District NYI Updates on Camp, NYI Council Meeting, etc.
Hi All,
I want to encourage you to keep praying and serving the teens and their families as I know you have been. I know that the constant fluctuations, potential divisions in the church body, personal hardships, world events, etc. etc., can take their toll, but our God is greater than everything we face and as long as we are unified in the body of Christ and continue to love and serve him and others, God's ministry can persevere and thrive in any situation. I also want to express our love and sympathies to Lisa Ponczoch from Ephrata and the loss of Tyler, one of the teens connected to their youth ministry, to suicide. Let's lift all those impacted by this tragedy in prayer, support, and love in this difficult situation.
Camp Update: We've been waiting these past few days for solid information to communicate to all of our churches as we rework our approach and adapt in light of recent developments. Specifically, the delays in Washington counties not advancing to the next phases, as well as Idaho also experiencing recent spikes in new cases and the possibility of their governor issuing new restrictions. The need to balance effective ministry with participant safety, liability concerns, which can affect all future ministry opportunities, and respect for our governing authorities, which is Biblical, prevents us from being able to have District Teen Camp in-person at Riverview. The NW District NYI, Camp Team, and District Leadership has worked extremely hard to explore every avenue to have district camp in-person happen this year and we know that this will be disappointing for all of us and especially our teens. That being said, there are a couple options and resources available for all of our churches to minister to their teens this summer and they are listed below.
As a special note, I have had many great and encouraging conversations these past few months and I know that there is a wide variety of personal feelings about COVID-19 and the corresponding restrictions on us as individuals and groups. So I want to encourage all of us that Christlike love and holiness compel us to not only persevere in ministering to others, but to also recognize that our ministry to our people and our witness to non-believers necessarily includes their well-being, the well-being of others in our communities, as well as our attitude, words, and actions in all things. I know that we'll all take that to heart as we adapt and continue to love others.
Virtual Camp for All Churches: We have already been developing and promoting a Virtual Camp option so that all Churches can participate regardless of their situation. This will be a combination of pre-recorded material, real-time interaction online, and whatever in-person elements your local church can facilitate. The pre-recorded material will be downloadable and playable at your own convenience, you can use it the week of camp or hold on to it for when your group is allowed to meet back together. The pre-recorded material includes an introduction from our camp speaker, eight chapel sessions, discussion questions for the morning sessions, five instructional videos describing classic and new camp games, worship videos from NNU’s Covenant, and some messages from the summer camp team. The live portion of the package will take place over Zoom and will occur during the week of camp. Each afternoon during the week of camp, students and groups are invited to join a large Zoom meeting to hear additional content from our camp speaker, play digital group games, discuss the camp theme, and fellowship with other district teens. This additional content from our camp speaker does not rely on a participant having watched the pre-recorded sessions, giving you the option to join even if you plan on using the pre-recorded sessions later. The price of the online option is $50 per church, not per student. This low fee helps us offset the administrative expenses of camp as well as the content created and provided, but if your group does not have money available for this, please contact us and we'll get it to you regardless. This virtual camp option was made so that each church can tailor their experience as their county and state mandates. Groups may choose to gather and watch the pre-recorded material together and then interact with the Zoom meetings together, if their county allows. Other groups may wish to hold on to the pre-recorded material until they can meet together and have students individually join in on the Zoom meetings.
Other: Some local churches are working together to provide other additional options and events to minister to their own groups and possibly collaborate with other local churches. You are welcome to explore these options for yourself and with other churches as your local situation, local church leadership, and prudence allow.
NYI Council Meeting: I think we need to be available to each other in real-time and so there is an NYI Council Meeting Thursday, July 9 from 2:00-3:00 via Zoom to go over some of these camp options, take some Q & A on them, as well as exploring all District NYI Events for the upcoming school year. Join our Zoom Meeting at that time by clicking here or use the Meeting ID: 580 169 1071 and Password: NYImtg
Thanks & God Bless,
Pastor Billy Buisman
Spokane Valley Church of the Nazarene
NW District NYI President
208-818-3352 billybuisman@gmail.com