You Were Made For This!
The rustle of leaves underfoot. The boom of the shotgun as the skeet shatters in the air. The rush of adrenaline as the boiling rapids draw nearer. The smell of smoke and grilled meat around a campfire. The gasp of awe as you crest the summit and take in the view below. The exhilaration you feel as the rainbow trout tears your fly from the water's surface. The sense of accomplishment as you stretch for the last handhold and pull yourself up over the top of the cliff...and the applause of your band of brothers as you do so.
Does any of this cause your heart to beat a little faster, even if you have never experienced any of it? That's because you were born for this and you may not even know it! Here at Journey, we use the outdoors and adventures such as backpacking, rafting, spelunking, mountain biking, fishing, kayaking, or even just a weekday hike at a local trailhead to reach deep into a young mans heart and jump-start it. The outdoors does something to a man. The stresses of life fall off. We open up more about struggles and trials. We bond more easily to other men. We build confidence in ourselves. We feel closer to God who made us as well as this awesome creation we are privileged to enjoy!
Our Program
Quarterly Epic Events
On a quarterly basis, we plan epic adventures like rafting trips, weekend backpacking trips, etc. These are generally multi day events, allowing the group to really connect with each other and allow stress to melt off. It is at these critical events that God really shows up! We try and cover as much of the cost of these trips as we can through donations and scholarships.
Mini Epic Adventures
Quarterly adventure is not enough! We need more. These monthly mini-adventures are what really allow us to 'do life together'. Mini-adventures might be thing like skeet shooting, horseback riding, caving or just taking a hike! While some of these events cost nothing, others have nominal fees that we try and cover through donations and scholarships.
Campfire Sessions
'Campfire sessions' are simple, informal gatherings. While these often involve a campfire, sometimes it is just an activity like disc golfing or hanging out and grilling some food! The purpose of these sessions is to allow us to continually meet, learn and grow together. Campfire sessions are always free, but we do try and share the bringing of food!
Service Projects
It can't always be about 'adventure'...But serving our communities is an adventure in itself and does more than make other's feel good. It makes us feel better about ourselves and builds a 'servant heart'. Service projects might be a trail clean up, helping one of our neighbors paint a fence or just picking up trash together on our own streets. Service projects happen about 4 times a year or as needed/requested.
Mentoring
Mentoring is the very fabric of who we are and what we do. Life change happens in the context of relationships. Every person in Journey is called to mentor another person in their life. No matter how bad we think our life may be or how damaged we may feel we are, we each have something to offer another man. Someone likely helped you on your journey and you can do the same. Our goal is to never leave a fellow journeyman alone on the trail of life.
Learning Opportunities
If we are not learning, we are not growing. Our learning takes place organically. No one is going to stand at a podium and preach to anyone. Instead, we work through topics together, learning and applying as we go. Maybe the topic is deep, such as 'how do I combat my father wound?'. Maybe it is light, such as 'proper fly fishing technique'. Whatever the topic, we learn it together. But, there will ALWAYS be a life application rooted in God's word.