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 8th 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 8th 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.
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