Report of the
Board of Youth and Young Adults
I Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”
Praise the Lord! Looking back at the first year that the Board of Youth and Young Adults has been in existence, it is obvious that God was and is at work!
During the board’s first organized year of service we have planned, organized, and implemented many events to bring glory and honor to God as we minister to the adult youth leaders, teenagers, and young adults of the BFC. On the weekend of July 28-30, 2000, forty-nine participants from six different BF Churches attended the Shore Retreat in Ocean City, NJ. The focus of the weekend was “Knowing and Following God’s Will”. The Thanksgiving Rally, November 24, 2000, was attended by more than two hundred teens at Victory Valley Camp for a day of fun, food, and the presentation of the Gospel. The speaker was Patrick Tannous. The second annual Young Adults Thanksgiving Fun and Fellowship was also held on November 25, 2000 at Victory Valley Camp. Sixty-two young adults from thirteen churches attended this event. It was a great time of fun and fellowship. The three-week Sno-Glo retreats for the year 2000, January 5-7, January 12-14, and January 19-21, were held at Pinebrook Bible Conference. The Theme this year was “A Friend To The Friendless”. The three speakers were Joe Hesh, Randy Hunt, and Billy Dunn. We were also privileged to have Dana Weller with us each weekend to talk about missions in our denomination. Approximately 1,100 students and leaders were at the three weekends.
The Lord has blessed the board with the monetary gifts needed to meet our financial responsibilities. We sincerely thank the Board of Christian Education for its gift to the Board of Youth and Young Adults last spring. It is our hope that each individual church would prayerfully consider adding the Board of Youth and Young Adults as a new line item in their annual budget. Any financial contributions would be graciously accepted. We will endeavor to use the money wisely for God’s work.
A financial report for 2000 will follow this report.
There are many exciting things on tap for the future so that we can promote unity, provide training and resources, and provide a catalyst for networking of youth and young adult ministries within the BFC. Plans are being made to sponsor a joint missions training weekend with the Board of Missions at Quakertown BFC on May 5. Any groups who are planning to go on mission trips this summer are encouraged to participate in the weekend. Another Young Adult retreat is being planned for this summer as well for July 27-29, 2001. Please keep your eyes open for more information about this event through the pastors’ email and Fellowship News. We are also working with the Board of Christian Education to create opportunities for young adults to minister in an internship at Christian Education works or other churches in preparation for full-time ministry as a pastor. Finally, plans are already being made for Thanksgiving rallies and Sno-Glo retreats for this year and for years to come. The 2001 Thanksgiving Rally will be held on November 23rd, the 2001 Young Adult Thanksgiving Event will be held on November 24th, and the 2002 Sno-Glo retreats will be held on the following weekends: January 4-6, combined Junior and Senior High; January 11-13, Senior High; January 18-20, Junior High.
Please continue to pray that the Lord will guide and direct the Board of Youth and Young Adults as it looks to the events slated for the future in youth and young adults ministry within our denomination of churches.
Board of Youth and Young Adults: Clyde D. Bomgardner, Jr., Chairman; Andrew T. Crossgrove, Vice Chairman; Timothy D. Weaber, Secretary; Billy J. Dunn, Treasurer; Raymond Cole, James D. Harris, Dennis J. Lawrence, Dorothy Ruch, Jeffrey L. Ruhl.