March/April Update

Upcoming YL and WL Schedules:

• Young Life Club: Every Monday, 6:30 pm at the Grims (1419 Old Furnace Road)
• Young Life Campaigners: Every Thursday morning, 7 am at Floyd Presbyterian
• Wyldlife Club: March 21st, April 4th, April 25th at the Sagebiels (521 Oak Hill Drive)
• Wyldlife Campaigners: First three Mondays of each month, 6:30-7:30 at the Gills (240 Airport Road NW, Riner, VA 24149)

“No more snow!” Those three words could be used to sum up the feelings of the Young Life and Wyldlife leaders in Floyd County this past month. The winter weather seems to love coming on Mondays and Fridays lately, which has caused numerous cancellations of Young Life and Wyldlife events since mid-February. It hasn’t stopped leaders from doing what they can to invest in middle school and high school students in whatever way they can. Leaders are showing up at lunches, at sporting events, even coaching some sports. They are taking kids to coffee or playing video games with kids after school. Young Life’s mission doesn’t stop at club and campaigner events. In fact, our ministry is different because our leaders go to kid’s “turf” rather than simply asking kids to come to our YL events. It is in this way that we reach the kids that are on the outside, kids that are left out or overlooked. No matter if it snows from today until the last day of school this spring, our Young Life and Wyldlife leaders will be in Floyd investing in teens in Floyd in whatever ways we can imagine!

ROCKBRIGE YL SUMMER CAMP: JUNE 3-8, 2014:
     Floyd County teens join their leaders for the "best week of their lives" in Goshen, VA. Registration has begun! $50 depotsits can be mailed in to PO Box 662 Floyd, Va with your child's name in memo line or given to Young Life leaders.
     Donations for camp scholarships are tax-deductable and separate from our operating budget.  Our main camp fundraiser will include sending out support letters to family and friends of kids who wish to participate in serving our community through ProjectFloyd. 

ProjectFloyd MAY 10, 2014:
Our county-wide service day is organized by Young Life to get kdis and adults in our community serving to meet local needs. Visit projectfloyd.org for details! 
Sign up online or contact us for info about volunteering or work projects.

February Update

 

3 of our Floyd Work Crew Girls fold in Camp Store

   Last month, we took nearly 30 high school students and college leaders to do work crew at Rockbridge Young Life Camp in Lexington, VA. There was a Wyldlife Winter Weekend being held at the camp that weekend with more than 450 middle school students from all over Virginia, Maryland & West Virginia. The work crew from Floyd served all over camp, from working in the Dining Hall and serving food at meals, to working in the snack bar and the camp store. Much of what the work crew does is totally anonymous and thankless, but the students who came wanted to do it because they knew that their behind the scenes work could help a middle schooler have a better understanding of who Jesus is and what he did for them. 
      Many of those who were on the work crew had experienced a weekend at camp before they chose to do work crew. Some of those kids chose to do work crew in January because they experienced Jesus’ love for them through the work crew that was there to serve them. A few students are considering giving up an entire month of their summer to serve at a camp on a longer-term work crew. They are willing to sacrifice their time so others can have a chance at experiencing Jesus’ love in a way that they have!
     Through Young Life in Floyd, high school and middle school aged kids are reaching out and caring for others in sometimes sacrificial and intimidating ways. They are looking for ways to serve each other in response to the way that Jesus sacrificially loved and cared for them.

Events/Opportunities in the upcoming weeks include:

• Young Life will be every Monday night this winter from 6:30-8 at the Grims’ home: 1419 Old Furnace Road (with the exception of Shoe-Raid Club explained below).
• Campaigners will meet every Thursday morning at Floyd Presbyterian Church at 7 am. Breakfast will be provided. 
• Shoe-Raid Club will be February 24th at 6:30. See video below & email if you want to drop off shoes in the next 2 weeks. Spread the word and help us get another 800 shoes in the next 2 weeks!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6nfqPTxZQI 
• Leader Committee Weekend (LCW) February 28-March 2nd. This weekend is in Richmond and will host every leader and Young Life committee person in the state of Virginia for encouraging talks, informative seminars on leadership, and opportunities to serve in downtown Richmond. We leave Floyd by 3 pm Friday the 28th and return at 6 pm on Sunday. Parents can find out more information directly about LCW, but we encourage only sophomores, juniors, and seniors to pursue this opportunity.   

December/January--Cold Days Make For Great Campaigner Weekends Away!

Although the winter temperatures are bitter cold, the smiles and stories from Rockbridge warm the heart.  Dozens of teens from Floyd who attended Fall Weekend in mid-November experienced intense fun, new friendships, and eye-opening talks about the character of Jesus. The great news is that all the camping adventures can be had again this summer at Rockbridge, June 3-8, 2014. That’s one way to get warm... think about sunny Rockbridge in June where kids from Floyd and areas all over Virginia will be having the best week of their lives! Deposits can be made starting in February to confirm a spot, so plan camps and vacation around Young Life Camp! 
Speaking of scheduling, winter is a break from Club for leaders and staff to focus on Campaigner opportunities and there are MANY coming up (see dates below)!  Club will resume in mid-late February, but campaigner meetings resume this month. A campaigner dinner this Sunday (the 12th) 5-7 pm will be at the Grim House at 1419 Old Furnace Rd. Floyd, Va 24091 to discuss new semester plans and best times to hold Campaigners this spring--so please stay posted about set timing for Campaigners after that dinner Sunday. 

Growing & Exciting Opportunities for Campaigners to Serve: We encourage Campaigners to attend one (or all!) of the following opportunities to serve, lead, grow in their personal faith, and enjoy fellowship. “Work Crew” is designed especially for high school students, however, traditionally “Prayer Overnight” and “Committee Leader Weekend” have only been attended by leaders. We will extend the invitation this year to Campaigners who are excited & ready to grow through these opportunities to sit through seminars and talks with leaders & staff. Unlike campaigner meetings and club in which every kid is welcomed at the drop of a hat, we would need to know in advance if your child in interested in attending any of the below weekends. 
Opportunities in the upcoming weeks include:

• Work Crew Weekend January 17-19 at Rockbridge Alum Springs Camp: Students get to serve campers from other areas alongside their leaders and camp staff to get meals on the table, grounds cleaned, etc, etc. It’s hard but rewarding work to serve the needs of campers attending that weekend. Many teens say Work Crew is even more fun that attending Rockbridge as a camper because they are able to help others. We would leave Floyd late Friday evening the 17th and return Sunday afternoon around 1 pm. The cost is $15 with all meals included. If your child would like to participate, we need to know by this Monday, Jan 13th. Teens needs to bring a sleeping bag, pillow, Bible, journal, and warm clothes.  
• Prayer Overnight January 31-February 2nd: Leaders, Staff, & Student Leaders will attend a retreat at Rockbridge joined by leaders & staff all over the state of Virginia for a time of directed prayer for the mission of Young Life and for schools across Virginia. Prayer Overnight is very meaningful and focused on prayer. Similar to the above, we leave later Friday and return by 3 pm on Sunday the 2nd. The cost is $45 to attend, and the packing list is the same as above.  
• Leader Committee Weekend (LCW) February 28-March 2nd. This weekend is in Richmond and will host every leader and Young Life committee person in the state of Virginia for encouraging talks, informative seminars on leadership, and opportunities to serve in downtown Richmond. We leave Floyd by 3 pm Friday the 28th and return at 6 pm on Sunday. Parents can find out more information directly about LCW, but we encourageonly sophomores, juniors, and seniors to pursue this opportunity.  
  

November Update

     A busy month has passed, but an even busier month is coming up! Thrift Shop Club was our most exciting club so far this semester. Kids were encouraged to get a group of friends together to hit the local thrift stores such as Angels in the Attic or the more well-known Goodwills throughout the NRV. Kids showed up, some in crazy outfits, others in what they wore to school that day and were pleased to find tons of donated clothes that they could have their pick of to find their perfect outfit for the night. We had boys v. girls relay races and the kids with the best outfit won the highly sought after “Golden Shoe” lamp as a prize (pictured below). Kevin shared the power of Jesus by talking about him calming the storm and applying that to what that means in our lives. 

Bryce Altizer wins costume contest

     It has been a fun semester of clubs, games and relationships deepening between kids and leaders. The next half of the semester should be even more exciting! Here’s a look at what’s coming up in YL:

*November 4th- Fall Weekend Sign-Up Night at El Charro, 6:30-8 pm: If your child wants to go to Fall Weekend and you, as a parent, would like more information please drop by Nov. 4th or call Kevin Parkhurst- 540-250-5708

*November 11th- “Country” Club 6:45 pm at the Clubhouse: 

*November 15-17: FALL WEEKEND!! At Rockbridge Young Life Camp

*November 25th- 2nd Annual FEAST Club! 6:45 at the Clubhouse

*Campaigners: Every Thursday at 7 at the Clubhouse

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."