Floyd Young Life has hit the ground running…literally!

On September 16, Floyd YL had its first club of the new school year! We participated in a new version of “Couch-O-Rama” that we named “Kiddie-Pool-O-Rama.” The night consisted of 6 teams of 7 to 12 kids, each team had its own un-inflated kiddie pool that they were required to bring around town and take pictures of their team IN their pool at various checkpoints. Some of these checkpoints included in a pick-up truck bed, next to the cow outside of Harvest Moon, and with a FCHS teacher or coach that might happen to be in town. It was a ton of fun running around town like crazy people trying to help our teams win, but I think what most of the kids and leaders enjoyed the most was the opportunity to forget about whatever was on our minds or bothering us as we all showed up to clubhouse in the basement of the State Farm building in town that night. After the adrenaline rush of running around town while simultaneously trying to blow up our inflatable pools, we returned to the clubhouse for the rest of club where we sang a few songs then heard a message from Morgan about Jesus spending time with sinners and how he is totally not who we would expect and is someone worth hearing more about! 

Kids sing in Clubroom, some still in their kiddie pools!

Heres what is happening with Young Life for the next month:

CLUB

September 30: YL Club, meet at the clubhouse at 6:45 pm

October 14: Dodgeball Club! Location TBA

October 28: YL Club, meet at the clubhouse at 6:45 pm

CAMPAIGNERS:

Campaigners will be every Thursday night at 7 o’clock at the Grims’ home: 1419 Old Furnace Road

Bowl-A-Thon

      On March 28th-29th Floyd YL took about 140 8th-12th grade students to an annual all-night bowling event called Bowl-A-Thon. It was a crazy night that started with the biggest Young Life Club that Floyd has had all semester, with at least 130 kids showing up to sing songs, play games and simply have fun together. At the end of club Kevin shared with everyone there the story of the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethsaida in chapter 5 of the Gospel of John. He shared how God created us to have Him as the center of our lives, and that even though we fill our lives with countless other things, he still loves us and calls us to be the people we were created to be! After club, all 130+ of us went on to Grace Baptist Church where the church members prepared an incredible meal for us. We had a great time of hanging out and eating together before we all loaded up onto the bus again and headed to NRV Bowl in Christiansburg. 

      We arrived in Christiansburg just before midnight and geared up for 6 hours of bowling, arcade games, and billiards, but most importantly, we had ample time for our volunteer leaders to deepen relationships with the numerous kids who had never come out to any Young Life event before. The whole purpose for Bowl-A-Thon was to take kids out of their usual routine and get a chance to be with kids in a new environment. We had a great time together (with very few people sleeping through the night on the bowling alley floor) and I’m sure everyone in attendance spent the rest of their Good Friday sleeping!!

Spring Club Begins!

Above, kids start club with Paper/Rock/Scissors-Under-Over (Loser joins line, through winner's legs!) 

At the first Club of the Spring 2013, or maybe it's still winter...  a mixed crowd of kids from all over the social spectrum and grade-range gathered together to laugh, to sing, to hear about a love that isn't based on performance or behavior but on the endless compassion of Jesus Christ.  Kevin read the story of Zaccheus and told kids at the closing of Club, "That is the kind of love we'll be talking about this semester!"  "That" is the kind of love that changes lives, and communities, and relationships.  "That" is the kind of love that welcomes kids of all kinds. "That" is the kind of love that reaches out and restores goodness to our broken world.  "That" love is from Jesus.  Pray that kids understand their worth & the love the Father has for them as they show up, laugh, and listen each week to a message of "that love."

Work Crew Weekend 2013!

       This past weekend, Jan 18-20, Staff Associate Kevin Parkhurst, and a few of the volunteer leaders took about 20 Floyd students to Rockbridge to do Work Crew. This meant that they volunteered their weekend to serve other kids who were having the best weekend of their life on a Wyldlife Winter Weekend. They worked in the Dining Hall, setting tables, serving each meal, cleaning the tables after meals and then setting them all over again. It was an awesome weekend, and the kids that were on Work Crew were so encouraged in their faith as they sacrificed their own weekend so others could have a great time. The idea behind Work Crew is that we would all be non-verbally communicating the gospel to the campers, as Jesus said in Matt. 20:28 "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many," as a work crew the kids did all they could to be an example of that verse and a reflection of Jesus Christ all weekend. The kids worked their tails off, but none of them regretted it. One of the kids who came, Josh, said at one point: "I would rather work here all the time than have a job that I get a paycheck, the pay off for this work is WAY better than any paycheck or amount of money I could have earned!" It truly was a fantastic weekend of serving others and the hope is everyone came home changed. That all who went trust Jesus a bit more than they did before!  

Merry Christmas!

          Trevor King, 9th grader at FCHS, was the victor of the first Young Life Mr. Elf Christmas Pageant last night! This"Android Elf," in android character all night, was the landslide winner!  Amidst all the laughter & excitement of the pageant, the highlight of the night for everyone was hearing from Randall Hale, as he shared his testimony to over 150 attenders.  "There is nothing like the love of Jesus," Randall shared as he explained that he felt empty in his quest to find full life in golf and video games a year ago.  "I first came to Young Life because there was a girl there I liked... but it was the talks at the end that really got me."  Randall shared that it was a year ago today, December 4th, that he started a relationship with Jesus at Fall Weekend (Young Life Camp), and how he's experienced a full and purposed-filled life since then.  Randall and others share their story in this video also shared last night: CLICK HERE FOR YOUNG LIFE VIDEO!

        As we're winding down to the last 2 Clubs of 2012, we still eagerly expect that kids, "being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ" Ephesians 3:17-18.  

"Young Life rocked tonight!"

Dylan Stout, Aaron Tsang, Billie Quesenberry & Harmony Epperly in "Name That Tune" pots & lollypop style.

"Young Life rocked tonight!" said a Facebook post from a girl who just started attending Club this fall.  Last night there was a sense of fresh enthusiasm from kids after a nice little holiday break.  Though new sport schedules and holiday conflicts kept many kids away, every kid there seemed to just take an hour break away from all the pressures of school, sports, relationships to laugh, feel welcomed, and hear a great message from Emily about how Jesus is powerful, but also very personal. Jesus doesn't want to only heal and impress us with miracles, but He desires to know us and love us in a personal way.  The simple, gospel-centered messages at Club have a profound affect on many kids, many who don't know that Jesus wants to know them like that, many who have been compelled to attend Campaigner Bible Studies for the first time this fall as we've moved beyond the book of Luke and into a focus on spiritual leadership.  The semester may be winding down, but it seems like the work God is doing in the hearts' of kids is gearing up.  With another month of Club and fun plans for Campaigners all winter, we have high expectations in how the Lord will creatively bless this season! "Tis the season"... we celebrate Emmanuel--God with us!  How better to celebrate that than to tell kids each week that God is with us through Jesus Christ! 

FIRST CLUB OF THE FALL!