Save the Date - Annual Banquet 11/20/09

Believe it or not, our 18th Annual Banquet on November 20th, 2009 is only 3 weeks away. As in the past, it is being held at WIU’s Grand Ballroom. Doors open and silent auction begins at 6:00 p.m. Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m.

If you are interested in hosting or organizing a table, be sure to send us an email or call the office

at (309) 833-3026.

Be sure to come early and check out our Annual Basket Auction. The baskets themes ranged from Chocolate Lovers to Christmas to Movie Night. If your church is interested in putting a basket together or would like to donate towards a basket, please feel free to contact the YFC office or Kelly Barsi at 255-7010 or Vicki Reimolds at 772-3062. Dropoff locations are Barsi-Depoy Tax/Copy Pack & Post in Macomb or Bushnell First Presbyterian Church.

New in Macomb

In our search for a staff person to work with directly with MHS students God has led us to a young man with maturity and a heart to reach teens for Christ. Ken Krueger is a senior at WIU and lives in the Campus Students for Christ house just west of campus. He is majoring in Biology, has a leadership role in the campus apartments where he lives and has a desire to be a youth pastor someday. We are excited to welcome Ken as a part of Western Illinois Youth for Christ team.

Friday Pizza Lunches in Macomb continue with different churches sponsoring each Friday.

So far Scotland Trinity, 1st Baptist, The Crossing, University Baptist, Macomb Assembly

of God and Maple Avenue Christian Church have sponsored the lunch.

If your church would like to sponsor this lunch please contact us to get a spot in 2010. We will be rotating churches each week throughout the school year. This gives youth leaders and people in the church that feel a calling to reach out to teens another opportunity for contact with teens during the week. All persons are welcome to attend each week.

Current Macomb Schedule:

Fri. Nov. 6th - Pizza Lunch - Scotland Trinity

Fri. Nov. 13th - Pizza Lunch - First Baptist

Fri. Nov. 20th - Pizza Lunch - The Crossing

Fri. Dec. 4th - Pizza Lunch - University Baptist

Fri. Dec. 11th - Pizza Lunch - Maple Avenue Christian Church

Fri. Dec. 18th - Pizza Lunch - Macomb Assembly of God

We are also planning to get Campus Life-High School meetings up in running in a few weeks. If you have (or are) a HS student that is interested in Campus Life, give us a call at the office. Ken would love the chance to get to know the students of Macomb High.

SYATP Macomb

Bushnell Beat

In Bushnell, I had quite a week in ministry a week ago. The week started off strong with a good afternoon contacting teens at the Jr. High after school and a fun-filled and good discussion night at Campus Life M on Monday night. Then we had one of our best BAMA (Bushnell Area Ministerial Association) meetings on Tuesday morning with prayer for the community and forgiveness for the community. Then Wednesday evening at Depth Charge 3 male teen stepped up and let me know of their desire to do a bible study lesson. Also that night a teen told me of his decision to go straight after a long addiction. Thursday at Teen Lunch we had some teens

try some hot peppers from a couple of our local pastors gardens. That was amazingly hot! They each got $5. Thursday night at Sr. High Campus Life we had about 25 teens and very good discussion about out life stories. Is yours staying the same, getting worse, or improving? Then, what happens when God gets involved in your life? Since God never changes, He will always be

there for you no matter what you go through. Then it hit.

Recently we have had teens and adults in the community be drug down by, what I believe is demonic influence in the sexually immoral realm. Through our ministerial association we have learned that Bushnell used to be a red light district a long time ago, and the seeds that were sown then are still being reaped. Several stories have surfaced over the past week or two and it seems like Satan is really gaining ground. I know God is bigger. Please pray with me and the other pastors for wisdom, compassion and strength to be what God wants us to be in our community and in the lives of the people involved. Specifically pray against the spiritual darkness in this area for Bushnell. God can still use what the enemy intends for evil and in the end use

it to gain glory for Himself. The story is not over yet!

We have a weekend trip coming up at the beginning of November, called Go M.A.D. Please pray for this outreach weekend. Pray for the teens that go to be overwhelmed by the spirit of God and turn to Him for answers in life.

You are so great to have as part of a deep roots ministry team, reaching out to teens in the Macomb and Bushnell area. Keep up the prayers. God hears and answers them according to his perfect time.

Reaching teens for Christ,

Todd Rodeffer

Sep09-Bushnell Beat

If you have never been to the Creation Museum in Northern Kentucky, keep that trip in the back of your head for sometime soon. Eight teens and 3 adults went east for our summer trip at the end of July. There were a few challenges along the way with vehicles and tires. But there were also good conversations about God. Very thought provoking questions like, “If God is so loving, why would He send anyone to hell?” and “How do we know there is a God?” Answers to these questions seem fairly straightforward when one believes God’s Word, but very fuzzy if not. Some people just can’t get past their own selfishness and shortsightedness. Pray for a young man that continues to be involved in our activities, but relies on his own power and wisdom and has not put his trust in the one who can save him from eternal separation from the one true Holy God.

Last week I had a conversation with a young man that I discovered has a faith in God, but needs some direction and discipleship. He is a very outgoing person and cares about others. Pray that God will give me a chance to build into his life and help him along in his faith. Also pray that he begins regularly attending a local church.

Furthermore, there is still another young man that has been approaching me for help in his life as he is going through a relational split. He cares a lot about the other person and asks prayer for her choices in life. Thanks for praying!!

Pray, pray, pray too for another young lady that is in a very stressful home life situation and trying to live for Christ. She recently told me that she has been praying to get through what the drugs and alcohol do to her parents, and thus their relationship. Things are great one day, and then – WHAM – things totally change the next. She struggles with depression and asked if she could pray her way out. Wow! Would you pray with me for her right now?

Thank you for the many prayers for our family since the last letter. We are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel as we begin painting our new home. We should be ready to move in by the end of October thanks to a bunch of help from family and friends. We are very excited about the move wrapping things up in the new house.

Sep09-Changes at Macomb YFC house

Recently the YFC house has been spruced up. The kitchen and living room have a coat of fresh paint and the entire first floor has new carpet. We also have 2 gently used televisions that have recently been donated to the YFC house. MANY THANKS go out to those that came out to help with painting and tearing out the carpet. We still have some more work that needs to be done. If you are able to help, please contact the YFC house.

Our wish list includes: work on back doors, kitchen countertop replacement, upgrades to stove and refrigerator, installation of 2 televisions, upgrade to living room furniture, repairs to walk-in door on garage, new water heater and inside phone line repairs.

Sep09-Macomb News

First, we’d like to extend our thanks to Kayleigh Jump and her husband Jeremie for their continued support of Campus Life in Macomb through the early part of the summer and Cornerstone.

Now, as a new school year is upon us, Todd Rodeffer is currently overseeing the Macomb activities as we continue to search for a part-time assistant minister. If you know of someone who you feel would be interested, please contact the YFC office or Todd at 333-6186.

And now a word from Todd:

In Macomb, we had our first Friday Pizza Lunch last week with around 25 teens. Adults from 3 different churches came and helped. As I have been meeting with the local pastors, they have agreed to sponsor this lunch each week and work together to reach out to area teens. Pray that unity would build in this town between churches. It’s neat to see the body of Christ come together and serve. Still be in prayer for a staff person for the Macomb ministry. We have a couple of leads, but we want someone that is thorough, passionate, grounded in their faith, and loves others.

If your church is interested in helping out with Friday Pizza Lunches or interested in assisting with other activities at the YFC house, please feel free to contact Todd.

Current Macomb Schedule:

Friday September 18th - Pizza Lunch

Friday September 25th - Pizza Lunch

Friday October 2nd - Pizza Lunch

Friday October 9th - Pizza Lunch

Friday October 16th - Pizza Lunch

Friday October 23rd - Pizza Lunch