Fun in the Sun

     There are lots of jokes about Alaska's weather patterns:

• Alaska has 2 seasons: Winter and Mosquito
• Alaska has 2 seasons: Winter and Tourist
• Alaska has 2 seasons: Winter and Construction

So on and so on.  While they may be a slight exaggeration most years, this year we have skipped spring entirely and moved from Winter to Summer in the blink of an eye.  In one week our highs went from being in the 40s to being in the 80s.  In one week the trees went from bare to full bloom.  In one week we went from parkas to shorts.  It has been incredible.

     Usually summer is the season that Joel's Place empties out.  Youth who have been fighting cabin fever are released outdoors to be called back inside in August.  Older youth are pursuing summer jobs while the younger ones want to do their tricks and their runs in the sun instead of inside our hot warehouse.  There were weeks last summer when we only had 2-5 kids visit us every day.  Let me just say, it is hard to sell vision and investment to staff or community members when there are only 2-5 kids around the building.

     This summer is headed in a different direction for a few reasons.  First and foremost is the upgrade of our outdoor facility. The parking lot is paved.  Next week will see the fencing completed.  The week after that, we should have a full-size basketball court and a full-size volleyball court ready to go.  A week after that we are getting new outdoor ramps, thanks to Fairbanks Youth Sports.  All this will be in time to celebrate National Go Skateboarding Day on June 21.  More on that event later.  Already we have scores of kids hanging around Joel's Place and setting up their own obstacles on the pavement.  They are laughing and leaping and having an amazing time in the sun, and doing all that at a place that is free of violence and illegal substances.

     The second reason we have higher attendance is our Scooter population.  Inline Scooters are like thin skateboards with only two wheels and a long handle at the front.  The kids ride, leap and flip around as they learn new tricks and tackle new obstacles.  They are usually younger than the skaters and are making up for the summer population loss of the older youth.  We have had 20+ kids here every day this week.

     This summer we will have camps and clinics, special events, large celebrations and really helpful construction projects in addition to our free summer meals program.  It looks to be a beautiful and busy season in the further evolution of Joel's Place from skate park to Youth Center.  I would invite you to swing by and take a look at the progress we are making.  Thank you all for your support.

Special Note on Money:

For those of you still reading, I wanted to give a short update on our finances. The lack of spring was very expensive for us as a community.  Fuel tanks had to be filled more than the budget allowed and relief from the cold was few and far between...until it was 80 degrees.  The first half of the year has been rough on our monthly donations and we are beginning to fall behind on our bills.  The amount is small enough (around $10,000) that we should be able to make it up by the end of the summer, but I would rather not take that long to get the ledger back into the black.  If you would be able to make a donation to help out with our finances it would be deeply appreciated.  Encouraging words, positive thoughts and donated food are extremely helpful, but they are not accepted as currency by most companies.  Please consider a one-time gift or a regular monthly pledge as a way of investing in the live of our youth and the future of our community.

The Joel's Place Green Thumb

     It is 81 degrees in my office at the moment.  The sun is beating down on us and this building bakes in the summer due to the lack of insulation in the walls (more on that in upcoming posts).  This is the first weekend of summer and Joel's Place is hopping.  Kids are free of school and free of snow (it is hard to believe it was snowing just one week ago) and they are flying around the facility.  Summer is here and with it our life at Joel's Place shifts.
    
     First off, our hours change.  We are open M-F from 12-6 instead of being open on the weekends.  We offer free lunch at noon and snack at 4 instead of focusing on evening meals.  We will not have separate sessions; instead it will be $5 for a day's worth of access to the skating/biking areas.  We have fewer kids in the park due to all the other summertime options they have available.  This summer, however, that might change.  For the first time we will have a high quality outdoor recreation option.  The parking lot was paved this past fall.  In the next couple of weeks we will complete the fencing, set up a volleyball pit and a basketball court and add to the outdoor skating elements.  I think we will be busier here than we ever have been during the summer.

     Another piece of our outdoor facilities is our garden.  One of our AmeriCorps workers last year was named Chris.  Chris took a master gardening class and threw himself into setting up a high quality garden for us.  Last summer we grew the majority of vegetables that we served at the cafe.  The garden had 10 foot tall sunflowers and berries and loads of vegetables.  This year Chris is gone, but the garden...and his all important garden manual remain.  Volunteers have offered to tend the garden and teach our kids about growing produce.  After 9 months of winter, there are few more welcome sights than young people turning soil, setting up watering stations and plotting garden layouts.  If you have a green thumb, or just enjoy helping kids learn new things, feel free to come by and help.

     This summer we actually have tons of opportunities for volunteers.  I would encourage you to take a look through this list and see what you would enjoy participating in:

• Gardening.  Did I mention we have a garden?  If you missed it, see above.
• Food.  We are offering free meals for kids here at Joel's Place in addition to kids at the Birch Park housing complex.  Keturah, our new cafe manager, has 50 kids to cook (and clean up after) each day.  If you are interested in cooking, cleaning, transporting food between sites or helping serve meals, let us know.
• More Food.  We are also putting on another season of Bone Builders Backpacks.  Kids can come to one of 4 distribution sites around the Interior for a weekly pick up of healthy snacks and meals to supplement their summer nutrition.  We can use people who are interested in sorting food at the Food Bank or donating items such as granola bars, fruit cups, easy mac and cheese, tuna cups or individual peanut butter servings. 
• Concessions.  Love to grill?  We run the concession stands for local auctions during the summer.  The first one arrives on June 1.  They tend to be 8 hour affairs with burgers and brats flying.  If anyone is interested in helping out, I would be verrrrrrrrrrrry grateful.
• We will have volunteer opportunities for skate camps, day camps and a special A.skate clinic on July 13th.  I cannot overstate how much the lives of children can be affected through these opportunities.

There is a lot going on with Joel's Place this summer...now that summer is finally here.  I know that these next few months will fly by and everyone in the Interior makes a concerted effort to squeeze as much action, adventure and fun out of summer as they can.  I would humbly request that you take a day or a weekend out of your hiking/camping/fishing/traveling/biking/lessons/summer schedule in order to remember our youth and remember Joel's Place and maybe donate some of your precious time to see young people's lives transformed.

If you have any interest in these opportunities, feel free to get in touch with Kelli or myself at 907/452-2621.

Enjoy the sun.

Daily Bread part 2

I sent out this letter this week:

To our friends, neighbors and partners,

            This has been a long, long winter.  Every time we think breakup is finally here, another cold snap hits.  This record-setting weather, combined with high fuel prices has also made it a very expensive winter.  Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Joel’s Place has been able to stay open and warm throughout the winter for the 900 youth who visited us last year. 

            However, what we are finding is that the lingering winter is impeding not only the grass and leaves, but also spring-time donations.  We have been running a deficit since February and need help digging out of it.  I am sending this out now because Alaskans scatter when summer hits, this year that will probably be more true than ever.

            Would you consider making a donation to Joel’s Place before summer?  The funds go towards paying for staff and programs that engage high-risk youth and create an environment that changes lives and our community.

            If you are interested in learning more about what we do, I would invite you to check out our website at www.joelsplacealaska.org, follow my blog at www.joelsplacealaska.blogspot.org or just stop by our 1890 Marika address and see what we do, talk to the staff and ask to get involved.

            Joel’s Place provides a safe environment for youth to have fun, learn new job/life skills, receive free meals and become proactive in transforming their lives.  It is good work that we do and I invite you to join in however you can.

James Menaker

 Last week I wrote about "Daily Bread" and God providing what we need, when we need it.  This week we had just enough money come in to cover our payroll taxes, some important insurance and the wages of 5 of our 8 staff.  We should be able to pay 2 more at the beginning of the week and hopefully the final one by the end of the week.  This still leaves us with $6,000 of monthly bills to pay and another payroll coming up in two weeks.  Does this count as God's provision?  Is this what praying for Daily Bread looks like?  Sorta...kinda...I don't know.  Here are two things that I do know:

• We are getting an accurate picture of where we are as far as financial partnership.  When I came into this job, I was handed a list of 300 financial partners.  In reality, we are closer to 200 people who have given at all in the past year and a half and we have about 25 donations each month.  This will not cut it.  If we want to be a stable, community-based organization with the resources to invest in the youth of our community, we need to have 100 donations each month, ranging anywhere from $10 to $1,000.  This has very little to do with my current accounts payable sheet.  Joel's Place is meant to be a service organization, a group focused on transforming the lives of our youth.  A group with the ability to host events, trainings, outreaches and parties in order to infuse youth culture with positive values and mentors.  We can only do this if we are sent by our community.  I can write grants and qualify for programs and network all day, but if the people of Interior Alaska are not regularly pouring resources into us (money, volunteer hours, vision, training, encouragement, etc.) then we will never accomplish what we are so well positioned to do.  100 gifts.  Every month.  That's what I'm looking for.
• The Second thing that I know is this: Our struggles are not just about us.  When we have needs big enough that we cannot fill them ourselves, we come to a very special place.  When the family crisis or the money shortfall or the loss of people/jobs/possessions cannot be overcome by working harder or using our precious resources, a desperation sets in.  This Desperation can lead to manipulation, deceit, cruelty, hopelessness and violence.  However this Desperation can also lead to humility, generosity, relationship and compassion.  Our needs allow others to join our endeavors.  They allow us to grow in compassion for others who are desperate.  They allow us to see God where others would just give credit to chance.  Our Desperation has the potential to soften our hearts towards others and transform our solitary endeavor into a communal movement, which always has more impact.

I hate asking for money...to be honest I hate having any needs at all.  But I am coming to see that if I want Joel's Place to be a communal movement that transforms youth culture in Alaska (which I do) instead of simply a monument to my exemplary administrative, writing and fundraising skills (attractive, but the other option is so much better) then we must begin to view our needs and desperation as opportunities for growth instead of obstacles to be avoided and overcome.

The Youth need us.  We need you.  Come and see what God could have in store for you.

"Give us this day our daily bread."

     I never have liked that line from the Lord's Prayer.  I would rather that it say, "Give us this day our week's worth of bread," or at least "Give us this day our daily bread...and a little extra, just in case."  But no.  Jesus teaches his disciples to pray for what they need that day.  He encourages them to continue returning to the Father day after day and trusting that He will provide whatever they need to survive the demands of that day.

     This is not how I work.  This is not how I am supposed to work.  The accepted norm for non-profits is to carry a reserve account that is large enough to sustain your organization for 6 months.  For a small operation like Joel's Place, that would be somewhere in the $90,000 range (I believe we have accumulated somewhere around $4.35 so far).  On the rare occasions where I have my bills paid and still have money left over, whether that be at work or at home, I am so much more relaxed.  I enjoy being able to buy things without doing the negotiations in my head about what we will need to give up in order to afford the purchase.  I like having surplus that is under my control and at my disposal.  Living with financial margin does not feel like a luxury, it feels like a responsibility.  If there is no surplus, what will happen when the unexpected hits?  How will I take care of my family or my employees if donors lose their job or we lose a grant or a gift gets lost in the mail or we get sued?  It seems wise to have an account full of money just in case _________ happens.  And yet...

     And yet Jesus tells his disciples to pray in a way that screams dependence.  He encourages them to only ask for, and only look for, provision to make it through today.  He encourages them to approach a God who does not get bored at our repeated requests for sustenance...a God who will not get too busy for us or forget to help us or get frustrated that we can't do everything ourselves.  In fact, I think God delights in such regular conversation and relationship.  I think He enjoys finding new and creative ways to care for His children.  I think one of the greatest temptations that draw us away from God is the desire for control and self-sufficiency.  In approaching God each day, I abandon my pride and desire for control and submit myself to His mercy, his lordship and his love for me and the people and things that I care about.

     It sounds amazing...but what about when it does not work?  I have been fundraising for 13 years.  I have never been fully funded.  This is the first time in my life I have only had one job.  And in this position I went a couple of months without being paid in the fall because we did not have enough money.  I am just now about to pay off the credit card debt that I accrued through the years of financial struggle and trusting God to provide my daily needs.  What do I do with that?  Do I attribute it to character growth?  If so, how close am I to having enough character to not have to live in debt?  Do I attribute it to deficiencies with God?  Maybe He is not powerful enough to provide for a couple of thousand dollars every month or maybe He just doesn't care enough.  That goes against my entire understanding of Scripture and my experience with God.  Maybe it is disobedience by the church.  Maybe there are people in town who God has equipped and called to give to our ministry and they have just said "No."  That just makes me bitter towards my brothers and sisters.  Maybe the problem is me.  Maybe I just don't ask boldly enough or strategically enough or I need to pray harder.  However Jesus does not lay out the Lord's Prayer and then talk about needing to work in a specific way that enables God to provide for our needs.

     So what I am left with is this:  I am regularly drawn to prayer to ask for provision and to ask why it is not coming in the way that I hoped.  After nearly 15 years of ministry I have a home, a car, a happy and healthy family, no outstanding debt other than the aforementioned home and a growing legacy of people who have been drawn closer to the kingdom through our work.  There is a regular struggle with money that we wrestle with, but when I am able to look long term, I realize that our needs have been met.  Even with 15 years of evidence I regularly stress about money and whether God will come through this time.  I don't know when it gets better, but I do know that when I keep it bottled up the intensity and fear grows.  When I share my concerns with friends and partners, the fear shrinks and I am reminded of God's history of provision.

     Our current need is payroll.  Joel's Place needs about $5,000 by Wednesday in order to pay our staff this month.  We need about $10,000 to be current with payroll and all our bills.  I don't know where the money will come from.  I don't know how much will come in.  I don't even know if handing out paychecks on the 1st and 15th of the month qualifies as giving us our daily bread.  I do know that God is faithful and holds me, my family and Joel's Place in His hands.

     May He grant you what you need today.

Mr. Begich Goes to Joel's Place

Senator Begich came to visit us at Joel's Place.  He received a short tour, talked with us a little bit about the importance of investing in youth and gave us the following document from the Congressional Record.























It reads like this:

Mr. Begich: 

                  Mr. President, today I would like to recognize the 15th anniversary of the founding of Wellspring Revival Ministries in Fairbanks, AK.  In 1998, Michael and Linda Setterberg recognized the need for more youth activities in the Fairbanks area and set out to do something about it.  In 1999, the Setterbergs opened Joel's Place, a place for young people who needed somewhere to belong.
                 It began with a weekly youth group meeting but it grew to be something much bigger. Today, relying on volunteers, grants and charitable contributions, Joel's Place is open 6 days a week with a concert hall, cafe, a garden, and sports activities including the only indoor skate park in Alaska.  Joel's Place works with local school counselors and is a National Safe Place, offering shelter and counseling.
                Part of the success of Joel's Place is due to partnerships with other local nonprofits and national foundations, as well as State and local governments.  Federal grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture provide support for the organization's Summer Food Service Program and Child and Adult Care Food Program, which ensures that low-income children receive nutritious meals.
               The power to keep the program going comes from the passion and devotion of the founders of Joel's Place, the professionals who run it, the board of directors who oversee the organization and the volunteers who give their time.  I give my congratulations to the people who make Joel's Place go, and I look forward to hearing about their continued success.
                                                                                       Mark Begich