Youth and Collegiate Coorinator's Blog

Sharing 3 Opportunities

10/19/2023

The Central Florida Presbytery Youth will be Gleaning with the Society of St Andrew (SoSA) on Saturday, November 11, 2023. We will meet at Long and Scott Farm in Mt. Dora, our actual field location, will be sent by our SoSA Volunteer Coordinator closer to the day of. We will pick sweet corn, the "leftovers" from the harvest, that will be donated to a local hunger-based charity. We will meet at the farm at 8:30 am and work until about 11:30 am picking produce. To register or for more information visit the Youth Ministries webpage.

The Montreat Conference Center is now showing the annual College Conference tentative schedule and conference leadership information. This year's theme is "Keep Going". We will be regularly checking their website for updates. If you are interested in the conference, please contact Kenne Sparks by email at ksparks@cfpresbytery.org or by phone 407-422-7125 x 209. Those interested should fill out and submit their interest on the Collegiate Ministries we webpage. A deposit of $50.00 is due by November 27, 2023.

Do you love summer camp at Montgomery? Winter Camp is back! Come enjoy the cooler weather of Florida's winter with your friends at camp. This mini session is a 3-day, 2-night camp for ages 6-16 and is a great opportunity for hesitant campers to sleep away from home! Photos will be uploaded each day for loved ones to see. The camp experience will include spiritual development and some traditional camp activities such as archery, climbing wall, arts and crafts and more! Registration will open on November 1st with limited capacity. To register or for more information visit the Winter Camp webpage.

Save the Date! Saturday, April 22, 2023 the PYC has Organized a Day of Manatees at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

3/6/2023

We are excited to announce our April 22nd youth event will be at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR). We will have a Ranger led program about manatees and have an opportunity to watch the manatees from an observation deck. Later we will participate in a cleanup project at the Haulover Canal, followed by a brown bag lunch and devotional. We will be able to do one/both of the wildlife drives on our way out of the refuge. This promises to be a great day. Look for more information on the Youth Ministries webpage, social media pages and in your inbox.

Contained within this 35-mile long barrier island is a rich abundance of plants and animals from both the subtropical and temperate climate zones. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is strategically located on the Atlantic Flyway, a major bird migration corridor, and it is a key resting stop for many migratory bird species. The refuge's habitats support one of the highest numbers of endangered and threatened species found within the refuges of the National Wildlife Refuge System. This unique relationship the refuge shares with NASA bears testimony that nature and technology can coexist.

358 species of birds have been identified on the refuge
140 species of freshwater and saltwater fish are known to use refuge impoundments, estuaries, and freshwater wetlands
15 federally listed threatened and endangered species call the refuge home

The refuge traces its beginnings to the development of the nation’s Space Program. In 1962, NASA acquired the lands and waters adjacent to Cape Canaveral to establish the John F. Kennedy Space Center. NASA built a launch complex and other space-related facilities, but development of most of the area was not necessary. On August 28, 1963, as the 286th refuge of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service signed an agreement to establish the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. In 1975 a second agreement established Canaveral National Seashore. Today, the Department of Interior manages most of the undeveloped portions of the Kennedy Space Center as a National Wildlife Refuge and National Seashore.

For more information about MINWR and its history, please visit their website.

To register please download the MINWR's Group Volunteer Form at the button below. Fill out the form, scan and return via email to Kenne Sparks at ksparks@cfpresbytery.org. All forms are due no later than Friday, April 14, 2023. Returning your registration form by the deadline will insure your group will not have to pay the $10.00/vehicle entry fee. Enter Central Florida Presbytery for the Project Title and your church nam,e for the Group Name. CFP will fill out the Agency and Agreement Number.

Last Day to Register for Our Next Youth Volunteer Event is 15 Days Away! Register Today.

1/30/2023

The Central Florida Presbytery Youth Council (PYC) will be volunteering with the Sharing Center on Saturday, February 8, 2023. We will meet at the Sharing Center at 8:45am to check in. We will be volunteering in the retail department sorting through incoming donations. The Sharing Center is located at 600 N US HWY 1792 Suite 130, Longwood, FL 32750.

Luke 6:38 reads, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

This is an amazing mission to our community and a great opportunity to give back to our community. Please consider joining the PYC in volunteering for this great organization. Please register for this event here.

For more information on the Sharing Center visit the CF Presbytery’s Youth Ministries webpage and view the YouTube informational clip or visit the Sharing Center’s webpage.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Kenne Sparks by email at ksparks@cfpresbytery.org or by phone 407-422-7125 x 209.

<©)))*><,
Kenne Sparks, Coordinator for Youth and Collegiate Ministries

Invitation to Montreat Meet and Greet Feb 13 and 14, Register Today!

1/25/2023

There is a little over 2 weeks to register!

The Montreat Meet and Greets There will be two opportunities to meet with Susie: The first on Monday, February 13th at First Presbyterian Church of Eustis and the second on Tuesday, February 14th at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church. Both sessions will be from 12pm to 2pm. Pastors, Youth Leaders and Youth Ministry Volunteers are all welcome. Since we will be serving light refreshments, we are asking that all attendees register. Please visit and complete the registration form.

Susie has agreed to meet with us to discuss Montreat, its programs and possible financial assistance. There will be a short presentation and time for questions/answers. The presentation will be informal to allow for more dialogue. In addition to sharing information about Montreat, Susie would also like to hear how about how Montreat could help support our local ministry needs as well as how we may be able to partner together.

Please contact me for more information or visit the CF Presbytery website link. We will be adding information to the website as details arise.
<©)))*>< Kenne Sparks, Coordinator for Youth and Collegiate Ministries

February is Going to be a Busy Month!

1/19/2023

Wow, I look at the calendar and January is almost gone. The New Year has started fast and furious and does not look like it will slow down anytime soon. I hope you are settling into the New Year and that you had a great holiday season. In addition, I hope you are excited for all this year has in store for us.

I will be heading to Birmingham, AL next week for the Annual Association of Partners in Christian Education (APCE). APCE gives you access to a number of resources from online training to bi-annual cohorts; I highly recommend this organization for professional development in Christian Education. There are several from the Central Florida Presbytery attending the conference. Many shared that the days will be long and I will be happy to fall asleep each night. I wanted to highlight a few upcoming dates.

First, the Montreat Meet and Greets There will be two opportunities to meet with Susie: The first on Monday, February 13th at First Presbyterian Church of Eustis and the second on Tuesday, February 14th at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church. Both sessions will be from 12pm to 2pm. Pastors, Youth Leaders and Youth Ministry Volunteers are all welcome. Since we will be serving light refreshments, we are asking that all attendees register. Please visit and complete the registration form.

Susie has agreed to meet with us to discuss Montreat, its programs and possible financial assistance. There will be a short presentation and time for questions/answers. The presentation will be informal to allow for more dialogue. In addition to sharing information about Montreat, Susie would also like to hear how about how Montreat could help support our local ministry needs as well as how we may be able to partner together.

Second, we will have a youth volunteer event at the Sharing Center in Longwood on Saturday, February 18. We will meet at the Sharing Center at 8:45am to check in. We will be volunteering in the retail department sorting through incoming donations. The Sharing Center is located at 600 N US HWY 1792 Suite 130, Longwood, FL 32750.

The Sharing Center offers four Key Programs:

Families In Crisis - offers financial assistance, tax preparation, rental assistance, and vouchers for clothing and shoes.
The Pantry - offers one of the largest free food assistance resources in Seminole County to help alleviate hunger.
The Oasis - provides showers, laundry service, housing guidance, internet access, mail service, and haircut services. In fact, the Sharing Center is the only place in Seminole County where an unhoused person can get a hot shower.
ProjectRISE - a workforce development program serves the under- and unemployed with the skills necessary to reach financial mobility, self-sufficiency, and employment.

This is an amazing mission to our community and a great opportunity to give back to our community. Please consider joining the PYC in volunteering for this great organization. Please register for this event here.

Last, I am excited to announce our April 22nd youth event will be at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR). We will have a Ranger led program about manatees and have an opportunity to watch the manatees from an observation deck. Later we will participate in a cleanup project at the Haulover Canal followed by a brown bag lunch and devotional. We will be able to do one/both of the wildlife drives on our way out of the refuge. This promises to be a great day. Look for more information on the Youth Ministries webpage, social media pages and in your inbox.

<©)))*><
Kenne Sparks

Montreat Camp & Conference Center Meet & Greet

1/1/2023

I personally invite you to a Meet and Greet with Ms. Susie Burns, Director of Church Relations Montreat Camp and Conference Center. Susie will be visiting the Central Florida area this coming February. Susie has agreed to meet with us to discuss Montreat and its programs. There will be a short presentation and time for questions. The presentation will be informal to allow for more dialogue. In addition to sharing information about Montreat, Susie would also like to hear how about how Montreat can help support our local ministry needs as well as how we may be able to partner together.

There will be two opportunities to meet with Susie: The first on Monday, February 13th at First Presbyterian Church of Eustis and the second on Tuesday, February 14th at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church. Both sessions will be from 12pm to 2pm. Pastors, Youth Leaders and Youth Ministry Volunteers are all welcome.

Since we will be serving light refreshments, we are asking that all attendees register. Please visit and complete the registration form.

For many students, Montreat has been a transformative foundational experience to their faith development. The Montreat experience clears a space for encountering God, discovering and deepening a vibrant and durable faith in Jesus Christ, and hearing an invitation to make a personal commitment to embody the love, justice and righteousness of Christ.

They leave the conference center knowing…their faith matters, they are a beloved child of God, and they are part of a larger community of faith. Montreat has a fantastic leadership team lined up along with a theme that is incredibly relevant in our current cultural climate of today -- “In Joy.” Link to this year’s youth conference

Below you will find the link to a few videos that give you a brief look at Montreat along with the conference experience.
Welcome to Montreat Conference Center
Montreat Youth Conference: Spread the Love
What does Montreat Mean to you?

<©)))*><
Kenne Sparks

PYC Gleaning Event with Society of St. Andrew (SoSA)

11/19/2022

Wow, what a great time we had Gleaning with SoSA. A special thank you to Rebecca and Mandy our coordinators who made the experience so easy. If your group is looking for a service project, I highly encourage you to check the Gleaning webpage and sign up.

We arrived onsite at about 8:30am and it was a beautiful day, a little chilly. It was a clear dfay and the temprature warmed as we worked. Something about being in the feild really connects you with God and directly connects you to the greater community. The group did such an amazing job we were asked to stop picking corn and moved fields and picked cucumbers.

Seeing these young people in action was a blessing. They worked hard but still laughed and talked. You really get to know people when you serve beside them. Today's youth hunger for meaningful spiritual connection, they want to actively live they faith they are learning. Gleaning was/is the perfect activety to express this.

Gleaning is such a great opportunity to serve our community. In 2021 the Florida chapter of SoSA gleaned 9,341,471 pounds of food; that equals 37,365,884 individual servings provided to those in need and providing a valuable clearing of the fields for our commercial farmers. Check out their impact study.

A special thank you to Jonathan, Vanessa, the adult volunteers and the youth of Maitland Presbyterian Church. They came out in force. We hope you will consider joining us at our next event February 18, 2023 at the Sharing Center. Visit the Youth Ministries webpage for more information or contact Kenne for more details.

<©)))*><
Kenne

PS: watch the video below for a great testimonial from Michelle Fort, Member and Mother at Maitland Presbyterian Church about this trip and Gleaning.

Greetings from a Friend at Montreat

10/3/2022

I had the opportunity to speak with one of our Montreat partners in ministry, Susie Burns Director of Church Relations. We had a great conversation about youth ministry and Montreat. Susie will be here in Central Florida February, 13th and 14th. I would appreciate if some of you could come and meet her during that time. I will be setting up a couple of group visits with her. Let me know if your church is interested in hosting.

With January approaching, it is once again time to start planning for summer activities. Montreat has so much to offer and is considered to be one of the go to PCUSA Camp and Conference Centers on the East Coast. Located just outside of Ashville, NC in a quaint mountain community of Black Mountain.

It is a joy partnering with Montreat to help nurture the faith development of youth and families. One of the greatest assets Montreat has to offer is their youth programing during the summer. It allows you and other leaders an entire week with the youth to encounter God, ask questions and learn through conversations with other youth and leadership from many different places by giving them the space to embrace the Spirits presence. Montreat brings together youth and adults from all over the country and each person’s experience is shaped by the stories they hear and tell and how they experience the image of God in those they meet. Montreat strives to be an inclusive space were each of the youth can be heard, challenged, hearts molded and most of all be seen as a beloved child of God that is sent home with a message of hope to share in their world.

For many students, Montreat has been a transformative foundational experience to their faith development. The Montreat experience clears a space for encountering God, discovering and deepening a vibrant and durable faith in Jesus Christ, and hearing an invitation to make a personal commitment to embody the love, justice and righteousness of Christ.

They leave the conference center knowing…their faith matters, they are a beloved child of God, and they are part of a larger community of faith. Montreat has a fantastic leadership team lined up along with a theme that is incredibly relevant in our current cultural climate of today -- “In Joy.” Link to this year’s youth conference

Below you will find the link to a few videos that give you a brief look at Montreat along with the conference experience.
Welcome to Montreat Conference Center
Montreat Youth Conference: Spread the Love
What does Montreat Mean to you?

<©)))*><
Kenne Sparks

Registration is Open for Gleaning, Signup Today!

9/22/2022

Wow, what a start to the program year. It has been an action packed few weeks already with the FISH event, the Presbytery meeting at El Redentor, Anti-Racism training at Harvest Church all while we are coming back from summer. I am excited to see so much activity and hope your groups are experiencing the same.

PYC is very excited to invite you to glean with the Society of St. Andrew (SoSA) on Saturday, November 19, 2022 at Long & Scott Farms in Mount Dora. The Society of St. Andrew brings people together to harvest and share healthy food, reduce food waste, and build caring communities by offering nourishing food to hungry neighbors.

Gleaning is such a great opportunity to serve our community. In 2021 the Florida chapter of SoSA gleaned 9,341,471 pounds of food; that equals 37,365,884 individual servings provided to those in need and providing a valuable clearing of the fields for our commercial farmers. Check out their impact study.

These numbers are impressive but mission continues. Join the 4,500+ SoSA volunteers

I just finished updating the Youth Ministries webpage this morning and added more details, including how to register. Registration is a little different this time. To insure we have enough spots and track who has signed up our date is password protected and does not appear unless you enter sparks in the password field. You can follow these 10 easy steps:

Go to the SoSA volunteer webpage https://endhunger.org/florida/
Click the green box titled "View Volunteer Calendar" on the right
If you have volunteered before scroll to the bottom and enter your name and email. If you have not volunteered for SoSA before, you will need to create a profile
Once on the registration page look under where you see Hello, "Name". Find the box to submit a password and type sparks
Click submit
Now our event will show in the list highlighted in yellow
Select the highlighted Saturday, November 19th Field Gleaning
Scroll to the bottom and select the box for the waiver
Input your name and click the grey box "Sign Up To Volunteer"
You can add additional names for those joining you but selecting the "Add" button just above the waiver section.

Contact Kenne Sparks for more information at 407.422.7125 ext 209 or by email at ksparks@cfpresbytery.org.
Deadline to register is Friday, November 11, 2022. Please join us for this fall event.

<©)))*><
Kenne

Triennium YOU Has Been Released!

7/27/2022

Back in February we sent out an email letting everyone know the Presbyterian Youth Triennium (PYT) for 2022 was cancelled. The Presbyterian Mission Agency issued an open letter on their website. In the letter, event staff had been advised there was a high probability there would be a COVID outbreak at the conference. After discussing many ways to mitigate the risk, planners felt they most of their energy was being spent on COVID Protocol and decided to cancel the conference.

“As we spent more and more of our time trying to figure out a COVID mitigation strategy, it became clear that this wasn’t the right time to bring young people together for this wonderful event,” said the Rev. Dr. Ray Jones III, director of Theology, Formation and Evangelism.

I was disappointed my first opportunity to attend Triennium was not going to happen in 2022. However, the PMA wrote about a plan to establish some regional online resources to “bridge the gap” to Triennium 2025. PYT Beyond, a new expanded ministry for Presbyterian youth that will offer virtual sessions, cohorts for youth and adults and online courses related to the theme, “When Did We See You?” The first pieces of this program, dubbed “When Did We See You?” for YOU, were released earlier this week.
There are three components; a small group study guide, a recreational guide and a worship guide. The small group study guide has 3 sessions, starts with the Matthew 25 text, and builds upon it with other scripture. There are games, activities, crafts in the recreation guide. The Worship Guide also includes three worship sessions with resources. Checkout the opening video to the worship series, Everyday Life by Coldplay, here.

I hope you can take advantage of this great resource. We have a lot of work aheadto be ready for PYT 2025.

<©)))*><
Kenne