the PARfect team

so...here's an update on our staff theme:


Gordon "corey pavin" Kroeker: this man was known for his impressive start with the PGA tour, then lost his luck upon losing his moustache. Hopefully Gord won't have the same fate.


Eric "shooter" McMahon: this shooter will not eat pieces of poo for breakfast.


David "ian poulter" Ward: Niverville's own union jack of all trades. As always, England prevails.

Mark "bob barker" von Riesen: he's getting on in years, but he's still got some fight left in him.

golfaroony

So we just wrapped up the 20-ishth annual golf tourney for Niverville YFC! Despite some scheduling and rescheduling conflicts, and the ensuing tardiness on getting the word out, we still managed a respectable turn out with about 100 golfers! On top of this, we had the PERFECT day for golf and a wonderful flow the fundraising events. So thank you Niverville...and everyone else who does not fit into this category and still helped us out.




Here's Captain Gord, doing a great job at overseeing much of the tournament.

the best PROJECT we've undertaken

Niverville YFC can truly say we were so blessed to have Project 86 come out from California to rock out with us (aka perform a musical concert) Friday night of the Fair. The show was full of incredible energy, and connected so well with the youth - regardless of where they were coming from.

Not only were we blessed, but so was the band. We found a post online from them shortly after the show:
" Absolutely PERFECT show tonight. Niverville, Winnipeg, and surrounding regions...thank you for helping us have one of the best shows in the history of our band!"
The tide is turning within the youth...where they can look forward to meaningful events and experiences at the Fair, rather than going on a few rides and making up their own experiences themselves (which end up being the same old drinking parties for many of our youth). It's interesting to see how our community can have an impact on how our young people plan out their activities on such an epic weekend in their lives as the Niverville Fair. We at YFC have taken serious note of this oppotunity, not that Project 86 was the major factor, but that we as a community are moving forward with this PROJECT.

Thanks so much to our wonderful community, who opened their doors, opened the stage, opened their hearts, and opened their wallets to make this experience a reality.

David VIPER Ward

Niverville YFC proudly presents David Ward as the Summer Staff Worker for 2010. David brings a summer of experience to the plate as he was on board with us last year. With the foundation from last year, he moves stealthly like a viper into the snake pit of youth ministry. Snake pit, you ask? Well yes, let your imagination run wild.

We're pleased to have you on our TOP GUN team, David...or should we say Viper!

fast lanes, big bands, and the glue that holds them together

life is back in the fast lane.



There is a TON of stuff on the plate with us YFC folk. An early spring brings out teenagers from hibernation. In April we ran a weekend retreat for YFC staff and volunteers from around the area that amounted to around 80 people. It went really well and we were excited to gather together as a YFC family, equipping each other to further the ministry. We also recently hosted a Drop-In Open House, showcasing some of new renovations, new programs, and some of who we are and the history of where we came from. It was amazing to see new faces and familiar faces, as well as people from every church congregation in Niverville. REPRESENT!




We're currently going full throttle on planning for future events...including bringing a band from California to play at this year's Niverville Fair! A band called Project 86 is performing MAIN STAGE on Friday night of the Fair, a treat our youth have never experienced at the Fair in years past. So if you happen to be in Niverville on the Friday night of the Fair (June 11), be prepared for some LOUD music and if it happens to hurt your eardrums...please suffer for the kids!



So we're looking forward to this summer and its stuff...looking forward to its hopeful impact on our teenagers. With all the stuff going on, we still focus so much on the relationship we build and foster with the teens. It acts as the glue between the cracks of the stuff that goes on in life and our programming. Go glue go!

the Drop-In's TOP GUN idea

We've decided to boost our staff morale with the idea of monthly staff themes. Genious idea, I know. So...this month's theme is TOP GUN! (based on the fact that Gordon recently came in to work with a Goose-like moustache).

ERIC MCMAVERICK



GOOSEDON KROEKER



ICE MARK VON RIESEN



So we're not sure what kind of impact this will have on the ministry, but we're expecting great things!

ebb and flow and away we go

Anyone who has been involved in youth ministry, or with youth in general, or can remember being a teenager, will know that consistency is NOT a characteristic for this demographic. With this in mind, we're going to share a little on the "ebb" of our ebb and flow natured ministry.

The first few months of every year are usually our coldest, and usually our slowest in terms of numbers here at the Drop-In. We had a considerable "flow" leading up to the Christmas holidays - packed house most Drop-In evenings, high levels of intervention and activity, ministry to many, and chaos - and transitioned to much fewer numbers of youth. This ebb of youth ministry can appear as defeating, and even feel discouraging based on surface level evaluation. BUT BUT BUT...upon a closer inspection of what is actually going on, there is a lot of good in it.

For example, over the last few months our youth-to-adult ratio has gone from 10:1 to 4:1. Some nights we'll even have a 2:1 ratio, and in these moments we are making significant, long-lasting and impact-ful connections with our teenagers. Statistics in North America have shown that there is a significant correlation between the decline in adult connection in the lives of youth and the decline of their functional behaviour. Our teenagers also tell us that the connections they have with adults at YFC are sometimes the only ones they do not run away from (teachers, parents, police...etc.).

The safety of our Centre and ministry also has had a chance to grow. A standard is set, where people coming here can not only be loved by us, but also learn to show love and respect back to us, their peers, and to themselves. The difficulty and tension in setting a standard is having a target audience that has a hard time with living up to something and being held accountable...and thus not willing to come anymore. They opt for hiding in the dark, unaccountable shadows, away from adults in general (never mind adults of integrity). So in these ebbing months we also focus on reaching out of our Centre and connecting with youth...sometimes in those dark shadows.

With the spring often comes a resurgence of youth; a coming forth out of the winter shadows, with a little more willingness to seek the light. The Light. In the meantime we still have a good amount of fun and growth at our Centre. Ebb and flow we may go, but Christ remains our Cornerstone. Enjoy some pics...