When Fun And Games Are Not Enough
Posted on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 by
Root beer floats, pizza, a hundred relay races, and thousands of types of tag...at Campus Life Club, we keep things FUN. It’s how we draw kids in at first and bring them back over and over to hear the message of the love of Jesus Christ.
Lydia first came to Campus Life at Frontier Middle School last year because of a root beer float party. For a while, all those fun games and treats were really her thing. She brought several friends who were also into the games and still come today.
But now Lydia is less engaged in those same activities that seemed to drive her to club. She attends but doesn’t fully jump into games. She’s just not interested anymore. Are we doing something wrong?
Or have we done something very right?
When Lydia started coming to club last school year, she made strong connections with several YFC leaders. She loves to say hi to leaders like Sonya, Jessica, and Reamen, whether it’s at club or during a school lunch visit. Even though Sonya (her favorite leader) has spent this year in Montana, Lydia and her friends still never miss a club. She’s also been on two winter retreats!
Are the games what keep Lydia coming? Not really. Is it the messages of hope found in Jesus shared each week by the leaders? Honestly, probably not.
It’s relationship.
Because of the relationship she has built up with Campus Life leaders, Lydia has a place to belong and hang out with her friends. Leaders like Sonya, Jessica, and Reamen engage with her at club and seek her out on campus.
What's more powerful than fancy snacks and goofy games? Belonging. Trust. Safety.
We don’t know for sure if Lydia has chosen Jesus yet. We believe, as well as pray, that she has responded in her heart to the gospel one of the many times it was shared with her. But she is the most engaged when it comes time for the discussion and she has a strong enough relationship with the leaders at Frontier Middle School Campus Life that she wants to be involved in every event we do, including retreats.
We don’t know if she’s chosen a relationship with Jesus, but we do know she’s chosen a relationship with us. And through that relationship, we’ll share Jesus as often as we can.
Story from Reamen Williams. Reamen has been a leader with YFC since he began helping at Frontier in the 10th grade. Before that, he attended club just like Lydia in 8th and 9th grade. He built strong relationships with his leaders then, and now is the Site Leader for YFC's Campus Life at Frontier Middle School.