Volleyball

Every second Friday Night, from congregations around the Mission Centre (well at least those within a reasonable drive of London) parents pack up their Junior and Senior High aged youth and travel to our Woodfield Congregation .

I mean, there is no getting out of going to Woodfield on those Friday evenings! The facebook group has been chatting, the text messages have been flying from smart phone to smart phone, emails have been sent and every, absolutely every Jr and Sr High aged youth knows that this event is happening. These youth are also inviting their “non Community of Christ” friends and relatives to come along! These are exciting times for our youth (and for parents who sneak off to Costco too!)!

Brian Jackson, Michelle and Dariq, who make up this small, yet vital, group of enthusiastic volunteers, shepherd this rag tag group and make sure that everyone has an opportunity to participate as they would like. Top off the evening with a nice lunch and fellowship time and the youth head back home with their parents.

The Woodfield Congregation, and this group of stalwart volunteers, are providing a way to inject real “Community” into “Community of Christ”. They are also providing opportunity for meeting the Mission Initiatives, “Invite People to Christ” and “Develop Disciples to Serve!

These Friday nights have not only been beneficial to our current Jr and Sr High camping community but has drawn in the, er, well, “more seasoned” camping community as well. Remember those parents I just mentioned who are “doing dinner” or “sneaking off to Costco? Well most, if not all of these folks are graduates of the “Camping Community of Yore”! This evening of volleyball has become a time when generations of people, not only the youth, but also many adults, are connecting, reconnecting and working on those friendships and fraternal relationships that our camping community seems to so readily create.

I have also known of an administration or two to take place in the Costco parking lot! Real, life changing, tires hitting the pavement, ministry is happening, but don’t tell the youth!

The young participants are there and having a blast! Some of the young adults help out in the kitchen, getting the snacks together and working to make sure that things keep running along. Everyone, and that means everyone from every extended generation, is building community IN Christ while doing things they enjoy. So next time you see the youth buzzing over their phones at church, get ready to head on over to London!

Hey! Send me a text! While Brian and his team are working to establish and build on those vitally important relationships, maybe we can “do dinner”!

(Here's the facebook page with all the details you need.)

Poster is John Nichols