Summer has been a busy season for us, both behind the scenes at Songtime and in our various ministry efforts. We are grateful for the many opportunities God has given us to serve and share the gospel.

Mark, our media engineer and producer, and I (Adam) volunteer with Youth For Christ on Cape Cod, a collaborative youth outreach ministry. Mark volunteers for the Hyannis Regional Club, and I am involved in the Chatham Regional Club. Recently, we hosted a weekend of camp for all of our Youth for Christ students on Cape Cod. 

Not to be outdone, Rosemary, our office administrator, spent a week volunteering with Joni & Friends at a Family Retreat in Greenfield, NH. They serve families with adult children living with disabilities. This ministry is close to Rosemary’s heart. 

PINK ELEPHANTS

Our Youth For Christ Camp is a lot of fun. We play games, sing fun songs, hang out, and get away from distractions, but the most important thing we do is provide time and space for students to connect with God. 

This year’s theme was “The Full Story.” In it, we taught the redemptive story of the Bible: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. My message was on sin and how Adam and Eve fell from perfection. 

I shared a childhood memory about receiving my first Bible. As I flipped through the first pages of Genesis, I was thrilled to see my name. Using my mom's highlighter, I marked every instance where my name appeared. However, I soon felt guilty, so I went back and highlighted every mention of the word "LORD." What struck me was that while my name stopped appearing after the first few pages, God's name continued throughout the text. This was the first time I truly felt convicted, realizing my need for repentance and recognizing the majesty of God.

I love using object lessons with students. I brought in a batch of caramel apples and invited several students to come forward to see who could eat them the fastest. However, these weren’t apples; they were caramel-covered onions. Just like the fruit in Genesis 3, they looked appealing at first, but once the students took a bite, they regretted it immediately.

We talked about the problem of sin, which means “to miss the mark,” and how we all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). It is not just about committing moral failures; it is about every area of our lives that doesn’t measure up to Christ’s perfection. This can leave us with an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame. 

I then told them to try their best not to think about a pink elephant. Before I mentioned it, the thought had never crossed their minds. However, once I brought it up, they couldn’t stop picturing it. This illustrates why we often struggle with sin even after we are saved. When we try to confront it directly by focusing on the sin itself, we are overpowered by it. Instead, we need to shift our focus and look to Jesus. By remembering what Christ has done for us and adopting the mindset of Christ, we can start to achieve victory over sin in our lives: “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin” (I Peter 4:1, ESV). 

The gospel applies to all areas of life, and we need to surround ourselves with people who will help us keep Jesus front and center in our lives. 

FIVE YEARS STRONG

This year marked our fifth year of hosting a Youth For Christ (YFC) Camp on Cape Cod, and it hasn't come without its challenges. Organizing such an event requires meticulous planning and substantial resources. We need to rent a campsite, provide all necessary equipment, food, and amenities, and assemble a skilled team of counselors and support staff to ensure the weekend program is engaging and meaningful for everyone involved. 

Our YFC Camp serves as the culmination of a year’s worth of community-based clubs, gathering students together for fellowship, discipleship, and proclamation of the gospel of Christ. This weekend offers students a fully immersive experience and an opportunity to connect with God. 

We had 48 students and 29 volunteers. It's a labor of love that wouldn’t be possible without the commitment and support of multiple churches, which contribute their time, talents, and resources. Their dedication truly makes this camp an unforgettable experience for our students.

As the summer begins, we are planning our summer events and working toward launching two new regional YFC Clubs this fall. 

Our YFC Missionary, Emelio Gassibe, is a trailblazer and the only YFC Director in New England. This area used to be filled with ministries reaching the next generation, including our own Youthtime, stretching all the way back to the 1960s. While many ministries have come and gone, we are excited to give our time to a ministry that is on the rise.