Summer Stretch

 Last week was our week of Summer Stretch. Here's the basic concept: During the week of VBE (it's called VBS at most churches) we typically have students involved in huge numbers, and have need for lots of teenager helpers. Those teenagers are largely recruited by me, and many of them just because each afternoon (after VBE concludes for the day) we run a program called Summer Stretch. The name is hijacked from a Roman Catholic church in Minnesota, but the concept is an original. The idea is to reward those teenagers who helped with VBE by giving them lunch each day, followed by extreme and awesome events like giant slip and slides, water balloon fights, tie dye tshirts and other service projects. The end result is a beautiful mix of students who spend a week of their life helping others, developing a strong community, deepening their faith, and having loads of memorable fun. Here’s a quick synopsis of the week:

The difference between this year and last year was energy. Last year, I think I was the supplier of energy. Everything was new, kids were being added to our group every day, and there was a surprise factor where kids couldn’t wait for the next day and what crazy thing we would dream up next. A year later, a year with strong ministry, lots of involvement, and plenty of crazy events, it’s safe to say the surprise is gone. Instead there was an expectation and a new form of energy that looks a lot like community and feels like the energy is coming from our students.

This year we had 41 participants in our summer stretch, most of them helped with VBE each day and then stayed for the afternoon. 18 of them were incoming 9^th graders! 6 of them weren’t members of our church. And though many of the kids were core participants, many of them will be on our mission trip in a few weeks, there was a sense about the group that everyone belonged and was included in the community.

I’ll use two students as an example. Lisa is new (and it's not her real name). She joined with her parents a month or so ago, and until last week she was definitely an outsider looking in skeptically. This week she brought Sally to the group as a safety blanket, her best friend just in case it was so horrible that she couldn’t stand it. In fact the first day, as soon as they showed up, both girls came to me and asked if they had to stay the whole time. They wanted to leave before they even arrived. However, as the days went on, Lisa and Sally started learning new names, things they had in common with other students. The eventually began to sit next to other students at lunch, they opened up during group discussions, and they made friends with others in our group (who were trying desperately to friend them as well). By Thursday I had forgotten that the two had even come together, they were so integrated into our group. On Friday, they were both connected outside of our group, writing facebook notes to kids in the group about how they would miss them next week and being pressured (invited and strongly encouraged) into getting more involved.

Last night Lisa signed up for our adventure land trip on Thursday. That might not seem like a life-saving, transformational moment on the outside, but in the span of one week, Lisa experienced the power of community wrapped up tightly within her own church. It’s an infectious power at work inside our group as our students vigorously welcome new students and adopt them into our group, invite them into our conversations, and claim them as friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, and workers looking for more volunteer opportunities, leadership roles, and spaces in our church. We had a fabulous week: the slip and slide, water balloons, tie dye, hostess scavenger hunt, flying chicken, water guns, relays, serving opportunities, dorky name games, weird stunts, Bible studies, skits, and songs were great tools that framed an experience with God and with each other. Lisa and students like her are all testaments to how beautiful it is when you are doggedly pursued by God’s love manifest in God’s teenage followers! There’s still work to be done with these students, but foundation has been laid and they feel like they are a part of something here at this church like they’ve never felt before!

So what is left to say, but thank God for these awesome servants; for the 7 adults who volunteered to prepare meals, lead discussions, drive vehicles, and get wet for God’s sake; and for the support from the congregation who make weeks like this available for our most vulnerable teenagers.

678 Summer Experience

Last week we started something new. There is a gap at our church that we addressed for our 6, 7, and 8th graders. During the week of VBE (it's called VBS at most churches) we typically have students involved in huge numbers. There were 180 kids,  a handful of adult leaders and about 30 teenagers who were helping/leading. Those 30 teenagers are largely recruited by me, and many of them just because each afternoon (after VBE concludes for the day) we run a program called Summer Stretch. The name is hijacked from a Roman Catholic church in Minnesota, but the concept is an original. The idea is to reward those teenagers who helped with VBE by giving them lunch each day, followed by extreme and awesome events like giant slip and slides, water balloon fights, tie dye tshirts and other service projects. The end result is a beautiful mix of students who spend a week of their life helping others, developing a strong community, deepening their faith, and having loads of memorable fun. However, there's a gap: the kids in 6, 7, and 8th grade. They're just a little young to help with VBE and a little old to participate. So for the first time, in addition to running a super smooth week of Summer Stretch, with my high school kids, I also invented a program for the kids entering 6, 7, and 8th grades called 678 Summer Experience. Here’s a quick synopsis of the week:

At 678 Summer Experience we had 39 different 6, 7, and 8^th graders involved. We also had help from 4 awesome student leaders and 6 other adults during the week.  We began each day at 9:00 am but because many of these students also had older siblings or parents helping with VBE, there were always 8-10 students here at 8:30 am hanging out and helping me setup. Activities during the week included a giant slip and slide, water balloon fight, tie dying t-shirts, visiting residents at Senior Star retirement community, making posters for residents at Senior Star, visiting Kathie Heaps and Bobbie Folsom’s house, a banana scavenger hunt in Vander Veer Park, a donut scavenger hunt around St. Paul, a blindfolded walk around the church campus, and various other games like dodge ball, chicken on a hill, musical squirt guns, super Pictionary and water in the face. Each day began with ice breakers, name games, and a brief overview of the expectations and concluded with reflections and worshipful singing. Each day also had a small group Bible Study time where our leaders opened up conversation with our students about faith life, the church, where God is moving in the world, and how we trust in God. We concluded this awesome week with a large group reflection called pebble in the pond, during which students shared their incredible experiences with one another, sharing about the great games, new friendships, and strong desires to be involved this coming year and definitely next year for 678 again.

For me the most heart warming moments were around that pebble in a pond exercise where students who aren’t members of our church (or are members not yet connected) spoke about how welcomed they were and eager they were to be more involved. Holding 36 students (our number on the final day) in concentration for a half hour as they each reflected about God was probably a miracle, but the silence and seriousness from the group was a deep sign of respect for each other and appreciation for the culture of community that they formed during their week together. These students are bound together in ways that will help them grow deeper faith, reconnect more often and surround each other with positive influence for years to come! I’m so excited to see how they continue to grow and challenge each other and myself in years to come.

There are many thank you’s due. Heidi was a leader for 678 for 4 of the 5 days, and she was incredible. Without a kid in this program and an upcoming wedding in just two weeks, she had every reason not to help, but she did and was an excellent addition to the team. She was a cheerleader and a trusted adult for the students, and a great small group leader. Amy, Kayla, and Jacob were three student leaders present every single day. They were incredible role models for our kids, they each lead games, small group discussions, and circled around the kids on the outside in such beautiful ways that made every student feel welcomed and valued. It seemed that Kayla was adopted by a new group of students every day as a big sister. Amy was a camp counselor encouraging and leading games with gusto. Jacob rallied the group with his guitar playing and clever wit. It really was a great group.

What an incredible week! What a great beginning to a ministry to 6, 7, and 8^th graders! There's more to come for this age group. Much more! I think of it as training for youth group. They get committed to our community, our traditions, and their faith, and we hold out some of the really awesome experiences so that they can't wait to be part of the high school group as leaders, participants, and deeply connected friends.