Another DecembeRadio concert is being held in Mississippi. The proceeds are going to missions, and SIFAT is one of the organizations that will benefit. Other bands performing include God Speed 3, Seven Glory and Sarah Reeves.
When: December 2, 2009 at 6 p.m.

Where: Forrest County Multi Purpose Center Hwy 49 S, Hattiesburg, MS

More information: Click the flier on the left or visit www.forrestcountycenter.com

SIFAT’s Learn & Serve staff are debuting a new youth event during the MLK, Jr., holiday weekend. On January. 16-18, 2010, we invite you to come experience 48: A Slum Experience.

Students and leaders will live in our urban slums for 48 hours, during which they will have to meet their basic human needs. You could go on another ski trip or have another lock-in…but we challenge you to do something different.

For more information, contact Jarred, griffinj@sifat.org or download this flier.

The dates for our 2009-2010 CARES events are now posted on our website. Visit www.sifat.org/cares to find out more information. Space is limited, so make your field trip plans now! The CARES program is an educational field trip for all age students, including public, private and home school groups (and scouts and church groups, too).

This fall’s CARES program is Around the World. Students have the opportunity to visit homes in our Global Village, where they learn about the country represented and participate in hands-on activities. From folk dancing in the Philippines to making tortillas in Guatemala, students (and their chaperones!) tour the world in just a few hours.

Quick Facts:

• Cost: $15 (which includes the Hunger Banquet, a special lunch that brings the statistics of world hunger to life).
• Time: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Group size: maximum of 150 (multiple groups are scheduled each day)
• Ages: 3rd-12th (recommended)

To book a CARES event, please contact cares@sifat.org.

Learn & Serve (L&S) begins in less than two months! Our eight counselors will begin training the last week in May, and students begin arriving the first week of June. You can see our counselors by heading over to the counselor page on the L&S site.

We still have room available for individuals or youth groups during weeks 1, 4, 6 and 9. For information about registering, contact Jamie Waldhour, waldhourj@sifat.org, or click here.

Don’t forget about Elementary L&S during Week 5. Click here for more information. Forty (40) spaces are still available for rising 4th-6th graders.

Wow! The spring season of campus events started strong. Last week, two groups took part in separate retreats.

Lovers Lane UMC from Dallas, Texas, brought youth from their deaf ministry to SIFAT for a Learn & Serve style retreat. The students even braved the cold weather during the Global Village Overnight Experience. Our staff enjoyed learning some sign language, and thanks to our volunteer Sarah Lewis, even provided an interpretor to give their translators time to enjoy the activities.

The seventh grade from Springwood School from Lanett, Ala., participated in a cross cultural retreat with an emphasis on cultures in the Global Village. They had the opportunity to eat meals from South America, Africa and Asia. Esperance, our intern and Practicum graduate, shared with the students about being a Rwandan growing up in Kenya.
This week, we have three groups taking part in retreats during their spring breaks.

ReMIX Ministries from FBC Jonesboro (Ark.) are college students from Arkansas State University. They came in Saturday evening and will be leaving after lunch on Wednesday. Their retreat is similar to our summer Learn & Serve, only a little shorter. Tonight, they’ll be in our Global Village.

The Epsicopal Diocese youth from north Alabama arrive this afternoon and will have the opportunity to leave the campus Wednesday to participate in a local ministry project. While here, they will also participate in cross cultural training, appropriate technology hands-on application (they’re cooking lunch on our stoves) and the overnight village experience.

Alexander City Methodist Church is bringing a youth work team at the end of the week. Their youth group is coming to Learn & Serve this summer, but they’ll have a mini-retreat and campus work projects to serve our campus and help us prepare for L&S 2008.

Are you interested in bringing a group to SIFAT? We have several different retreats from which you can choose. Our staff will work with you to develop a unique experience that best meets your group’s needs. For retreat information for youth groups, please contact Jamie, waldhourj@sifat.org. For other age groups or facilities rentals, contact Haley, lewish@sifat.org.