About Youth Strike for Christ (YSFC) 

Youth Strike for Christ is a spiritual growth retreat for 7th - 12th grade youth.  This event will give youth time to reflect on their own faith journey through keynote speakers, Christian rock concerts, small group sessions, and several other unique ministries.  Throughout the weekend, youth will also have the opportunity to meet others and to share their faith with other Christian youth.  We feel strongly that Youth Strike for Christ presents an exciting opportunity for growth and new beginning both for our conference and for your church!  Youth Strike for Christ invites any youth, regardless of how active they are in your church or youth group.  We extend a special invitation to the youth of your community who are members of other churches or completely unchurched.  Please encourage youth to talk about this event and bring their friends.  Youth Strike for Christ intends to serve the needs of all youth, regardless of their background or religious experience. This event will set your youth on fire for God!!! 

YSFC (Youth Strike for Christ) believes in small group times with youth to really help them get into their faith and ask questions.  During the weekend everyone attending YSFC will be placed into a small group and this small group will meet 4 or 5 times.  Small groups are formed by age group.  Example, 7th graders will  be in small groups with other 7th graders.  The small group leader will have a lesson plan with questions, games and scripture for the youth.  Each small group will have about 12 youth and one youth leader.  YSFC modeled this from Jesus and his 12 disciples.  Jesus used the small group of disciples as an opportunity to teach more in-depth lessons.

Youth Strike for Christ has a team of 30 volunteers from all over the state of Iowa who plan the event each year.  The team consists of 15 adults and 15 youth.  The youth keep the adults in check on what is and is not cool.  This team plans every detail of the event from the spiritual meaning to the meals served to the fun activities for the whole weekend.  The planning for this event takes about 11 months.

Our Mission Statement:
                A faith building event for 7th thru 12th graders.

Our Focus Statement:
                Where ever we are in life and faith, Jesus invites us to follow.

What others are say about Youth Strike for Christ

Imagine--an event for youth organized and carried out by youth.  It would be full of activities, music, presentations and fun all centered around issues to which youth relate.  Fill it with enthusiastic youth eager to have fun and meet new friends.  That’s Youth Strike for Christ!

For several years now I have asked my confirmation class to attend Youth Strike as we begin a new class.  It serves as a bonding experience as well as planting seeds of spiritual formation on which we can build.  The youth focus it provides helps them to see the church in a different light than what they typically see at home.  And I’ve never had a youth attend without admitting they had tons of fun!  Most ask if they can attend again next year.  And it’s encouraged participation in other district and conference events and has made connections that serve them in other inter-scholastic experiences they may realize in the future. I heartily recommend Youth Strike for Christ for your group!

                                                                                    Mike Orthel, senior pastor at Algona

How it all started 

Youth Strike for Christ was the brain child of Jennifer Van Nostrand.  While Jennifer lived in Colorado as a youth and then as a young adult, she regularly took part in a similar event held at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, called Up With Youth.  Jennifer moved to Iowa in 1998 and realized that there was no United Methodist youth retreat like she had experienced in Colorado.  Knowing the many positive effects on youth this type of event can have, she thought it was crucial to start an event like it in Iowa.  Jennifer became active with her local church's youth group in Greenfield, Iowa, and quickly evolved into planning activities in the Creston District.  From there Jennifer teamed up with Sandy Smith, a pastor in Winterset, Iowa, also excited about starting a youth event.  This led to a small team of people sitting down one afternoon in mid 2000 to brainstorm some ideas on how to start a youth event.  

During the brainstorming, the one name that kept coming up for the event was Youth Strike for Christ.  The meaning of YOUTH STRIKE FOR CHRIST comes from the idea of workers going on strike.  When workers go on strike, they focus all their attention on meaningful values.  This retreat would give the youth a chance to STRIKE from the distractions of life to completely focus their time and attention on Christ and their relationship with him.  So, youth would go on STRIKE for Christ.  At first the team did not know if this name would be interpreted as being violent with the word “strike” in it but after much discussion and prayer the name stuck! 

Next a core team of people were put together and the first Youth Strike for Christ event was held at a hotel in Des Moines, Iowa, in November 2001.  After two years of holding the event during the weekend of Thanksgiving, the core team decided to move the event to the first weekend in February each year.  During this journey, the members of the team have changed but the focus has always stayed the same.  Our focus is to spread the word of God to youth!

For more information contact Jim Oberbroeckling at  joberbroeckling@iowatelecom.net

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