The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

lf tf i i rbjrr 28 i saturdayoct2i 2060 csj y i 1 j r viv economist siin stouiuetribunel vrikfv vv chuches reach out to young- people with unique programs and straight talk bystefaniarizzr staff writer jay sandifofd remembers being part of a church youth group consisting of a lay leader singing christian songs from the 1970s and preaching for 40 1 minutes wheni was a kid there was alot less events- more j traditional arid church- focused said sandifofd a youth leader at spririgyale baptist church in whitchurch stouffville before it wasi just want my kids to grow up good christians now its lets do music and talk about god last year the senior youth group orga nized chaos 99 a concert in which local youth bands drummed out different musical sounds such as punk and ska if were going to keep kids in church youve got to involve them to the fullest you can be christian and have fun too 1 after the moshing we- talked about christ we like to have fun and gocrazy but we wdp have a purpose said saridiford adding thereafegenerally 65 to 75 teens par ticipating in the programs wwchmclude mission work prayer meetings retreats in- depth studies sunday school and thursday outreach nights with the youth worship band j whether were playing a goofy game or sitting dowm with the kids studying romans theres a unique purpose ahdcleargoal we have socialphjreical and spiritual sides to be rrietand if you only meet one sideypull be an unbalanced person a thefes a taboo with religion said sandifbrd explaining how programs can be viewedas dead and boring werejooking to give youths a positive alternative we have a good thing going we want to continue matt ball youth pastor at cedarview community church in newmarket- said the church has hosted concerts ihthe past but he js hoping to have monthly performances xt youth programs hayecomeueaps and bounds said ball whp runs senior youth programs including midweek bible studies and me new random acts of kindness service projects youth pastors see teens need for jjiin and indepth study of the word they straigtityear zi if were going tokeep kids in church youve got to involve them to the fullest said pratt who will be entering the kids iri the ice j series at lake simcpe this winter you can bechristian and have funtoo pratt who has arranged for a toprated north american teen speaker to speak at the church on nov 4 on issues such as stress management arid sexual promiscuity believes thekey to making youth programs successful lies in understanding the genera- tioh we try tochallengelkemmentauyjspiri- v mauyandsdciauyhe said thedays are s over of just doing lamestuff witti the kidsits fun but itvnot enough not every kid is at the same developmental level so wetryto meet a happy medium for stouffville missionary church mem ber natalie klavsen yputli programs was a way tp make new friends seven years later her motives have changed staff photomike barrett erica cleveland left karen upton and chelsea jeffery participate in the youth ministry at springvale baptist church in stouffville need to be teens but they also need to learn the word of god stouffville missionary church youth pas tor mark pratt said participation in youth pro grams has doubled in the past year weve tried to set up fun and exciting pro grams because when theyre fun and exciting you can draw kids tothat and they realize no drugs or alcohol need to be involved in their fun pratt said- pratt brought the youths on a ski trip to new york two years ago and has held beach parties atttiechurch with a christian band supplying the entertainment showcased coasttocoast on 100 huntley street last june pratt brought 12 youths to los angeles for a- weeklong seminar on self- esteem peer evangelism and other related issues although theres sunday school and bible study wednesday night friday nights are reserved for social events which include paintball games gokarting or playing arcade games at mississaugas pjaydium since 1997 the young people have entered their demolition derby cars in competitions at the markham fair where they have won the trophy for bestlooking car for the third c downtown stouffvilk 13ustvus improwmt fva invites you to attend a j dont carejfihey call me a loseror biblethumper because ill be in heaven foreterniiy itll beworih itf it was a good way to meet people my same age said klassen 7 who lives in newmarket now its a chance for good friends to see each other and on different events help grow our faith together fellow youth program member cheyenne geense grewup in a christian family but says that isnt the reaspnwhyhe remains involved jxi ae programs j that doesnt r mean a thing tons turn away from religion he said its soimething to fill avoid and the program where tgo it helps me strive for more and more although geense is aware he could- be teased by his peershe saysthat doesnt both- erhim screwyour reputation said geense who explained how being involved in the pro grams has helped him deal with personal struggles- such as a schoolmates death in a boating accident it doesnt matter and i dont care if they call me a loser or bible- thumper because ill be in heaven for eterni ty itll be worth it klassen alsotcbnsiders the youth program an important part of his life its areally big part of my life because its the one place where youre totally accepted she said its a safe place where you can have fun 7 turdaymctober 28 latchfemhall pm1 am cash bar live music pj iwear a craume if you dare prizes a haunting ly qqoc time- guaranteed ik izvpi r rt k its atv- lb i