Christmas on the Frontlines

Merry Christmas!

from all the frontline youth workers at Niverville Youth for Christ!

What's a Gym?

Imagine a gymnasium the size of....

an average room?

This is what we have going for us at the Drop-In: a gym that is quite small, even tiny compared to an average gym. Yet it seems to be just enough space to be desired by many in and around our town.
Just in case you don't know what a gym is...

Anyway...back to the Drop-In Gym:

• Groups come from surrounding towns to rent out our place because it has this little gym option (as well as many other options).
  
• Local skateboarders come during winter months to brush up their skills in the gym.
• Teenagers and young adults with a lot of pent-up energy come ON A REGULAR BASIS to play hockey, and other sports in the gym.

Yeah, our gym has been a conduit for positive energy usage...BUT, more importantly it has been a major contribution to facilitating connection and relationship with many hurting young people out there.

The gym that was known as too small, too crammed, and too restrictive has become THE tool of ministry for us as of late.
Who woulda thunk it?

Now I'm just thinking what a bigger gym could do at our Centre. Hmmmm....

Hearts Out in November

Thursday, November 17th. 2011.
The town of Niverville gathered together for the annual Youth for Christ banquet at the Heritage Atrium.

The place was nearly full, as were stomachs and many hearts. Jordan St. Cyr and band played their hearts out (with an upright bass...nice!), and Daniel Williams shared his heart out on the topic of fatherlessness. Us YFC staff also shared our perspective of this topic, and what we're up to. Not that the evening went off without a hitch, but there was such a heart-warming response from you...the community of supporters around us. This wasn't just about the Drop-In Centre, but bigger...God is stirring up something inside His people and it was and is exciting to be a part of it. So thank you to all who were and are a part of it. We're blessed, AMEN!

Drop-In's Banquet!

OUR ANNUAL BANQUET!

Niverville Heritage Centre Atrium
Thursday, November 17th, 2011
doors open at 6pm
dinner & dessert buffet, plus live music by Jordan St. Cyr
complimentary tickets available upon request
contact us @ 388-6827 or nivervilleyfc@gmail.com

THE SUMMER OF CONNECTION; the summer of fatherlessness

what a summer.

what a whirlwind.

the presence of pain and the absence of connection met up with us humble few youth workers.

a long list of invested relationships from years past that are on the peripheral.

a large group of youngsters moving up the ranks from elementary to high school.

a new cultural breed of skateboarders.

a relentless demand for our centre to be open, and an unfamiliarity with intentional relationship.

and there's a flood of boys with little or no father input in their lives.

and then there's us.

with the whirlwind of thoughts in our minds of what we can do with it all.

no easy solution.

no overnight plan.

but there is a Father who knows, who cares, who connects...and who heals.

we made LOTS of connections this summer.

we saw LOTS of hurting voids in young people's lives.

we know LOTS of heartache and longing for renewal on behalf of the Father.

we LONG for God's Spirit to pour out on us all.

we LONG for the PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS to cover us!

enjoy some pictures of a bbq hangout that eric hosted as he, along with staff and volunteers, invests into this void.

Niverfolk Music Festival

well...in a few weeks we have a local music festival coming. i (mark) am putting this festival on with help of my band (guerrilla warfare) and a few other local bands.

this is NOT actually a youth event.

this is NOT actually a christian event.

say what?????

here's the deal...

we're bringing together 5 - 10 different young adult bands, mostly non-christian (of which most have some christian upbringing). a christian event would not accurately depict such a festival, and with this definition we as believers can subversively minister to our community. through the means of music we fellowship, encourage, and pray for others, reaching and speaking into their spheres and passions, rather than making a christian event that they'll forget about the instant they hear about it (just like the christian event going on at the forks on the exact day of this niverville festival).

it's something tailored to niverville.

something tailored to the music-lover's soul.

please pray that bridges will be built between the church and the strays.

the crazy sunday part 3: WHEELS IN THE HEELS

okay, so this "event" was a little unorthodox.

with a few random connections, we ended up facilitating the filming of a professional commercial. it was for a shoe company called "heelys" who makes shoes with wheels in the heels so people can choose to either walk or glide.


anyway...what i wanted to share was that this was a great opportunity to get the youth in our town excited and involved, as well as a great opportunity for us staff to host it and NOT run the show.



not running the show means we did not have to run around like chickens with their heads cut off, but instead help out where needed and really just hang out and connect with all the young people popping by. there were about 50 people who stopped by over the course of the evening, acting, skateboarding, cheering, or just curious about what was happening in little ol' niverville!


i left at 1 am, filming was still going on. but my day began at 6 am and this sunday had been crazy enough.

crazy good, that is.

a HUGE blessing on all fronts.

here's some more pics of this epic event!

the crazy sunday part 2: HEART & DEDICATION

So in honour of our fabulous, hard-working, sacrificial, and fun-loving VOLUNTEERS...we headed out to St. Malo Beach for a great BBQ. Our volunteers are given the month of August off, as we give our evening Drop-In programs a rest...as well as the volunteers! We've been blessed over the last few years to have such a dedicated group of young adults helping us out, and though sometimes we're a little low on numbers, heart and dedication can go much further than mere numbers. We're excited about what God is doing with this heart and dedication...and where He is leading us.

Props to all you amazing people who help us out week in and week out!!

Here's some pics to represent this heart & dedication!

Preparing the great food (made by guys?) right next to the lake.

Kevin likes food.

Grillmaster David working his magic

mmmmmanitba pork!

look who shows up...daddy McMahon! along with his "manly" hat.

the crowds gather around the newborn McMahon...Elsa!

Elsa and the dudes.

What's a party at the beach without a little badminton?

the volunteers giving it to the staff...ouch!

Kristen can hardly handle the pressure of the badminton intensity. And..here's Melissa Sawatzky...who we honoured as she is moving on to a YWAM bible school, and leaving her volunteer post of a good 5 years or so! You will be missed dearly, Melissa!

And here's Kevin Falk...YFC's trooper volunteer of 13 or 14 years already!!! Kevin is also moving on from his post, and so we honoured him as well for such true heart and dedication. We've all been blessed by your involvement, Kevin!!

the crazy sunday part 1: HE WILL RISE UP

so here's a snipit of the update i gave at maranatha on sunday:

"So just the other day I found myself frustrated and complaining a bit because of rejections i've received on availability of accommodations in town. My wife and I have been homeless for a few months now, for we left our rental house in May because our stable income had gone up in flames along with the Bakery. So we decided to attend a friend's wedding in Germany and come home to the unknown. With no home thus far, I've been waiting, and waiting...and waiting. Now in my miserable (rather pathetic), complaining state, God, by His great mercy, shared something with me.

"the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
therefore He will rise up to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for Him!"
-Isaiah 30:18

I share this not only as a personal update, but it struck me that this message also pertains to us in the drop-in ministry. We as YFC workers constantly feel a tension between striving to make ministry happen, and letting God do His thing. But the question remains, what do we do when we wait? (well i could go into a whole sermon, but i won't).

Well there is another feeling of tension that I would define as busy striving vs lazy waiting. Instead of one right and one wrong, this tension is a pendulum swing of wrong thinking and action. We're caught somewhere in the middle, letting His plans happen while being proactive to what He's calling us to do. In this process we must remember that God is in our corner, He wants the best for us and He is RISING UP to show us compassion. We are blessed when we wait on Him.

So I do want to say that... God is on the move here in this town!
His Spirit is stirring, and we all have a continual decision to join Him where He's at.
This looks different for each one of us.
At YFC...we're in a process of God's vision for niverville super-ceding some generic youth ministry model or YFC goal.
We believe in taking time to work together, and that working together takes time.
No overnight solutions as we wait.
This is a birthing process, we are careful not to deliver prematurely...but then again being way overdue is not so good either, as Eric and his wife know all too well (just gave birth to their first baby, Elsa...2 weeks overdue!).

We've all had our share of hard times...but go back to Isaiah 30:18!!! We ALL really have to understand the very heart of God when we're trusting Him, waiting on Him, and relying on Him, or we're doomed to become bitter, complaining children who completely miss the joy of His glorious inheritance!"

- mark von riesen

the crazy sunday preamble

well sunday, the 7th, has come and gone...and it was quite the day to report on (to say the least!). my day started at 6am, getting up with enough time to go over what i was going to share with my church @ maranatha that morning, as well as making it to the worship team practice before the service started.

right after the service i had made arrangements with all of our volunteers to meet up with us and head to st. malo beach for our summer volunteer wind up. we spent the afternoon in the hot sun, sharing food and fellowship...and badminton.

soon after this, gordon and myself headed to our headquarters to host the filming of an internet commercial campaign by a shoe/rollerskate company called heelys. they used local teenagers and our skatepark to film, and after many takes, a few stints of rain, and over 50 teens coming by, it was 12:30 am and time for me to head home. gordon (the single guy) stayed until the bitter end, when the filmers finally packed up in the middle of the night...and he crashed on a couch at the drop-in.

anyway, that's the preamble to our crazy sunday. details will follow...soon!

-mark

'twas a night to remember

well well well...the month of august has come.
for us at YFC, this is significant...for it is the only month of the year that we put our Drop-In evening programs to rest.
why, you ask?
well...here's a reminder: we give our volunteers a summer break, we give ourselves as staff a bit of space to plan for the new season coming up, and august happens to traditionally be a slow month in niverville for young people to be available.
now, having a month off would be nice...but the skatepark happens to be frequented on a DAILY BASIS, keeping us quite busy throughout every summer. this summer will be no exception, we are very sure. so we covet your prayers in having an impact with the kids we come in contact with, as well as the time to get out and connect with hurting youth who don't come to the centre on their own initiative...AND the ability to have time to think, pray, and plan for the upcoming year. thanks.

on another note...we just had our summer wrap up party! it was an amazing night, filled with great food, many youth and volunteers, meaningful connections, fun games, and AMAZING fireworks to cap the night (and summer drop-in evenings) off!!!

fellowship around the "communal counter"

skatepark being used...as per usual

card games attract the competitors

time to head outside...with everyone's anticipation for the fireworks, we had everyone's attention and were able to share our hearts very candidly about why we do what we do with the drop-in. God has greatly impacted each one of us youth workers and given us a BIG LOVE for each young person we meet...and He is ready and willing to pass it on to each of them.

the message is hitting home...we hope!

ooooo.....ahhhhh

absolutely blown away

the excitement is contagious...'twas a night to remember!

Commune with the Taco Man on the Moon

Here's a litte clip from the band "Guerrilla Warfare" playing at the Forks for the Youth for Christ staff from all across Canada. The band is made up of 2 of us Niverville staff, a staff spouse, a volunteer, and our summer staffer. The song is called "Taco Man on the Moon." Enjoy!



What is the meaning of this song? Well...to sum it up, it's about finding God in unusual places. Once upon a time there was a boy who was special, for he had an amazing and contagious personality coupled with a mental disability. From some unexplicable reason he was fixated on space, with the belief that there were people made up of tacos up there. We as a band have had the pleasure of hearing from this boy vicariously through a friend of ours who had been his educational assistant. Our friend was so impacted by this boy and his unusual words of affirmation through his spacial taco world, that it overflowed into our lives. Our friend was given life-giving words that contained the power of transformation in her life, and she was connecting with her heavenly Father all the while.
Most of the lyrics in this song are quotes from this special (spacial?) boy. It was written years ago, and still holds power for us as we sing it...as we commune with the Taco Man on the Moon!

mops, brooms, and mayhem

*disclaimer*

the staff at Niverville YFC prioritize relationship, NOT organization.

Okay, with that out of the way, here's a little slice of drop-in staff life.

With the addition of summer staff David, we are four young men charged with the responsibility of the drop-in ministry...and sadly one of those responsibilities is clean up. "Surprisingly" (that was sarcastic) this responsibility can fall to the wayside, and so out of our collaborated brilliant minds we came up with the plan to meet together at a designated time every week to share the load and complete this task.

Today was that day.

D-day.

We will fight the dirt!

Now as epic as that sounds, disorganization can always defuse passion. What you may not have known is that the plan to attack TODAY was only made by 2 out of 4 staff, one of whom had forgot by the end of the weekend...and made plans with family. So 2 of us happened to show up on time, summer staff David wasn't even aware. 2 hours of scheduled time had passed, and no cleaning had started. Kids were knocking on the door, and calling to come and beat the heat and hang out with us.

Executive decision time!

We decided to use the drop-in's AC as leverage for our disorganized selves to get some help! A good handful of kids came in willingly on the condition that they clean for the use of the AC...and surprisingly no one was deterred (many were desperate out of boredom). Out came the mops, the brooms, the heavy lifting, and the mayhem! But the kids came through, and we were able to witness the summer boredom of teenagers be put to use! In hindsight, our disorganized relational framework somehow led to a clean drop-in centre!

The Life of Brian

Well, it's been a while, and here's an update for you all about Youth for Christ's initiative of Brian "HEAD" Welch @ the Niverville Fair!

Better late than never?

OK, so Brian was no easy feat to fly in from Nashville...but with the amazing unified effort of Niverville's Churches and Ministries, we were able to make it happen (or better defined as "letting God do His thing"). So the band was booked for a show on Friday night of the Fair, and after a good amount of time we were able to add a Sunday appearance of Brian to share his testimony as a little icing on the cake. As it turns out, this little "icing on the cake" addition became the substance of what is to be remembered of HEAD coming to the little old Niverville Fair.

Recently talking with some of our youth who have turned 18 and have been caught up in the drug scene, I asked them how their summer has been going. To my astonishment, the main thing they talked about was Brian Welch coming to Niverville, and not only that..but they were primarily talking about his testimony! Brian's coming has stirred up all sorts of interest and excitement in the youth. One teen told us that his mom dragged him to the concert because she was an old fan of Brian's former band, Korn. He was totally blown away by the intense, loud, and yet relevant music and message of this former meth-addict-rockstar.

The "icing on the cake" Sunday appearance also blew us away in terms of community response. With the leadership of Niverville's churches, we moved forward with the idea of abolishing the traditional Sunday Fair Services we've been having in place of hearing Brian's story (with a little bit of Jack Johnson-styled worship beforehand). With the risk of losing many traditionalist attendees, or disinterested non-church goers, we went ahead with plan...and ended up with well over double the normal attendance!! Both the churched and the un-churched were blown away, and we've heard nothing but positive feedback so far! Can I get an AMEN?! Oh, sorry...that was the southern baptist preacher in me. Woops. Anyway, we at YFC have been blessed to be a part of this move of God in little ol' Niverville...and yet it's not just an event that has passed. We believe the best fruit is yet to come...if we're willing to follow God's movement and make the most of each opportunity He gives us.

Above: Brian sharing his story with Niverville on Sunday morning.

Below: link to a video of this story (starts on Part 2 of 6, once each Part is finished, just click on the next video it recommends).
http://youtu.be/gO1nfnTNYNs

a devastating crush

there was a major car accident just outside of niverville in early may.

a young man named ryan died after being hit by a vehicle while riding his new motorcycle for the first time. four young men were in the vehicle, four young men that we at the drop-in centre have been getting to know in the last few years.

a devastating crush to all parties involved.

now the question remains, what happens to those left behind? one man had life and lost it, and four others are left with lives they hardly want. this all seems quite backwards. but when you look and the redemptive heart of God, it may not be completely backwards. One of the guys recently posted on facebook, while going through this season of intense eternal perspectives. the post was the bible verse that follows:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, Will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing"

we must understand that this reference wasn't just some comfort words pulled from some archive in this young man's life. with no church or christian background, these words were new, fresh, and revealing to him, unlike any characteristic of his past.

sometimes the most devastating blows can cultivate the best soil for change in our lives, change that brings us into reliance on God, and relationship with him.

Dance On It!

Last month we as the Niverville Youth Ministries hosted our 4th annual "Crave." With the help of a very modern youthful atmosphere, we opened the doors for the youth to worship God in a very atypical fashion.

In the midst of the music and dance, we gave everyone a chance to experience what we call "dancing on it." With a black-lighted atmosphere (see pictures below) we used highlighters that glowed to write on the dance floor things that we worried about, or brought us down. With that, the music pumped up and we were all able to dance on our situations, dance unto God and worship Him in the midst of our problems. The really neat thing that happened was that as we physically danced on the hightlighted words, they faded away under our feet. This was a perfect representation of what God does in our lives as we "dance on it" in the midst of our trials.

In another stream of the event, it was an outreach to many unchurched youth, and they came by the droves. We had about 200 youth, grades 9-12, show up and experience this Crave, whether it was by being right in the middle of the dance floor worshipping God with others, or on the sidelines watching...wondering what kind of energy makes these people move. We pray that this subversive expression of our faith takes roots in youth that are on the fringes.

a flock of youth crammed onto the illuminated dance floor

the night was lead by DJ DROPS (Chris Dropko, youth pastor of Maranatha) &
MC ROBOKOP (Rob Redekop, youth pastor at NCF)

teenagers writing writing some difficult issues onto the dance floor with highlighter

freedom was in the atmosphere as we praised God

the lighting was really cool, too.