| Haliburton News |
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Haliburton Highlands:
By Jamie McMahon
God's
hand is clearly upon this ministry. The Bridge is receiving lots of attention
from the broader community. People see the need for youth to have something
positive in their lives. One local newspaper
has given us great coverage. Nick Adams,
one of our steering committee members, and I were on the air twice with Canoe
FM talking about The Bridge and our ministry.
We
are now offering three drop-in times each week for the students at the Adult
Education and Training Centre. On Fridays,
we offer an after school program until 6:00pm for youth 10-14 and then from
8:00-10:30pm we are open for youth 14-22. We are getting a great response and
lots of youth coming out!
We
continue to have opportunities to take action in the lives of the youth we come
in contact with at The Bridge and Youth Unlimited. A cool thing happened one Friday. A youth came in and through conversation with
one of the volunteer staff, it came out that their washing machine was broken
and so they had to wash everything by hand. Several minutes later, this
volunteer shared the story with me - I knew where there was a washing machine
in storage. So, we talked with the youth again and two days later, another
volunteer and I showed up at their house. Her mom and this youth were very
grateful that their need had been met.
Another
great opportunity came along when we were able to host a birthday party for a
youth and fifteen of his friends. It was a great time to connect and build
relationships - a practical way to extend Christ's love to this group. One of
the exciting things happening while this newsletter goes to print is a baby
shower we are having for one of the youth; another example of being able to
bless someone who comes across our path.
We
have a few things in the works at The Bridge :
- We
are in the process of creating an arts space and lounge to compliment the
drop-in. The space is going to have a creative arts zone, stage for
performing arts and a lounge area to relax in.
- We
are thinking through our sports activities for the summer. We are
considering offering a street hockey league, mountain biking, basketball,
water sports, and maybe baseball. There is also talk of going on a canoe
trip.
- Third,
we are in the process of hiring a community outreach worker and possibly a
summer intern. The opening for outreach worker is a full time position,
serving one of the local schools. The summer intern will help develop the
arts space, provide arts programming for youth and help facilitate the
summer sports programs.
- Developing
a mobile youth centre that we can take to the surrounding communities. Imagine for a moment a youth centre on a
fifty foot trailer showing up in a smaller community; a place of connection with the youth
there, staffed by local Christians, and challenging churches to engage
missionally with the youth. There is one already operating in Calgary. (photo)
All
of these exciting plans are things that we are feeling directed to do. God
knows all the details and we look to Him for ongoing guidance. We continue to
dream and share our plans with the community.
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| Three Giants |
For the past decade my family and I have spent our summer holidays at Muskoka Baptist Conference in Huntsville. Each summer we get an opportunity to reconnect as a family, relax as parents, recharge as individuals and re-vision for the ministry year ahead. This summer was no exception!
Each year we enjoy the smorgasbord of speakers who come each week. There is usually one message that sticks out to me as "the one for me" and it is usually by Pastor James MacDonald of Walk in the Word. This year that "one" fell during the last Sunday morning service of the summer when Pastor Rick Baker of Calvary Baptist Church in Oshawa talked about the story of David and Goliath. "What is your Giant?" was the question he prefaced his message with.
Pastor Baker had my full attention. I literally sat on the edge of my seat, eyes fixed on his and my mouth slightly open so as to breath and utter agreements like Amen, Yes and Mmmm. He took us through 1 Samuel 17, first with a full chapter reading, then with a descriptive presentation of the enormity of Goliath versus David, the size of Goliath's weapons and the terror he struck into the hearts of the entire Israelite Camp, including David's brothers and King Saul - even these men of impressive size and strength.
The men of Israel faced the seemingly impossible task of slaying the Giant, and it got me thinking about the task that lays ahead of us at Youth Unlimited - a Goliath sized vision that has many "Giants" along the way. The vision is a three year plan as laid out in our last newsletter and at our Annual Fundraising Dinner in May; a plan to provide a youth worker for every high school, an after school program in every church, a mentor for every youth, a community of discipleship for the youth we are reaching and a new emphasis on prayer to see these goals through. This plan will be the living out of our Vision Statement: "It is our vision that through strategic partnerships and alliances as well as through our own front-line endeavours, to see the lives of youth in the Kawarthas attain their full life potential as God designed it."
High School: This vision is one of service and commitment; simply to offer every school in the city and region, a Youth Unlimited worker to assist the school, teachers, administration and students in any way they can. We currently have four staff involved in schools and they are invaluable to both the school and the community. By increasing the presence of these youth workers, we will be able to serve important areas in schools by providing service programs similar to those we have in at least four area schools such as after school programs, lunch hour activities, value-based classroom seminars, assemblies, parenting seminars, drop-ins and sports events. These programs help to serve the tremendous need and connect us with hundreds of youth.
(For more information contact Shelly MacDonald shelly@youthunlimitedkaw.com)
After School Programs in Every Church (locally known as Kids in the City): This vision is to meet one of the greatest felt needs in many communities. Our passion is to reconnect the Body of Christ to its neighbours in direct proximity to their church buildings and congregations. This program was not created to provide churches with a program, but to partner with churches in the development of a Community Outreach Strategy with its foundation built on caring for children and serving parents.
(For more information contact Melissa Dinesen melissa@youthunlimitedkaw.com)
Mentors for Every Youth: This vision is one of helping youth "make it through" the teenage years by making wiser choices and smarter decisions as influenced by an older mentor. For some youth it will help them in curbing addictions or involvement in risky relationships. For other youth, the mentoring program will help to develop them into mature young leaders. This vision will require the involvement of hundreds of volunteers and thousands of hours with hearts to see youth "follow me as I follow Christ", as the apostle Paul would say.
(For more information contact Sherri Spence sherri@youthunlimitedkaw.com)
Communities of Discipleship: This vision is one of helping to make life long disciples of Christ in partnership with the local church and with Youth Unlimited, as we develop program areas. This making of disciples "lies at the heart of our (the great) commission, so we must organize it around mission, because mission is the catalyzing principle of discipleship. In Jesus they are inexorably linked."(1) Not only making disciples, but making reproducing disciples, to reach their own generation, is the goal of this vision. We are tired of only reaching the status quo in terms of discipleship. We want to work with the Body of Christ to take bold steps toward seeing missional communities emerge from this generation of youth.
(For more information contact Tim Coles tim@youthunlimitedkaw.com)
Prayer: This vision is one of desperately and confidently relying on God for the plans mentioned above. Without prayer and seeking Him, our labour is in vain. This includes corporate prayer, city-wide prayer and individual prayer - hearts for God and communion with Him. We have seen entire communities impacted by the power of prayer in the past and we want this to increase!
(For more information contact Glenn Duncan khop@kyfc.ca)
As we embark on the journey of working out this three year plan, at least three Giants are revealed; The Giant of Assumptions, The Giant of a Lack of Collaboration, and The Giant of Failure.
The Giant of Assumptions
Over the past few years, I have had more than a few meetings with school principals and school board representatives who have made assumptions about who we are and how we function as an organization - that our agenda on campus is too religious. Some individuals assume that we are becoming too social. In the same way, we have had some folks tell us that they feel we are too light on the Gospel. These assumptions can be devastating for us because either one could damage or destroy our work with local schools or cut off valuable support from area churches. We face this Giant with the "stone" of letting our light shine; "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matt. 5:16 NIV) We are children of God who want nothing more than, just as the Father desires, for all to know Him and love Him. We believe that the best way to see this happen is to place ourselves in proximity to youth, to practice the presence of Christ - simply doing what Jesus would do in their lives. All the while looking for ways to powerlessly experience God with those around us, from the foundation that I need Him just as much as you do, allowing Him to reach into their world in a very tangible way and as we are led or the situation allows, present the message of the Gospel. (Based on Jesus' model in Luke 10)
The Giant of a Lack of Collaboration
The sheer number of people this will take is daunting; how do we communicate, how do we partner, how do we train and deploy. We have been blessed over the years with hundreds of volunteers, who have given many hours each month in a variety of settings. In order to reach this vision's potential we face this Giant with the "stone" of prayer by "asking the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field" (Matt. 9:38 NIV); and by seeking ways to build stronger partnerships and communication strategies with the Body of Christ.
The Giant of Failure
Many factors could contribute to this, but none more paralyzing than the fear that a lack of resources would lead to failure. We face this Giant with the "stone" of Faith as we are amazed each day at how the Lord provides each day! (Matt. 10:9&10) Though we see this happen daily, it is still a struggle for our staff, whose lives are most affected by this step of faith.
Dr. Bill Bright was interviewed by John Maxwell just weeks before his death. He said "as Campus Crusade for Christ has grown over the past 40 years, from two people and a few thousand dollars, to 250,000 people and over a half a billion dollars, we have never had more than a dollar in the bank at the end of each day. The Lord supplied everything we needed for each day." Over the past five years, Kawartha Youth for Christ has grown from a few staff members to over a dozen and these next three years could see that number double again. We live in this reality; we have literally seen the Lord provide up to the exact dollar that we needed for each day. I have countless stories of the "God-incidence" of many gifts we have received the very day we needed them; everything from floor mats, tables and chairs, and Subway coupons to $20 needed to take a mother out for lunch. A five thousand dollar cheque bounced around in the purse of a donor for weeks. When it was finally put in the mail, our office received it on the very day that we needed it!
The message of Goliath was defiant in its opposition to the Lord's people and humiliating - striking fear into the hearts of men, causing them to back away from the task at hand. Each of the "giants" mentioned above have stopped us at one point or another and have slowed many movements of God over the years.
This message of David and Goliath - this message is for me and is for all of us. There is no giant too big, ferocious or convincing to stop the work of the Lord. Though the giants come against us and cause us to respond in fear or flesh, we will set out to respond like David, by Faith and Spirit to come against these Giants in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the plans and vision who they have defied.
The question then begs to be asked, "What is your Giant?"
tim@youthunlimitedkaw.com
1Alan Hirsch, The Forgotten Ways, (Grand Rapids: Baker 2006) p. 120. |
| A Great Loss at Kawartha YFC / Youth Unlimited |
|
 Kirk Chapman has been a faithful friend and volunteer staff
member at Kawartha Youth for Christ for over a year.
Kirk wanted to move to Peterborough from his home town of
Campbellford, so he could spread his wings a little bit. He would only make the move if we could
provide him with some full-time volunteer work, helping out in any way. I knew I could trust Kirk as he had
faithfully served with Northumberland YFC in their Campbellford Satellite,
under the direction of Peter Panabaker.
Peter always spoke so highly of Kirk.
Kirk quietly ran the show for Peter.
After moving to Peterborough Kirk went right to work at
KYFC. He offered his time as a
maintenance man, cleaning up all our spills and keeping the place
spotless. Soon, Kirk found himself helping
out in various programs such as MasterPiece Theatre and Nooma Nights. Kirk was
a part of the fabric that makes KYFC so special to so many youth. It was a common sight to see Kirk either
quietly working alongside one of the staff, or in deep laughter with one of the
kids.
Kirk went to be with the Lord on Thursday April 19, 2007 at
his home in Campbellford. His life was
full of the Spirit of God and a lot of physical pain. He is now running and
dancing free with the Father.
The staff and volunteers of Kawartha Youth For Christ will
dearly miss Kirk. His quiet presence was
precious and his help was invaluable. A
huge gap has been left in our organization and in the hundreds of lives he
touched over the years. Please join us
in praying for his parents Earl and Jane Chapman as well as his sister Lindsay
and nephew Austin, asking God to comfort them in their time of sorrow.
Thank you Lord for Kirk and all that he taught us while he
was here.
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| First Fruits of Radio |
I am writing this news posting, mainly for our friends at Life 100.3. Thanks for having me on the radio on Wednesday. I just want you to know that today we got a call from a Life listener in Lindsay, who is involved with the Salvation Army there.
She heard about our after school programs and our cooking program in particular on your station. She called our office and we are sending a staff person to Lindsay to help them set up the program.
Life 100.3 really works and is a big help to a ministry like ours.
Thanks Life 100.3 for partnering with us in the Gospel.
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| Tim Coles On The Radio |
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Life 100.3 is Central Ontario's Christian Radio Station,
spreading from North Toronto to Huntsville and Peterborough to Owen Sound. It is an excellent way to get great Christian
music and Christ's message out to the province.
 Tim Coles had the privilege of being on air on Wednesday
March 28 to help them with their annual Share-a-thon Fundraising Drive.
"I had a great time with Jen, Scott and Steve
on air! I walked in the studio, stuffed
my mouth with fruit from a bite tray and suddenly we were on the air."
Tim was able to talk about the work of Kawartha Youth For
Christ in the Kawarthas including Peterborough, Lakefield, Bobcaygeon-Fenelon
Falls and Haliburton. He gave special
emphasis to the Kids in the City program being initiated in Peterborough by
Youth Unlimited and Church in the City.
Scott Jackson, Station Manager of Life 100.3 thanked Tim for
participating in for the hour and for brining Life listeners from Peterborough into
the fundraising drive.
One woman who met with Tim in the lobby said,
'Was
that you on the air just a minute ago?
You had me in tears all the way here with your stories." It is great to hear how people are being
moved by the work being done by the Staff and Volunteers in the ministry of
Youth Unlimited/Kawartha Youth For Christ.
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| Strategic Planning March 24 |
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Kawartha Youth for Christ Board, Staff and Steering
Committee members participated in a strategic planning day on Saturday March
24. The meeting was held at Living Hope
Christian Reformed Church and facilitated by Dave and Katy Brereton, Dave is
the National Director of YFC Canada. 
We filled the whole day with discussing strengths and weaknesses
as well as dreaming for the future.
These dreams were then voted on by the Board and Staff and five very
clear areas of focus emerged. These
areas will be presented at the Fast
Forward Fundraising Dinner on Friday May 4, 2007.
Dave and Kati commented that we had a very synergetic group,
full of ideas and burning with passion for the work they do. I couldn't agree more. We are looking forward to sharing these areas
of focus with you in early May.
Tim Coles, Dave & Katy Brereton and Cara Rutter
Written by: Tim Coles
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| Link to Staff Blogs |
Melissa Bothwell - Free Style Arts Coordinator, The Bridge Peterborough
Jamie McMahon - Satellite Director, Haliburton Highlands
Tim Coles - Executive Director, Youth Unlimited / Kawartha Youth for Christ
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| The Fruit of Firsts |
by Tim Coles
Executive Director of Youth Unlimited / Kawartha Youth for Christ
Leading up to the Christmas break I took some time to
connect with a few of my close friends. There is something
special at that time of the year when we greet each
other. It is almost like there is a warm sense of
urgency to share heartfelt encouraging words to
a friend. It is a time of personal and relational
reflection on a year gone by and encouragement
for the New Year ready to burst open.
One particular conversation with a volunteer stood
out to me. She said, “You guys seem to always be
changing, retooling what you do to meet the needs
of the kids.” She went on to comment how she
likes that about KYFC - there doesn’t seem to be
any sacred cows amongst us. She sees it as being
necessary but also a real challenge as we never
seem to get into a flow with something before we
change it up.
This constant retooling and creating firsts is
challenging but necessary and the fruit is very
rewarding. It allows us to respond to a variety of
needs and creates a lot of firsts for us and the community
we serve.
This fall Kids in the City, led by Melissa McLennan partnered
with Ferndale Bible Chapel to open ‘Ignite’, the first KITC
after school program in the city. After three weeks, the
group had grown from 1 to 3 kids! Of course the team
leaders from the church would have loved more, but Sally
didn’t care. Each week Sally races home from school,
throws her backpack over the fence, runs across the road
to get her friend and hurries to the church to wait for her
friend’s arrival. Sally literally lives in the back yard of the
church. Sally and her family have had limited contact with
the church over the years. The parents of the little girl
that she brings have resisted attending any of the church
activities for as long as anyone can remember.
Sally loves the program. She has made this her place after
school. When asked if she would like anything changed
about the program she says, “Don’t change anything, don’t
add anything, don’t take away anything. Just can I bring
my friends?” When Melissa gave her additional
registration forms, she proudly gave all the forms out to
her friends, except for one. When she returned the next
week, she asked if it was ok to give the last one to a boy.
Every day, Sally’s mom watches her daughter come and go
to ‘Ignite’ from the window of her home. Yesterday, she
walked over to the fence to shake Melissa’s hand and meet
her for the first time.
Another first for us this year…….The Bridge Youth Centre
served a weekly meal - feeding hundreds in the downtown
core. The Community Feast was a great success in many
ways – it served a great felt need in the city and enabled
us to connect with many families of youth who attend the
youth centre. The fruit of this first which was initiated
by Kerri Kightley (now on maternity leave) was actually a
program that followed up The Community Feast. Come Cook
With Us is a new cooking program created in partnership
with the Peterborough Health Unit to teach young children
how to cook a healthy meal for their families. The program
quickly filled to capacity and as many as 40 family members
would join their chef sons and daughters for a meal in The
Bridge. The kids loved it and the parents did too! A lot
of social interaction occurred with our staff and
family participants over the following weeks - one
family even decided to begin fellowshipping in a
local church.
This “first” was created in response to a need, but has
also produced a unique opportunity to form deeper
connections with people over a meal. This program
has been so successful that Melissa McLennan is now
sharing the program curriculum with churches in the
city to assist them in the development of a similar
program to teach cooking skills and feed families.
Could you imagine what these firsts could look like
in your church? Could you imagine the possibilities
of engaging the immediate community around you?
Could you imagine seeing families that you have
never met before being served by your congregation?
What kind of retooling would it take and would you
be willing to change, even if it meant it would break the flow
of what you are currently doing?
Firsts are challenging, full of wonder and surprise. They
are risky and sometimes they fail but I know Sally is glad
Ferndale Bible Chapel took the risk to start a program for
her and all of her friends – even a boy. If you are interested
in starting an after school program in your church please
contact Melissa McLennan melissa@kyfc.ca
Think of all the firsts you will have to celebrate this year if
you do!
tim@youthunlimitedkaw.com
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•Interests: Transforming a generation, one life at a time.
•Hobbies: Anythihg that helps accomplish interestes.
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