FA L L 2 0 1 6 I S S U E
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YOUTHUNLIMITED STUDENTS | CHURCHES | FAITH-FORMING EXPERIENCES A L S O I N S I D E : B R E A K I N G C H A I N S | A L L T O G E T H E R N O W | R I D I N G W I T H PA S T O R K E O PHOTOS FROM SERVE 2016 | 2017 SERVE SITE MAP
YOUTH UNLIMITED | Fall 2016 Youth Unlimited has a rich 90 year history of assisting churches ministering to youth. Birthed out of the Christian Reformed Church, Youth Unlimited remains committed to the reformed perspective while serving alongside congregations of any denomination. We strongly believe that the local church is the tool God is using to reveal himself to this world, and we are blessed to partner with congregations to offer faith-forming experiences that reach this generation of youth for Jesus Christ! This informational magazine is printed in the United States as a free resource to churches across North America. It is published triannually by Youth Unlimited, Grand Rapids, MI.
Design & Publication | SDPcreative Contributing Writers | Carlye Tazelaar, Kaylene VanMersbergen
and Jason Lief
Editor | Mandi Grasmeyer USA | Postmaster, please send undeliverable copies and address changes to:
Youth Unlimited 1333 Alger Street SE Grand Rapids, MI 49507
Contents from the director.. .................................................................. 1 Connecting students with Christ: Breaking Chains........................................................................2 Connecting students with the church: All Together Now. . ................................................................. 4 Connecting students with the community: Riding with pastor Keo..........................................................6 Where will you go in 2017? . . ............................................... 8 Photos from SERVE 2016.. ....................................................10 FACES OF YOUTH UNLIMITED...................................................12 resources. . ................................................................................13
Canada | Canada Post International Sales Agreement #41124116. Please send undeliverable copies and address changes to: Youth Unlimited PO Box 1100 Norwich, ON N0J 1P0
THE YOUTH UNLIMITED TEAM: Executive Director:
Jeff Kruithof 616.241.5616 ext. 3043 jeff@youthunlimited.org
Where Will You Go in 2017? –Page 8
Missions Director:
Jerry Meadows 616.241.5616 ext. 3040 jerry@youthunlimited.org
Program Coordinator: Alesha Schut 616.241.5616 ext. 3038 alesha@youthunlimited.org
Communications Administrator: Mandi Grasmeyer 616.241.5616 ext. 3046 mandi@youthunlimited.org
LIVE IT Director & Donor/Church Relations Advocate: Amanda Roozeboom 616.241.5616 ext. 3039 amanda@youthunlimited.org
Photos from SERVE 2016 –Page 10
FROM THE DIRECTOR
F
or those who don’t work at Youth Unlimited, we understand that SERVE isn’t always at the forefront of your minds. It is sometimes thought of as just a one-week experience—an opportunity for students to travel together, to make memories and to do a bit of community service in the process, but we know that God can use these experiences to do immeasurably more. Youth Unlimited has been intentional in introducing students to a level of living in a new way, and not just giving them a week away. In 2014, we encouraged students to make justice a part of every day life (Isaiah 58). In 2015, we urged students to consider “The Other 51” and what their experience at SERVE meant for the other 51 weeks of the year (John 20:21-22). This past summer, we created a space for students to “Make change. Be changed.”, acknowledging that their one week of making change at SERVE would change their lives forever (the Gospel of Mark). So, while it often appears as if Youth Unlimited’s faith-forming experiences only happen between June and August and at a handful of certain locations, the impact they make on the lives of students, leaders and volunteers can last a lifetime and expand across nations. A student in Ontario who goes to SERVE in California will change a very small part of a community in California in that
one week, but they’ll have a lifetime of changing their community in Ontario. God’s Kingdom is the empire on which the sun never sets. There will always be work to be done, lives to be touched and change to be made, but what there needs to be is a generation with open hearts and open hands to make those things happen. We want students at SERVE to recognize their calling to be a generation who rises to the occasion, on fire for the Lord and desperately eager to pour out their lives for him. When people look at the map of our SERVE sites on page 9, we want them to know that while those locations are prominent in our prayers, we realize that students and leaders will come from all over the US and Canada and return home to communities with their own needs. We pray with vigor for those communities. We pray that God would use our faith-forming experiences to change students’ lives in a way that will change their home communities. Connecting students to Christ, the Church and their community with you,
Jeff Kruithof Executive Director Youth Unlimited
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STUDENTS+ CHRIST
Breaking Chains
BY CARLYE TAZELAAR
SERVE Community Life Coordinator Covenant Christian Reformed Church | Sioux Center, IA
O
ne of the best parts of what we do is listening to students. Throughout each SERVE project, the host team and the youth leaders have incredible opportunities to get to know students on a level we probably wouldn’t have otherwise. We hear stories of brokenness, tragedy, abuse, addiction, mental illness and pain. And then, somehow every year, despite our weak efforts, the Holy Spirit shows up. And when he comes, he comes with power and authority to break chains in the lives of those he encounters. The Holy Spirit spreads like wildfire through the hearts of our students, and they are so eager to share the revelations they are receiving. This past week, even, I was surprised to hear feedback from former Prairie Project students that their very favorite part of their SERVE experience was getting to share their God moments throughout the day. This act seemed so small to me during the SERVE week, but for the students, the impact it had on them was tangible. It inspired them to go back to their homes and be more active about not only looking for where the Holy Spirit was on the move, but also about sharing with others when they had seen his action. Praise God for his gifts!
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have forgotten, but encouraging each other, especially as the day of his return approaches.” We have some truly amazing speakers at our SERVE sites. Their words are very clearly of the Holy Spirit and they pour hours into preparing their messages before they are delivered. Their carefully-crafted messages go further than they know, too.
Our students are hungry, and they are eager to hear from the Lord. One student, Hayley, sent me an email after one of her SERVE experiences gushing about the amazing impact it had on her life. She spoke of evenings worshipping with students from across the nation, of messages of love entering her heart at just the right time, and of praying with and even for her youth leader. But the most amazing part for Hayley was the space she had to process what was happening in her life with friends who were feeling the same way. SERVE offers students a unique opportunity to connect with their peers and grow in faith together. Hebrews 10:24-25 (The Voice translation) says, “Let us consider how to inspire each other to greater love and to righteous deeds, not forgetting to gather as a community, as some
In her email to me, Hayley described how the most impactful times for her throughout SERVE were her smallgroup experiences after the messages; listening to her peers share what the Lord was placing on each of their hearts. The way the Holy Spirit breaks into the SERVE week gives the students freedom and courage to be vulnerable with each other. After all, “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). This freedom gives students the opportunity to really listen to the Lord and hear his heart for them, which impacts them eternally. It is always a joy to follow up with students via social media after SERVE and see so many of them living out of the freedom of being loved and accepted by Christ and each other because of the relationships that began on SERVE.
SERVE offers students a unique opportunity to connect with their peers and grow in faith together
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STUDENTS+ CHURCH
IN ORDER TO MAKE A MISSION TRIP SUCCESSFUL IT NEEDS TO START WITH A SUPPORTIVE, CARING, LOVING CHURCH FAMILY
All Together BY KAYLENE VANMERSBERGEN Second Christian Reformed Church Lynden, WA
W
hen we realized that our church had no youth program, with prayerful consideration, my husband and I felt called by the Holy Spirit to step up. We had no clue what we were getting into and what God had in store for us, but we knew it was important that there was somewhere for the high school students of our church to go, to grow in their faith and in their relationship with the Lord. We want to equip our youth with the knowledge they need from the Lord to resist the temptations they face, so they have the strength and courage to stand up for what they believe in. We know
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it’s important that they have a personal relationship with the Lord and they know they can seek him for anything at any time. We started up the youth group in our church, Second Christian Reformed Church of Lynden, WA, in February of 2015 with about 18 high schoolers or soon-to-be high schoolers. One of our students who was a senior had been on a previous SERVE mission trip to Houston, TX and really wanted to go back there before she graduated. After prayerful consideration, we and the students decided we should go. My husband and I ended up taking 10 students with us. To aid in covering the cost of the trip, we held some fundraising events and were quickly overwhelmed by the support of our church family. I think that in order to
make a mission trip successful it needs to start with a supportive, caring, loving church family, and we are so blessed by those in our congregation who stepped up to help in many ways. Our senior citizens and some other members of the church became prayer partners with the students going on the trip and sent small gifts and cards of encouragement. Most importantly, they covered us in prayers before, during and after our trip. Having prayer partners really connected the youth with the older generation of the church and helped them get to know one another better.
The students, having only known each other a short while before we went on our trip, really grew in their relationships with one another. So many times after we returned, we heard the students
Now referring to each other as family. They became really close during the trip and continued spending time together after we returned which is such a blessing since we have students who come from a variety of schools.
After returning home from our trip, we had several people who wanted to know about our time at SERVE, so we, as a church, decided to have a whole service where we shared about our experiences and told about how the Holy Spirit worked in our lives and the lives of those we met. We started the service singing praise songs we learned while we were away in Houston, and then each student took a turn sharing a special moment they had or something that really touched their hearts. We ended the service with more singing, and we still incorporate some of those songs in our services today.
We feel truly honored and blessed to have participated in SERVE 2015 and now SERVE 2016 this past July in Ripon, CA as well. Through SERVE, not only did our students make change, but they were changed, and it’s all for the glory of God! youthunlimited.org | 5
STUDENTS+ COMMUNITY
Riding with
Pastor
Keo
Pastor Keo & Boonjun Phommarath
Experiencing God’s Love for the World in Sioux City, Iowa BY JASON LIEF Associate Professor of Religion and Youth Ministry Northwestern College Orange City, IA
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We want young people to know that loving our neighbor means loving those who live in our back yard.
D
riving through the streets of Sioux City, Iowa with Pastor Keo Phommorath, pastor of Siouxland Unity Christian Reformed Church, he told us about a family that recently began coming to their church. Having just moved from Florida, we were going to explore the possibility of having young people paint their house. On the armrest separating our seats was a Bible he was bringing as a gift. The family grew up in the church, he tells us, but fell away, and now they want to come back. When we arrived, we were greeted by a bouncing three-year-old girl and her mother who were happy to see us. We talked about painting bedrooms, landscaping and other projects, but what struck me is the trust they have in Pastor Keo. Strangers in a new place, they had found someone who was willing to help them navigate the difficult issues of employment, child care, education and housing. When we left, the little girl gave him a hug, and the mother said something to him in private. Then we were on our way. In what seems like an entirely different world, we drove past corn fields, a salvage yard and a house transformed into a Buddhist temple. We finally pulled into a trailer park in South Sioux
City, Nebraska where we were greeted at the door by a Laotian man and his young family. On the wall, prominently displayed, hung their profession of faith documents. They spoke in their own language, telling us through Pastor Keo that they wanted the paneling on the walls painted white. As we left, they thanked us, bowing to us with hands folded, grateful that someone was willing to help them. Siouxland Unity Christian Reformed Church is located in the heart of Sioux City, a blue collar industrial town on the Missouri River that is home to a variety of immigrant communities from southeast Asia and Africa. It is also in close proximity to multiple reservations in Nebraska and South Dakota, which means there is a large Native American presence. From an old church building in the center of the city, Pastor Keo participates in God’s ministry to the world in Jesus Christ, attracting those who have no other place to go. He can’t help but talk about God—it pours out of him with constant phrases like, “praise God” or “God bless,” all in Laotian accented English. But these are not clichés— he means every word. The people he ministers to are not the rich and powerful, they are not well connected, which means they cannot make it on
their own. Clearly, Pastor Keo and his church community embody the very blessing of God that he constantly talks about, providing a living Word of God that addresses the lives of those living in the community. The purpose of Prairie SERVE is to partner with people and communities like Pastor Keo and Siouxland Unity Church. We want young people to know that loving our neighbor means loving those who live in our back yard. Many of the young people who live in Northwest Iowa travel regularly to Sioux City for shopping and entertainment. Without knowing it, they pass by the Siouxland Unity community, unaware of the powerful ministry happening in what they think is a familiar place. By bringing young people to work with Pastor Keo and Siouxland Unity Church, we hope to open the eyes of young people to the neighbors that are easy to miss— those we look past on our way to where we’re going. Our hope is that the young people who come to Prairie SERVE will be opened up to the power and presence of the gospel in people like Pastor Keo who pour out their lives in love and compassion as they seek to make the love of God known in Jesus Christ.
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Where will you go in 2017?
While SERVE creates space for students to worship authentically, dig deeply into God’s word, explore their God-given talents, see a broken world in need and serve others, the heart changes that are made in that space is what matters and makes a lasting impact. So pray for these communities – and pray for the students who’ll take their experiences home with them into their own communities.
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SERVE Locations: Ann Arbor, MI (Middle School) Brighton, ON Burlington, ON Byron Center, MI (Middle School) Crown Point, IN Douglas, MA Edmonton, AB Fruitland, ON (Special Needs) Gallatin Valley, MT Grand Rapids (Brookside), MI Grand Rapids (LaGrave), MI Hamilton, ON Holland, MI Huron, ON
Lynden, WA Minnesota West, MN Muskegon, MI Niagara, ON Palos Heights, IL Platte, SD Regina, SK Ripon, CA Sioux Center, IA
Sioux Falls, SD Thunder Bay, ON Vancouver, BC Washington D.C. Whitinsville, MA A full list of 2017 SERVE sites can be found at youthunlimited.org. youthunlimited.org | 9
2016
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FACES
OF YOUTH UNLIMITED
Annika
Natasha
Carlye Tazelaar SERVE Community Life Coordinator Covenant Christian Reformed Church Sioux Center, IA
Q. What resource has inspired you for ministry lately?
Jeff Miller Youth Unlimited Board Member and Ripon SERVE Worksite Coordinator Ripon, CA
Q. What’s your favorite place to meet with students, and why? A. Sunday Church School – I like hearing their questions about life’s challenges and the joy of experiencing school and life. Q. Where would you like to travel someday? A. Korea – Again! Q. What do you do to stay relevant to youth? A. Spend time with them; teaching, going on SERVE and reading about their current thinking in their publications. Q. If your students described you in five words or less, what would they say?
A. I love to read books to get inspired— Love Does (Bob Goff), Scary Close (Donald Miller) and Accidental Saints (Nadia Bolz-Weber) come to mind first. I also totally recommend anything by Andy Root for youth ministry— and Pinterest! Most of my ideas and resources come from Pinterest. Q. Where could we find you at 10:00 AM on a Saturday morning? A. Definitely either in my bed or sitting on the couch in my apartment, drinking coffee with my roommates. I love Saturday mornings! Q. I never leave for youth group without my _____. A. Selfie stick. You just never know. Q. Where would you like to travel someday?
A. Cheerful, experienced, easy to talk to and, if I’m not present, old.
A. One place I would really love to travel to would definitely be Australia. In another life, I’d like to think I would be the next Crocodile Hunter.
Q. What resource has inspired you for ministry lately?
Q. What do you do to stay relevant to youth?
A. Christianity Today Youth Discussions and the Youth Pastor’s Doctoral Thesis.
A. Social media is my biggest go-to for staying relevant. I also try to make it to events that my youth are participating in. Lately, because my youth group is mostly made up of boys, that has meant going to lots of sporting events and trying to remember all the rules of football and hockey. The kick is good!
Let us know if you’d like to be interviewed for a future issue of the Youth Unlimited Magazine at interview@youthunlimited.org
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Logan VanProyen First Christian Reformed Church Crown Point, IN
Q. Where would you like to travel someday? A. I have always wanted to visit all the wonders of the world. The adventures to get there would be incredible! I want to experience the handiwork of men that millions of people before me have admired in awe. Q. What do you do to stay relevant to youth? A. As a 22 year old, I still consider myself a youth. Maybe I say that to distract me from impending adulthood, but I am invested in social media sites and I love current movies and Netflix shows. I connect well with youth because I’m not that far removed from being a part of youth group myself. Q. What do you do in your free time? A. I love watching Netflix and counting down my time until college graduation (May 2017). More importantly, I love Christmas, and in my free time, I am planning for my over-the-top Christmas light display set to music. I mix new songs, choreograph songs and create new display pieces. Q. I never leave for youth group without my _____. A. Personality of enthusiasm. Q. What resource has inspired you for ministry lately? A. As a student at Calvin College, the many leadership roles and rigorous, Christcentered courses have challenged me to grow in my faith. That, in turn, has given me passion to reach out to others through service in my church and around me daily.
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