CYIA 2020 - That's a Wrap!
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Hey friends!
CYIA 2020 is a wrap!
Last week was our final week of CYIA! In past three weeks, we had six clubs with 27 kids. We were able to have two clubs in-person at houses. One of the hosts is wanting to get a school year Good News Club set up and was hoping that having us during the summer would help launch into that. I would say that the children were definitely excited and the parents were interested. One parent even offered to help get the club going!
Also, this past week, the teens had a new opportunity for them. Each morning, we have a worship and devotions time with the teens. Typically, I have lead the devotions most of the summer, but this week we gave the teens the opportunity to take a day and lead devotions.
On Friday, we had a party to celebrate the teens and what they have done and learned this summer. We played games, had snacks, and invited the parents to watch them be presented with their certificates for their work this summer. We even had a raffle bag for them to win with candy, toys, and ministry supplies.
So many of the kids we taught were so excited and enjoyed club so much. One girl, during the review game, would always get the biggest smile on her face before giving the answers! Another child when asked if they could make something go on forever and what it would be, said, “This!” But 5-Day Clubs are about so much more than fun. They are about a friendship with the Savior, and whether the children were discipled in their faith or told of an amazing love they never knew existed, God’s word has gotten out this summer despite all the challenges that threatened to keep the message at bay. Sure, I can’t report as many numbers of clubs or children reached as previous more normal years.
But here’s what I can report:
We had 8 clubs with 35 kids
Foundations were planted for a new Good News Club
3 teens were trained in teaching kids the word of God
Not only were the teens trained in teaching pre-prepared lessons but also trained in writing their own material
40 teaching videos were filmed in English, with 2,956 total views and reaching 6,639
8 teaching videos were filmed in Spanish, with 409 total views and reaching 877
Each of the team members, me included, have grown in our relationship with the Lord over these weeks
I am so proud of the teens and what they have done this summer. They were thrown lots of challenges and curveballs, but they kept with it. Even though this has been by on all accounts the most challenging and unusual summer I have had in CYIA, the teens are all excited about coming next year. They and their parents had patience and perseverance with the ever-changing schedules, regulations, and forms of ministry as we worked this summer. I really want you to hear from the teens about their experience this summer:
“I learned that God has a plan for my life and that God hears prayer. I’ve learned how to understand children, how to talk to them in their world, how to work under pressure, and how to run on a few hours of sleep and still be enthusiastic. I’ve learned a ton of scriptures and what they mean, how to pick a random verse and teach the whole Gospel through it. … And [I’ve learned] that you shouldn’t let your age stop you from what God wants you to do and that even if you’re the youngest, you can still do it. And anyone who doesn’t think you can, prove them wrong. … This summer was the best thing to ever happened to me for I’ve learned that God is in control.”
“I feel great that I told kids about Jesus. Videos for CEF were really fun when doing them. I am happy I could have a new experience with kids.”
“I learned sooooo much like how to deal with kids of all ages in many different situations; how to teach Bible stories; how to IPEAR (intro presentation explanation application repetition) anything like a song, Bible verse, Bible lesson, etc.; and how to tell the Gospel to kids of any age in a way they would understand and lots of different ways that I never knew before. I also learned soooooo much more than could have be put into words, but it helped me so much with my spiritual life and growth as a Christian. The things I learned I will be using for as long as I live.”
For me personally, I know that all my summers in the CYIA program have been times of immense growth. I have learned about teaching, friendship, service, leadership, and about the deep love I have for children’s ministry. When I started, I never imagined that this would become my passion or that I would one day be leading it. This year in particular has tested me and taught me patience, flexibility, and trust in God’s sufficiency. It is always fun for a control freak who likes everything organized and planned out to be sitting up at 10:00pm the night before trying to solidify if, when, and where they have to lead a team in clubs the next morning. But that is how all of life goes—God doesn’t promise us a fully laid out plan with a map and exact details of what to do when, where, and how. Psalm 119:105 (ESV) says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”. We are promised just enough light to keep going. I have gotten into the habit of each morning, praying to God not for a perfect day and 1000 years of energy, but for just enough of what I need to get through the day. Lord, just give me what I need to do Your will TODAY. I want to see all the plans laid out, and I want to understand it all. Here’s the catch, God never asked us to understand; in fact, just the opposite. He asks us to trust Him. I want to encourage you all especially in these times that you don’t need to see the whole picture. Trust God and follow Him. He will provide everything you need for His will.
Hebrews 12:1 (ESV) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”
Rachel E. Uithoven
5-Day Club Student Leader
Dr. Jim Simoneau
Local Director
334-399-1733
CEFofNAL@gmail.com
Kathryn Burleson
Good News Club Coordinator and Teacher Trainer
256-353-3139
cefofnal.gnc@gmail.com
