The ones who showed up

Students motivations and reasoning can be weird sometimes. Take a table I have visited regularly at lunch for , going on, my third school year. Only one of the girls had previously been to club regularly and another had visited. This table, once just girls (though guys always join a table over time), used to harass me when they were freshman. They even took one of my schedule fliers and used my number off that to text bomb me (send texts from multiple phones at once to one phone to overwhelm it). Eventually maturity started to prevail and I got one of them to go on a six flags trip and get support from one of my caring female staff.
  Now I tell you this story because at my first club one of the girls from that table showed up. At the slip n slide event two more showed up. I don't talk to students for the selfish motivation of them to come to club, but in the genuineness of showing them love in the name of Jesus. When I invited a couple to various trips one of the girls belted out that sounds dumb and she would not be attending. I eventually explained the event to the other students and costs free/cheap and the same girl who called it stupid and declared she was not going took a flier and said "let me ask my mom".The problem is for some reason their is a fear of the new. (Granted that fear subsides a bit when 40-50 of your peers show up to club each week.) They also realize that free food, a trip to taco bell with a busload of 51 kids, fun games, and great bonding time with friends is not all that scary.

  Some of the fear is with the gospel message. One new freshman asked me if it was a "Christian thing". I told him we talk about Spirituality and Jesus and have discussions. He proceeded to tell me it wasn't for him and then had a conversation with me on what he believed about God. So when I say fear, the fear is about something new different, not a fear of what the student usually complains about. This one freshman shows that reasoning and motivation is built upon peer pressure, false idealisms, and a logic that doesn't benefit the student. 

  This leads me back to the table of once only girls and their male friends. What broke them down? More of their friends going and a breakdown in peer pressure? The false thought patterns being debunked? I can never know, but I am excited that they are getting an opportunity to hear the gospel, build relationships with people who care about them, and exterminate the fear that kept them away.

   

Club Kickoff 2012

  We had an amazing club kickoff this last Monday. We held a BBQ at the school and had 36 students show up with some parents and younger siblings in attendance. I used to call the first club Family club, but I realized students didn't show up when I called it this. So our first week is in the books. I don't get to excited about numbers for various reasons (primarily because loving kids isn't a numbers game), but this turnout number is awesome in terms of it being the first club and beating the high mark for a club in winter of last year (26). Last year only a dozen students made it to the first club.
  Part of the key to making club successful is having the students take more and more ownership of club. They have a full year of experience with it, I am more involved on campus, and they are more involved with club. With Mandy becoming the Director for Fern Ridge Middle School Campus Life, students are now having the opportunity to volunteer more with the middle schoolers and mentor them. Above all God has blessed us, and I look forward to seeing what he does in the students lives. Because more important than the numbers is the students learning about who Jesus is and what real Love from Him looks like.
  I had one students tell me at lunch that he could not come to club because it was a Christian thing. I told him we do talk about spiritual things concerning Jesus, but that he was by no means excluded. I explained that a lot of students who come to club are not Christian. While he was trying to tell me that club was not for him he began to start a conversation about his thoughts on God. I encouraged him to come to club after chatting for a bit, because club is a great place to begin and continue that discussion.
  On a different not, I have had several interviews over the past couple months. Recently I had another interview and I am at the point where I would like that supplementary income. Please pray that I get the job. I would like to contribute more of the money I get for Campus Life to the kids and less to my salary. My heart is for them. I also have a heart to support my family and to achieve my hearts dreams I need another job (or a big donor to support me with a ton of cash). Please continue to pray that God leads me, my family, and the students.