Tennessee allowed us to draw from God’s wellspring of love and care. We enjoyed wedding celebrations with awesome people in Omaha and Kansas City and a rivalry football game in Lawrence, Kansas on a sunny afternoon with family and dear friends. We also had dinner with a wonderful mentor couple, Tom and Lynn, who poured more life into us than what we ever imagined. Sometimes God will take us away from our routine and our own chaos to see what really matters the most. Time with others mattered to us and got us to thinking about what to do in the time when we got back home. This got me to thinking about the next comment I’m about to make.

Amy and I with our dear friend, Toni,
at the KU/OSU game.

Rick (old boss) and I during the recent visit
in Kansas City, a true blessing!

Amy and I with my family back in Iowa during our Midwest visit.

Normally when I cross paths with someone who asks how things are going with the ministry at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, things usually trend toward the weekly attendance at Club. Sure it is exciting to share what is going on at both of our locations with our teenagers and the uprising in attendance. It’s a wonderful thing, but it’s not the only thing.

In the recent weeks, Amy and I have spent some great moments together visiting our kids in special moments where they shine in their passions and strengths. One evening was in Savannah watching a couple of our Hunter middle school girls, Clairah and Alyssa, participate in their first volleyball scrimmage for their school. Their sports teams are in the developing stages and this was a monumental event to see how far the kids have grown in their abilities and we got to share in that moment!

Clairah (far right) with her friend and Alyssa next to me after their volleyball scrimmage! 

Amy and I with Alysia and Austin
at the Long County Football Game
....which was COLD! :) 

Another shared event was where we decided to pick up Austin and Alysia from Fort Stewart Club to hang out with them as we watched a mutual student compete in the color guard for their football halftime show. This young lady attended camp with us and has a heart of gold. She’s passionate about life and has poured herself into this new talent and for us to see her in action was such a moment for Shelby.

Shelby and I after her halftime
performance for the flag corps.

Bradwell Institute's band during a bitter
COLD day'scompetition!

Ethan with us after his team's game.

It isn’t enough that we know our kids are involved in specific activities, but when we get to physically see them doing it, that is where the sparks fly for our teens. This is certain for quite a few of our local high school band members who shared with us about their band competition right before state kicks off for them. Amy and I not only made it up to see them in the blustery cold wind – yes it was THAT cold in southeast Georgia that afternoon, but we also made it up earlier in the morning to watch one of our Hunter youths play in one of his final soccer tournaments in the Savannah area.

Recently, Desiree (name changed for privacy), a girl from Hunter followed up with me after she shared she had been struggling at home with life changes and all. It wasn’t enough that it blew me away a 7^th grade teen wanted to grab my ear to visit about some deeper things, but this young lady admitted where her physical anger was getting the best of her and how it might be bad for her to be thinking that way.

Our dear friends, Tony and Michelle.

The daily grind of full-time ministry can sometimes be exhaustive. We have been praying earnestly for a mutual couple for God to put into our path and grow relationally and spiritually as we work with our teens. As of late, Amy and I had the wonderful moment to sit down and have dinner with an amazing couple, Tony and Michelle, who lives locally in Hinesville and does youth ministry at their church in town. Interestingly enough, this couple also understands the value of relational ministry. Tony once commented to me after the guys marathon day and said that he knew we ‘got it’ in relational ministry to teens. It was a breath of fresh air to sit down with them over a meal. Before we knew it, we’d been visiting about life, ministry and whatever else for three hours!   

It is true that our weekly efforts matter because they lay the foundation for us to be able to be readily available to hear when our kids want us to plug into their activities or lives when we’re trusted. Please join us in praying as our leaders spend time outside of the weekly ministry routine and that our hearts and ears are open when these teens desire for us to live life with them.

Thank you for being part of our life. Life on life matters, especially to these teens. 

October 2014 Newsletter

Gorgeous weather allowed for the group to grow ten-fold!

Oftentimes we can get tunnel vision in the ministry and mission and forget some of the most important moments of what God is accomplishing right in front of our eyes. Recently my wife, Amy, shared with me how this ministry’s pace is crazy and feels like each week evaporates so quickly and soon we are looking upon another week of ministry before we know it. Slowing down for all of us is crucially important as we celebrate what God is doing and share those pivotal times with others. Celebrate with me all that God is doing at Hunter Army Airfield!

A rowdy crew together one evening!

CLUB

Playing charades with the girls! 

Playing charades with the guys!

Kings of the calendar!

Over the last 7 weeks, we’ve seen unreal growth at Hunter. A record group of 41 kids showed up and rocked the doors of our location playing football, ninja, video games on the TVs and air hockey. Friends were bringing other friends and their friends were bringing other friends and the exponential ministry plan was working. The choice to move our meeting place to a location where we had a giant field across the street for our youth to gather and play before Club has been a ten-fold blessing. It blows our minds to see kids continually showing up, whether being dropped off or walking from their neighborhoods and they keep coming and coming! The best part about it is that our kids are bringing their friends who haven’t been before to experience the energy going on each week which continues to build.

BIBLE STUDY

A shot of one of our largest groups, 41!!!

We’re seeing record groups showing up 45 minutes ahead of Club to have a Bible study about the week’s prior ‘talk’ and go deeper in the Scriptures. There were twenty-six in our first week alone of having our study! The youth continue to show up for the study in the recent weeks where 14 and 20 have been ready to hear what God’s Word says to them. So many of our youth this year haven’t heard God’s stories in the Bible and they are truly hungry for His Truth and how it can apply to their lives.

GUYS MARATHON DAY

Looking back at the past two Guys Marathon Days we’ve hosted at Hunter, we’ve had a group of guys which was vibrant and intimate – each group being 5 to 6 boys. This year was unexplainable in what happened. We had nineteen boys show up for a day filled with flag football, hotdogs at lunch, ultimate Frisbee, ultimate football, their own 1lb+ steaks at the end of the day and watching the movie God’s Not Dead together. Adding amazement to the day included four additional leaders to help out with the number of students we hosted in the ongoing fellowship and competition together which everyone loved!

The crew together before heading to play flag football!

Heading out to play some games!

Grilling time!

The steak! 

Getting instruction for flag football!

LEADERSHIP TEAM

If that’s not enough to brag upon what’s happening at Hunter, we are seeing our adult assistance and leadership team grow. We’ve had 2-3 new leadership team members join  us knowing that we’ll need the extra support and care for these teens as we reach more and more regularly. It overwhelms me personally with joy and peace to see God’s mighty hand all over this location.

Many people who visit the ministry and mission here at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield can’t physically imagine how we can provide ministry 45 miles apart. I continually share with them it’s because God’s called us and we’re NOT going to give up hope for what He has in store for us. Often I have shared with Chaplains, parents, students and anyone else, “God’s onto something here.”

Amy and I are honored and humbled by your ongoing support as we seek God’s plans to reach our youth at Hunter Army Airfield with persistence, patience, obedience and perseverance. 

September 2014 Newsletter

Each of us within the leadership team must ‘win the students’ right to be heard’ when working alongside them. It’s all part of the way each of our leaders can truly show empathy, care and God’s love to these teens no matter where they are coming from when we hang out with them.  I shared with our leadership team over a recent weekend retreat which allowed all of us to understand the ‘how and why’ of what we do to reach our military teens on Fort Stewart and Hunter. It brings us back to a reality that our students don’t want to be preached at but want to be cared about and loved. Our team spent time sharing their personal stories, dreams, fears and everything in between – just as we ask our teens to do. The bridge started to form between us. Life was shared and modeled throughout our time together.

This is a snapshot of our newest couple
Jacob and Sara. 

Just as our students and families move often in and out of our locations, our leadership team will go through continual change. We are fortunate enough if we have a leader continue with us 2-3 years since life does come at them hard and most of them are soldiers themselves and are always busy with the tempo of the military life. Meet our newest leadership team additions, Jacob and Sara. These two were introduced to us while we were attending our summer camp for middle school students in June. Sara was on staff with the camp and Jacob came out during the week to help and see how things were going. There was something awesomely different about them. Their open hearts to love kids was refreshing. Soon after meeting them at camp, God opened doors in dialogue between us to share the Club ministry mission and how they were connected to the military. It didn’t take long for the both of them to come alongside us and check out the ministry and fall in love with the kids there. Their love for teens in general is infectious. One of our teens who was impacted through camp that has been specifically cared for by Sara was baptized soon after attending camp. Sara and Jacob are also taking some of our students to church with them every week because they don’t have a ride.

Here's a snapshot of Vern and Mary Miranda.

Another recent addition to our team comes from a long-time standing experience with Club Beyond overseas in Europe. The history behind his involvement includes marrying the associate staff with Club Beyond as he was stationed there! I had the pleasure of getting to know Vern as his wife, Mary, found out his next duty station would have Club Beyond. We got together over a meal to share stories together. Vern’s heart and transparency about where he is personally with his own faith walk and his passion for teens is phenomenal. Personally, I am thrilled to have him on the team as a ‘sage’ who has seen ministry done in other places and has been involved in ministry with youth for a long time.

The leadership team together as we are learning and educating one
another in reaching our teens for God's mission this year. 

As I reflected what I learned at a recent training for Youth for Christ, we are in a season which is ‘anew.’ We begin with new vision, new students, new leaders and a new calling to reach our military teens, wherever they might be. Specifically in the past year, it has been brought to my attention via the reactions of our teens that they wonder if they’re even worthy of this love of God whom we speak. They wonder if they’re worthy of any praises or care. Life pulls them down and if that’s not enough, the military life adds to the struggle.

A photograph of Walter (left) and Zac (right)
as they compete in a 'warhead' challenge
during our recent leadership retreat.

That being said, our leadership team is headed into a season leaning into what Jesus has shown us in the lives of our students who have shared life with us and have been amazingly transparent. 

Pray as we show them God’s love in His Word in the series throughout the school year called “Love Undeserved.” We’ll shepherd them through the Old and New Testament stories of where He has shown His love in His people and through situations that seem totally unlovable. Pray that our new and returning leadership team members truly do “earn the right to be heard” with our teens this year and share with them this love God has for them, no matter the circumstance.

Honored and humbled to be on mission,

Phil & Amy Parsons