It was a sad day on July 21 when we all climbed aboard our buses and prepared for the six-hour trip back to Michigan. Convention 2023 (July 17–21) had come to an end, and for me, it was my second convention and my last one. I was happy to discover that there was a lot […]

Approximately 370 young people and leaders attended the first-ever Reformed Youth Services National Convention held July 30-August 3 at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. A total of 37 RYS-member churches were present, representing thirteen states and provinces. About 290 students and sixty adult sponsors, plus speakers and staff, attended the weeklong event. As you […]

The first annual Reformed Youth Services National Convention can be hailed as a success. We, the excited teens, arrived on Monday, July 30 between 1–5 p.m. at beautiful Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Surrounded by grand mountains and spectacular old buildings we found a haven to learn about “Taking Every Thought Captive,” our theme […]

(Adapted from a lecture given at the RYS National Convention) Introduction In Louis Berkhof’s book Subjects and Outlines, published in 1918, he wrote about what he perceived to be a “craze for amusement.” It amazes me that in 1918 he was already speaking about a kind of obsession for entertainment. It also scares me. If […]

RYS Convention draws more than 500 attendees by Ed DeGraaf, Director of Reformed Youth Services From July 15-19, Reformed Youth Services held its 2002 youth convention in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was the first time RYS-member churches had traveled out west for their annual national conference. More than 500 young people and sponsors from 36 […]

With gratitude to God, Reformed Youth Services was pleased to host a record number of more than 620 young people, sponsors, speakers and staff at Biola University in La Mirada, California July 26–30. Almost forty member churches attended the weeklong event, which had as its theme “Stars in the Universe.” Rev. Phil Grotenhuis, pastor of […]