YOUTH AMERICA SUMMER CAMPS 2010 Junior High – High School – College Age Week 1 – July 5-9 Week 2 – July 12-16 Week 3 – July 19-23 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma www.youthamerica.org
Youth America is 23 years strong. When it began under the leadership of my father, Kirk Pankratz, God used the summer camps to help pave the way for the youth church movement. Hundreds of youth communicators were launched into successful ministries. Hundreds of youth leaders transitioned into full-time youth pastor roles. Dozens of youth camps were spawned across the nation. Bible clubs were born on school campuses everywhere. Over 80,000 students have attended Youth America camps. Today, we sense a new mandate upon Youth America. Besides all the incredible things that happen each year at Youth America, our primary focus is to help redefine the Church to the next generation. With all the social issues and causes crying out for the attention of our young people today, we intend to help them see that the local church is God’s ultimate Cause in the earth. We are all ready for something new, something different, something that will go beyond the outcomes we have been getting. The common thread among all of us is simply: We want to grow. We want to grow young people to be warriors for God. We want to grow in influence and impact for the kingdom. We want to grow numerically to the place that we can create a tipping point of hunger for God among this generation. We have to get out of the box. We have to do something that will jolt our students, our leaders, and ourselves. We have to pull away and hear from God, to gain ideas, gain wisdom, gain creativity, gain relationships, and to simply be inspired. This is why Youth America exists. A Cause / A Generation / A Revolution This year’s theme contains two of the most commonly used words in youth ministry today. My plan was to avoid them, but nothing else could quite encapsulate the magnitude that I am envisioning. Every generation has a voice. Every new era has a message. Every movement has a leader. Now is the time for us to stand together and brand this generation.
If you’ve been with us for several years, come ready to be surprised, inspired and impacted by many new plans. If it’s your first time to come to Youth America, you will enjoy the sheer passion and love for Jesus here that is contagious from the very first day. Each week includes five days and four nights of lodging and eleven meals (the best summer camp food in the U.S.). The night services are filled with God-moments, passionate praise and worship, top communicators, creativity, loads of laughter, fun, and much more. Morning workshops for youth, college-age adults, and leaders get down to deal with the daily things each person faces. Afternoons are relaxed with free time and optional activities. Late nights include a number of fun options as well. And, of course, there is the rock wall, paintball course, junior-Olympic-sized swimming pool, gymnasium, concessions, and more.
College-age young adults are invited to register. They will have separate dorms and workshops. Next-Generation Interns will serve as dorm directors, freeing up time for all youth leaders. Group and individual registrations are welcome. Youth groups make up the majority of campers, but individuals coming on their own are welcome to register and will be assigned to a leader for oversight. Senior Pastors’ Training Day happens Thursday of each camp. Sign up your Senior Pastor for this free day of teaching, relationship building and dialogue with Harvest’s Senior Pastor, Kirk Pankratz. The day is capped off by attending the final night of Youth America. The training day is FREE to all Senior Pastors.
EVERY
GENERATION
HAS
A VOICE
This will be the second summer Youth America is recording a live worship album. Throughout the week campers experience the highest levels of worship while singing original music from the Youth America team. Then on the final night of each camp, the entire praise and worship section of the service will be recorded live for the CD and DVD project. You’ll find this is a great tool that you can use to take part of the experience back with you throughout the year.
GRANT
MONICA
NATALIE
KIRK
GRANT PANKRATZ is the Youth America and Creative Pastor of Church of the Harvest in Oklahoma City. He provides leadership and oversight to the creative, media, worship, and next-generation (youth and young adult) ministries of Harvest. He also serves on the Senior Leadership Team. MONICA PANKRATZ is the Youth America Central Leadership Team Pastor at Church of the Harvest. She directs the daily operations of Youth America’s national activities. She also oversees the next-generation (youth and young adult) ministries on all Harvest campuses. NATALIE PANKRATZ is the Central Worship Team Pastor of Church of the Harvest. She serves as the Worship Pastor of the Harvest Oklahoma City Campus as well as providing oversight to the worship ministries on all Harvest campuses. She is the Youth America Worship Leader.
KIRK PANKRATZ is the Founder and Senior Pastor of Church of the Harvest’s six campuses located in Oklahoma City, Edmond, Midwest City, Norman, Stillwater, and Cordell, Oklahoma. He founded Youth America 23 years ago.
MATTHEW BARNETT, son of Tommy Barnett, is a best-selling author, church-growth pioneer, Pastor of what Time Magazine calls, “One of the three largest churches in America,” and Founder of the Dream Center in Los Angeles. With more than 130 Dream Centers launched around the world and a deep conviction to help those in need, he has established one of the most influential ministries in our nation. JOSH MAYO, son of youth ministry pioneer Jeanne Mayo, is one of the foremost youth and young adult pastors of this generation. He is the Director of 180 Remix, the youth ministry of Harvest Time Church, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, which runs several hundred in attendance each week. Josh speaks at various youth and leadership venues, and recently authored the book, Help! I’m Raising My Kids While Doing Ministry, which has received very positive reviews.
ROBERT MADU is one of the premier young-generation voices today. Robert travels both nationally and internationally, ministering to churches, youth groups, and schools through dynamic preaching and drama. His ability to minister to people of all races, cultures, and generations makes him a commanding and captivating communicator. He is also the staff evangelist at Trinity Church in Cedar Hill, TX. REV. SPIKE, former Executive Director of Youth America, is a veteran minister and practitioner of leadership. He has invested his life in developing the local church, church leaders and the next generation. Rev. Spike has lived to steward his pastor’s dream, to instigate an uprising in this generation of young people, to strategize and forecast future ministry and growth, and to challenge and develop leadership excellence.
DINO RIZZO is the Founder and Lead Pastor of Healing Place Church. Over 7,000 people gather every weekend in ten different Healing Place locations from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Maputo, Mozambique. For two years, Healing Place Church has been listed as one of America’s Top 25 Most Innovative Churches. Dino has unleashed a movement that is sweeping the church world, rallying believers to join together in a revolution of serving others through his new book, Servolution. CARL LENTZ is Senior Associate Pastor at Wave Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. His journey from being a Division 1 collegiate basketball player, to leadership involvement with Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia, and now leading the young adult and youth movement at Wave Church has made him a sought-after voice to the young generation globally to help them continue to grow and encounter Jesus.
Our summer camp and national youth ministry are local-church based. Church of the Harvest is committed to reaching and transforming young people. We are called to play a role in building nextÂ-generation churches. Youth America is not just a summer thing. It’s a lifelong calling and pursuit. We’re taking on the task of helping churches eliminate the 18-29 age gap that exists in the majority of churches today. Helping pastors and youth pastors keep their students in the local church as they transition into adulthood is what we do.
OTHER YOUTH AMERICA THINGS TO NOTE GO TO YOUTHAMERICA.ORG FOR DETAILS ON THE FOLLOWING: Youth America 2009 Live Recording TOGETHER CD & DVD - $18.00 Youth America Resound Events (Check youthamerica.org for a Resound date in your area.) Music Camp – March 18-20, 2010 Next-Generation Internship (for 18-29 year olds) Youth America Summer Internship (All Summer or Weeklies) Youth America Kids Camp
Deadlines: (must be postmarked by date) Early-Bird Rate: $160 $50 Deposit due March 26th $110 Balance due May 21st
Youth America PO Box 20,000 Oklahoma City, OK 73156 405-478-7373 youthamerica.org
Regular Rate: $190 $50 Deposit due April 30th July 5-9: $140 Balance due June 11th July 12-16: $140 Balance due June 18th July 19-23: $140 Balance due June 25th Other Fees: Procrastinator’s Fee: $10 per camper Ratio Adjustment Fee: $20 per camper (changing boy/girl group counts once submitted) ALL DEPOSITS AND BALANCES MUST BE POSTMARKED BY THE DUE DATE. IF YOU MISS A DEPOSIT OR BALANCE DEADLINE, THE RATE AUTOMATICALLY JUMPS TO THE NEXT-HIGHEST RATE. IF YOU MISS THE REGULAR RATE DEPOSIT DUE DATE, YOU WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE PROCRASTINATOR’S FEE. THERE WILL BE A 4% FEE ON ALL CREDIT CARD TRANSACTIONS. REFUND POLICY—ALL DEPOSITS ARE NON-TRANSFERABLE AND NON-REFUNDABLE. NO REFUNDS WILL BE GIVEN AT THE SWEET DEAL OR ALUMNI RATES. ANY CANCELLATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED IN WRITING THREE WEEKS PRIOR TO YOUR ARRIVAL (BY THE REGULAR RATE BALANCE DEADLINE). ALL BALANCE REFUNDS MUST BE REQUESTED IN WRITING THREE WEEKS PRIOR TO YOUR ARRIVAL, OR A REFUND WILL NOT BE GIVEN. PAST THE THREE-WEEK MARK, ALL BALANCES ARE DUE REGARDLESS OF FILLED SPOTS. REFUNDS WILL NOT BE PROCESSED UNTIL AFTER THE FINAL WEEK OF CAMP.