Redeeming Bud

On July 9, I will have been sober for 13 years and the only step I needed was to follow Jesus Christ. But, oh the stories I could tell and have told the young men I see every day. I’ve told them so many times that they actually tell them better. However, our summer staff gets it the worst as they hear those stories again for the benefit of the new staff. For training there’s always new faces eager to hear how to tackle inner city youth ministry and, much to the chagrin of the veteran staff members, every year I share the life principles I learned from living fast and experiencing the “no bar too far”, “we drive at five” culture. So, in teaching them how to handle difficult parents who think their $45 payment for six weeks of camp entitles them to tell us how games should be played or what kind of counselor is best for their kid, I use Patrick Swayze’s Roadhouse model of management. Step 1: Be nice. Step 2: Take it outside. Step 3: Call the “Cooler”.

Now I must admit, my ego gets a bit of a boost every summer as I envision myself with Patrick Swayze hair dealing with hard cases. However, this year, the Lord led me to new heights of creativity by using a young man nicknamed Kunta. He asked me why my favorite word was “bud”. That’s what I call everybody— “Hi Bud!”, “What’s up buddy?”, “See ya later, buddy.”, etc. So, as I shared our mission for camp of “Building Character, Unlocking Eternity, & Directing” with the summer staff, I thought to myself, “If the Lord can find a redeeming way to use the phrase, ‘This Bud’s for You!’, anything or anyone can be redeemed.”

So, this summer, please pray that our workers search high and low, deep and wide for those redeeming parts which are sometimes hidden in the lives of the community we serve.

Semper Fi,

    Matt Nance

Summer Camp Excitement

Staff training has begun for our summer camp program and, as we prepare for 60+ children, the atmosphere among the staff can be summed up into one word: excitement.  Excitement about the opportunity to work alongside great young men and women; excitement about having the opportunity to share life with our campers; excitement about teaching them about God and hopefully illustrating His love to them; and, ultimately, we are very excited to see what God is going to do in and among us over the next six weeks.

Every year, we are blessed to see growth in our campers.  The campers grow physically as they serve through community service projects.  Emotional growth is also evident as they are able to develop conflict resolution skills through small group lessons.  Lastly, seeing their spiritual growth is incredibly encouraging.  What a blessing it is to be a part of their growth!

The campers are not the only ones who are changed.  Every year, it seems that we are affected deeply by our experiences during camp.  The most specific occasion I can mention is probably the last Thursday of Summer Camp, which is our weekly Praise and Worship day, when we spend a while in prayer with the campers.  Both counselors and campers are brought to tears as we pour our hearts out to the Lord.  It is a wonderful time of confession, comforting and the removal of burdens.  Counselors and campers embrace one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.  But this is just one occasion. God can use the whole camp experience to change us as well as the small, seemingly insignificant moments.

Keeping in mind the power of God to change us and the faith that He will, can you see why we are so excited?!  Thank you so much for all of your prayers.  Please keep ‘em coming!

Jeremy Kiger
Tiger Pause Staff

Preparation for Summer Camp

While some people spend their summers lying on the beach or planting flowers in their garden, the Tiger Pause staff is hard at work.  And although we females may not be chopping wood, moving furniture, or laying concrete like our work crew boys, the planning of Tiger Pause's Summer Camp comes with its own set of potential issues to prepare for.

Field trips must be arranged, and not just some nice field trip to an air-conditioned building.  Imagine trying to prepare new staff members for the mass chaos that is 60 Kindergarten through eighth graders running rampant in 90 degree weather at the Pittsburgh Zoo.  Or imagine entertaining and feeding 60 eager Pirates' fans on the hour ride to a night game.  Not to mention trying to get the same kids motivated to pick up trash on the streets of Beaver Falls as a service to their community in the 90 degree weather.

How do you prepare staff members who are from Beaver Falls as well as those who are from outside this tight-knit community to work together in order to bring Christ to these kids?  This is the work we are in the midst of now as we prepare for our upcoming program.

Before we even begin staff training, we PRAY.  It's not even a simple prayer like "Lord, please help us."  But we are in prayer for the strength of the staff, the hearts and minds of the children, the support of the community, and for funds to meet the needs of the program.

After intense training and prayer, we begin to train the staff to effectively be a part of this unique ministry.  Although we have some experienced staff members, Tiger Pause has recruited many Geneva students to be a part of summer program this year.  These students have served the community during the after-school program, but must now be prepared for the completely different experience of summer camp.  All staff members are trained in CPR, first aid, emergency response, and safety procedures.  They are given a general run-down of camp, their roles and responsibilities, upcoming field trips, and most importantly, how to be a light to the children.

There is still much to do before we begin this summer's program; however, we look forward to the challenges and rewards that we are sure to encounter as we minister to God's children.

Please continue to pray and support Tiger Pause Youth Ministry throughout the summer!

Kaetlyn and Mackenzie

Blog Intro

Greetings!

            For those of you who are taking the time to read, this is the launch of our first official Tiger Pause Blog! Perhaps you have worked with us in the past. There may be a chance that you have heard our name in the community. Maybe you have never heard of who we are. Anyhow, we are all about three things here at Tiger Pause:

Redeeming Lives ~ Building Leaders ~ Transforming Communities

            Tiger Pause was established in 1988, designed as an after-school haven where at-risk youth could have a healthy meal, receive help with homework, and learn God’s word. Over the years, Tiger Pause has grown and focused its strength and efforts into improving the academic performance of students in surrounding school districts, helping local families toward a life of self-sufficiency, and raising the quality of the workforce through education and hands-on learning. Through our various programs, and with Christ at its center, we hope minister to people in the community and give them tools and resources to reach their God-given potential.

            Tiger Pause focuses on Redeeming Lives at an early age. Kids from Kindergarten to 8^th grade have the chance to come to our after-school program where they will be fed a good meal and receive tutoring for their homework, all the while being able to fellowship with their peers and the staff. This is a safe, wholesome environment where children can learn about Christ. Additionally, our summer camp program gives kids the opportunity to participate in community service.

            Tiger Pause also Builds Leaders. We see a need to educate citizens in our community with business and vocational training. Youth can participate in community service projects where they can learn basic skills in carpentry, electrical wiring, and plumbing. People can choose to work for their furniture provided by the Furniture Bank downtown in order to maintain personal integrity. If we can rewire the way our fellow citizens view honest, hard work, we hope to see a change in our community and slowly end the poverty cycle.

            Tiger Pause also desire to see Transformed Communities. Our outreach with the Furniture Bank provides low-income families with affordable furniture and appliances. For those with a greater need, we offer our Work4Stuff program where they can work at Tiger Pause and earn the items they need. In addition, the Beez Café serves as a place of fellowship for church groups and Bible studies.

            Our hope in posting to this blog each week is to minister to our community through the art of storytelling. Stories of our people. Stories of their experience in our program. Stories of how God is working through Tiger Pause and how He works in the lives of our people. We hope and pray it can be an encouragement to all who read and follow our story. 

Blessing to you all,

Matt