Where Everything Changes

Like a good neighbor, what’s in your wallet, I’m lovin’ it...catchy slogans and all memorable, but are they all true? We say YFC Camp; Where everything changes...

We pay a high price to take students to YFC Camp and I believe God uses it. But instead of me telling you that our slogan is more than words, I'd like you to hear from students who worked hard all summer to be able to go.

I’ve realized it’s not always about me and when I’m not always making it about me I can focus on helping and caring for my friends.

I’m not hanging around bad friends as much.

A change for me is that I just think about God more, I feel connected closer and that I actually have a relationship vs Him just existing! Things have kinda gotten worse just because family things but I've been trying to see the positives.

My relationship with Christ hasn't been growing like it should so I need to work on it and keep up with it.

Please take a moment to pray right now for these students and that the seeds God planted would grow. We know that change can be good, bad, difficult, easy...but we know God is faithful through it all. Pray these students begin to learn this and can point back to YFC Camp 2015 as when it all began to change...

Adult Leaders

Leaders in action!

Adult leaders are the heart of Campus Life ministry. Without them, Campus Life just doesn't work. Our goal is to help adult leaders build authentic Christ sharing relationships with students. We believe these relationships are where true ministry happens.

Are you one? We have a great team of adult leaders at Metamora Campus Life, they invest well, love well, and serve well.  However, we need more. More adults means more relationships, which means more students hearing about Jesus. If you have a heart for Jesus,  a heart for teens, and a heart to serve, we need you. Our students need you!

What would I do if I were an adult leader? Your role is to build relationships with students and invest in their lives. For our leaders that plays out in many ways:

•    Campus Life small groups on Monday nights
•    Weekly Bible studies on Tuesday and Thursday
•    CL Cafe on Monday afternoons
•    Events like: Afterprom, 5th Quarter, CLUBBLE…
•    Being YFC Camp leaders
•    Fall trip, lock ins, Ice Camp, 6 Flags

Who would I talk to if I were interested?Well, I am glad you asked! You can contact me, Josh Frederick, at 309.369.5881 or jfrederick@yfcpa.org .

I would love to talk to you!

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Fall Fundraiser Banquet

Come join us for a night of celebration as we look back over this last year of ministry and look forward to the year to come! The banquet will be at Metamora Fields on November 12 at 6:30pm. Dinner is provided and we encourage you to invite a friend that has a heart for teens! There is no cost to attend. 

Please RSVP to Jill Gutwein at 309.256.8250 or jillsgutwein@gmail.com

Dear God, I'm Scared...

Pray for Peoria Juvenile Dept

I really appreciate these words. They are from a student putting himself out there and admitting to God his true feelings. Many students put up a tough front and a “hard” exterior. When they are willing to be real with God, it allows God to speak truth into their life. 

Recently we have been exchanging letters from several students who have been transferred to other facilities, but they wish to stay in contact and continue discussions about God through letters. Praise God! We need extra prayer for God to send more workers to the field so we can flood the jail system with the love and hope that comes with a personal relationship with God. 

Please take a moment to pray for “Jon and Mike”. One does not have personal relationship with God, but has been open to talking about it. The other student has had a past relationship with God but just has made life choices based on what he wants. Currently he is looking at several months in the Department of Corrections. 

Some of our major needs: Please pray about your involvement. 

1. More Ministry Leaders to help meet with students.
2. Bible Study Leaders for the Youth Farm
3. Fridayand Saturday afternoon Ministry Leaders
4. Mentors for a mentoring/aftercare program
5. Monthly funding for Juvenile Justice.

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Guilty!

I’m guilty of not asking God to provide for the ministry. I find that the more I pray for support and leaders for the ministry the more I feel God saying its about time you asked for help! So not only an I asking God but I’m asking YOU! We need to build up several areas of Juvenile Justice Ministry. Please contact me so we can talk about different ways you can get involved in the ministry. 

Why is YFC Camp important? Some IVC student reflections…nuf said!

Looking Good for Formal Night

Student #1 - This was my first YFC camp and I didn’t know what to expect or how it was going to change my life. The message was about the mess in our lives. I was going through this fog of emotions and I had just started to shut down. One evening our speaker, Gabe, said “If you can not get yourself out of your own mess, God will come into your mess and love you out of it.” I realized that God giving me the opportunity to go to camp this year was him surrounding me with people that would help me through this rough patch of life. This week was truly life changing for me and I am so glad that I went to camp this year.

Student #2 - Going into camp, I was looking for a good time and to hopefully connect with God on a level I've never experienced before. Camp was one of the best weeks of my life! I got a deeper relationship with God! Now I attend church on a weekly basis. I’ve had some difficult moral decisions since camp, but I know I’m not alone anymore. God has filled holes in my life that I didn’t even know were there. Camp was an unforgettable experience that I'm ready to relive next year, but also a window of opportunity to experience God in a whole new way! 

Student #3 - While I was at camp I felt spiritually invincible, but the camp experience doesn't easily follow you back home.  As soon as I boarded the bus everything from the outside world came back. The first text I got when I turned my phone on came from someone I hadn’t spoken to in months and my pre-camp world came rushing back at me. But the post-camp difference is knowing that I have God by my side to help me through every decision and trial!  

Student #4 - I've been involved in Campus Life and occasionally went to church but never took the idea of God seriously. I went to camp last year and didn't get much out of it. This year I was expecting the same, I even had my best friends coming, the ones I got in trouble with at home. My whole world got rocked by God as I realized my decisions weren't for Him, they were for me. My friends and I wanted to change that. Since back home, there's still those past temptations, but I've turned away. I’m talking to God every day and it’s like talking with a family member or friend. I can honestly say that at camp, God came into my life in full force and changed everything. I now understand why it's called YFC camp, where everything changes :)

We Are Back

Life is Good

The beginning of August Eureka Campus Life ventured to North Carolina to take part in Project Serve. Leaders and students served long hours making meals, landscaping, life guarding, and cleaning. All for a greater purpose so hundreds of students could enjoy the fun and craziness of a full week designed to point them towards Jesus.

Maggie has become a powerful and influential servant leader at Campus Life each week. But at camp she was placed to serve in the kitchen for a full nine hour shift each day, every day. During this time Maggie said she was frustrated with not being able to impact students directly. But slowly as the week rolled on, she saw how God was using all the behind the scene servers to provide space for other people to minister directly with students. 

Each week leaders like Maggie open up their lives and relate to students, so that they can start building a relationship with God.  It is because of Christ’s model of servant leadership that Campus Life leaders are able to lead both directly and indirectly each week.

Thanks for your love and support. This is only the beginning of what is to come. 

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Want to get more involved?

Campus Life wants to include the community in what happens each Monday Night. If you have an idea or would like to know more about Campus Life, please call or email me.

Can't Keep A Good Man Down

Ministry for the 2015-2016 school year has started for City Life. We have met 3 times as a large group and had our first student leadership team meeting. We gathered our adults for our first monthly meeting and our small groups have started. Tutoring is right around the corner, and new partnerships are being pursued. We’re dreaming about and planning for the future however something is missing…better yet someone is missing.

As some of you may know, my ministry partner, Jay Pearson, has been sick and in quite a bit of pain for the past 6-7 weeks.  He has recently received a diagnosis of lymphoma and will learn about his treatment options soon.  

Here’s how you can help:

1. Pray - this is obvious, ask God for healing, comfort, patience, and a deeper trust in Him for all things for Jay and his family.  If you want an idea for that, pray Psalm 139 over him.  
2. Participate in a blog/message board at: www.posthope.org/r116    
3. Bless the Pearson’s with a meal / simply drop off dinner, say hello, and move on with your day.  www.takethemameal.com  search: Pearson / password: r116  
4. When you think of City Life pray for our leadership teams in place, both adults and students, as we all are missing Jay’s presence in this season.  Ask God to help us to carry this mission forward as we eagerly await his return.  

You truly can’t keep a good man down!  Jay is in good spirits and has an amazing circle of care around him, starting with his wife Ja’nice and his family.  Jay has a faith and trust in God that I don’t find in many people but we know that when the battle is (potentially) long. Like Moses we all need people to come along side us and hold our arms up when we get weary in the journey.  

Thanks in advance for keeping Jay and the Pearson’s close in your heart in the weeks to come!  

More Leaders...Better Leaders

YFC Camp - IVC Cabin Leaders

Did you know Youth For Christ helps lost teens encounter the truth and love of Jesus Christ?  “Hey Dan … That’s not a newsflash, I already knew that.”

Okay - Did you know that our method is to mobilize loving adults to be in authentic Christ-sharing relationships with lost teens?

Maybe you knew that too. Here’s the deal … it’s simple to say and complicated to do. You see, it’s natural for our staff team to spend time with lost teens, telling them about Jesus Christ. But it’s harder for us to invest our time recruiting, training and mobilizing other adults to spend time with lost teens. We have a whole bunch of GREAT MINISTRY LEADERS who invest time with lost teens every week. We want more of them and we want to keep helping them grow into better leaders.

1. Please consider investing deeper in Central Illinois lost teens. Here are some options:
2. Pray for our employed staff team: CJ, Jeff, Jarrod, Josh, Jay*, Jon, Eric, Ryan, Rick, & Taylor.
3. Pray for our 60+ volunteer Ministry Leaders. And then pray for more Ministry Leaders.
4. Jay* Pearson is in a lymphoma battle. Signup to deliver a meal: www.takethemameal.com  Once there, search for Pearson / password is r116
5. Invest more deeply financially. Our ministry is very strong these days, but our cash flow is tight.
6. Consider involvement with teens, yourself. You might be surprised how much fun you have and how much impact you have.

Thanks for reading, praying, funding, caring, asking, and partnering this month! You are impacting teens! 

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Investing More Deeply

As I mentioned above, we are seeking more leaders and better leaders. We are also beginning to investigate growth into Bloomington/Normal area. If you know someone, or are someone interested in that area, drop us name/contact information.

22 and 4

Titus, our 8wk old son!

No, I am not talking about the win-loss record of a sports team. 22 and 4 is the number of Metamora students and leaders going to YFC Camp this year. This is the largest group we have ever taken and we are pumped! This year our leaders have stepped up in a huge way and are leading the camp trip themselves so I can stay home with my wife and newborn baby, Titus! I am sad I will not be able to go to camp this year but I know our leaders are capable and God will do His redeeming work with or without me.

How you can pray

• Pray for our leaders: Fredi Goettler, Bre Nanning, and Andy and Amber Denning.
• Pray for the 22 students. Pray they will encounter Jesus for who He really is and follow Him all their days.

How you can help

We need roughly $12,000 to make YFC Camp happen for our students and leaders from Metamora. Right now we have just over $9,000. If you would like to scholarship a student who cannot afford camp, that would be a huge blessing. It costs $475 to send a student to camp which means we have 6 students who are not yet funded. Whole scholarships are awesome, but anything helps! If you feel led, you can give by sending a check with a note indicating the gift is for Metamora Camp Scholarships or you can go online to https://www.yfcpeoria.org/camp/ and select Metamora under “Choose a Fund”.

Your support leads students to Jesus!

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Teen Center Plans

We are planning towards and praying about opening a Teen Center/Community Center in Metamora through Campus Life. We are looking for a suitable building or lot within walking distance of MTHS that is cheap or willing to be donated. If you have real estate you would be willing to offer or if you have a lead we could follow up on, that would be awesome! You can contact me @ jfrederick@yfcpa.org!