Day 3 SYL Renewed 2021

 

(Link to yesterday's video- click here) In Young Life, we walk through life with kids- through the highs and lows. In this, we have seen that there are a couple of factors that impact a young person’s faith: first, a relationship with a  caring adult mentor, and second, a group of friends who are pursuing faith together. These relationships with other Christians are exactly why we encourage students to connect to a local church. When students leave Young Life, it is vital for them to be included in another faith community.  For the past couple of years, we have been building stronger relationships with leaders in local churches leaders.  This fall, Sitka Young Life is providing a community-wide youth leader training for these local churches. The goal of this group is to equip people to connect with youth in their own churches. So far, we have had some profound helpful discussions and for strategies to reach the current generation.  Currently, we have eight new leaders from four different churches who have teamed up with other Young Life leaders for this training. It has been very exciting and encouraging for all the churches involved. In addition to leader training, Sitka Young Life has been providing a community-wide youth group, where the youth leaders from those 4 local churches bring their students together. The leaders from the churches don’t have to plan the meeting or get supplies, they just show up and connect with the students from their church at the event.  Young Life staff coordinates everything else.  At the end of the night, the students break into groups with leaders and kids from their own church to reflect and share. These gatherings have been fun and encouraging for both kids and adults.  We hope that this collaboration will jump-start youth ministries in churches across town and that those churches can partner together with Young Life to reach the rest of the youth in Sitka. Thank you for partnering with us in this venture. Tomorrow we will be sharing about SYL and young adults. Click Here to Donate

Sitka Young Life P.O. Box 2046 Sitka, AK 99835

Day 2 SYL Renewed 2021

 

Do you remember your first encounter with Zoom? This is an amazing feat of technology, but it doesn’t take long to figure out that as long as you wear a nice shirt, no one has to know you are still in your pajama bottoms!  As COVID slowly evolved, each community had to figure out how they would move forward with their own safety measures. Likewise, each Young Life area had to figure out which action plans would be most appropriate for their community. In Sitka, we adapted to hosting Young Life club and campaigners on Zoom.  We invited students to bonfires and hikes.  We met with kids for bike rides and McDonald's runs, went on walks, and worked on house projects. In December, we even had a month of drive-in Christmas movies.  We sent thousands of texts and beefed up our presence on social media. We made fun memories with young people as we helped them process what was happening during COVID. Sitka Young Life has a group of amazing leaders who have been the “boots on the ground” during these times.  Currently, seven of our dynamic leaders are employed full-time in one of the two local school districts teaching, mentoring, coaching, and advising. There is even one leader working at the community teen center. Our leaders are engaged and amazing. Together we are a strong team.  Overall, things here in Sitka are progressing and we are meeting again weekly with kids. As of now, due to mitigation plans, we are hosting separate gatherings for students of the two school districts.  On the Sitka side of the bridge, we are having game nights and multi-church Bible studies using the Alpha curriculum.  Since Mt. Edgecumbe kids haven’t been able to leave the school while the COVID risk level is on high, we have been given permission to host Young Life club and Bible study campaigners on campus.  SLY is back on the ground running and it feels good.  Thank you for being a part of the team.  Let us know if you have an interest in being a leader. Tomorrow, we will have a chance to share the exciting ways that SYL has been partnering with local churches to reach teens and encourage them in their faith. Donate Here

Sitka Young Life P.O. Box 2046 Sitka, AK 99835

Day 1 SYL Renewed2021

COVID-19 has brought a lot of changes into our daily lives. It has given us different routines and rhythms and brought new definitions for words like social distancing. Some of these changes are challenging to adapt to, but some will have a positive effect on youth ministry in Sitka.  This break in routine has given us an opportunity to look at the dramatic shift in youth culture and has also allowed us a chance to adapt our strategies in order to better meet kids.  Culture has been changing a lot over the last few years.  Young people today grow up with a lot more technology and they have a lot more vying for their time and attention. Through their screens, kids are inundated with different voices, values, and philosophies. On their devices, young people face amplified comparison, polarization, and isolation.  Kids today are also exposed to more at much earlier ages and processing all this can be difficult for young minds.  Being a kid today is not simple or easy. As Young Life leaders we get to bring smiles to faces and create safe places where kids can be themselves and feel valued and accepted. We listen carefully, we walk closely, and we encourage. We get to point kids to Jesus- the one who knows them the best and loves them the most.  And that is what Young Life leaders are doing in all 50 states and around the world in 104 countries.  We laugh, we listen, we love, and we share. Volunteer leaders from Sitka and around the world are being trained and sent out to be with young people.  That is what you are a part of when you join the Sitka Young Life team. COVID-19 has forced us to be innovative and to try new things. Over the next four days, we get to share with you some of these exciting new ways in Sitka that we are digging deeper, increasing church involvement, and reaching out to young adults. Tomorrow we will be sharing about the things we have been doing with students in town and also how we have been involved with the students at Mt. Edgecumbe High School. DONATE HERE Sitka Young Life P.O. Box 2046 Sitka, AK 99835

Donate Here

BIG NEWS

BIG NEWS: 

1. We have been invited to start Young Life club and campaigners on campus at Mt. Edgecumbe High School!  Sitka has been on Covid high alert since July and so the MEHS administration has invited Young Life on to campus in order to provide a positive activity in which kids could be involved.
2. We had our first Sitka Youth Combined meeting with youth leaders and kids from churches around town joined together with YL leaders and kids in order to dive deeper into faith together. (More details will follow)
3. Our Online Giving campaign will take place November 19-24. If you are on our regular email list, you will receive daily emails.  If you know someone who would enjoy the updates or want to receive a text link update on your phone during this campaign- use the following link:  Sign up   

   

   Pumpkin carving night with kids and leaders

   

The Ball is rolling!

                                        

The ball is off and rolling here with Sitka Young Life! Last week we met with kids to carve pumpkins, laugh and play games! We also met with a team of youth leaders from churches around town! The goal of meeting with Young Leaders was to help strengthen and encourage the youth programs and empower ministries and grow relationships with young people in our local churches. 

 And this is just the beginning. SYL will continue to host a monthly youth ministry leader training! SYL will host a monthly all-Sitka youth rally night where Young Life leaders and church youth leaders come together with the young people of Sitka. We will be using the curriculum from Alpha to dive deeper into conversations about faith and how Christ makes a difference in each of our daily lives.   Thanks for your involvement! Here is a picture from Saturday's youth ministries training:

Sitka Young Life Celebrates:

 

 A bonfire at the park

Things to Celebrate: 

• Meeting with kids for our campaigner Bible studies.  In the last week of school, between 4 different campaigner groups, we had 33 kids meet with 9 different leaders to enjoy a time of food, community, and to dive into God's word.
• Gatherings with young people are becoming more frequent
• This summer we are planning on having many ways to connect with young people in Sitka- including hiking, campfires, topic conversations, games, and a local camping trip.

Thanks for your prayers and support.

One of our campaigner groups

Giving kids...

Our faithful prayer team meets weekly to pray for kids

We are giving kids:

• a listening ear and a safe place to be themselves.
• positive experiences with peers and leaders.
• an example of what Christ can do in life.

We are with kids

• tonight as we meet with high school kids for a chance to be together, play games, and laugh!
• tomorrow morning in person for our campaigner Bible study!
• in the upcoming week(s) as we meet with middle school friends to go harvest some herring! 

Thanks for your prayers and support!

                 Contribute to Sitka Young Life- updated link