On September 12th, White Pine School opened their doors to a brand-new team of YOKE Folk. With YOKE shirts on and Mountain Dew in hand, the team was eager to see how God would work at this first club. Much to everyone’s surprise, 17 students waited patiently in line for their very first Chug-n-Crush tickets!
17 may not sound like a big number, but when you consider the history of YOKE at White Pine, you’ll admit it is nothing short of amazing. White Pine has not had a consistent YOKE club in six years! We attempted to restart the club in 2020, but COVID restrictions soon shut it down again.
To get the club started, Kelly Chilcote, Area Director for Jefferson County, turned to her home church, True Life Church in Jefferson City. Jacob Wilke, Youth Minister and College Ministry Director, was all in, offering to serve as team leader and helping to recruit YOKE Folk from the church. “We’ve been hoping to connect with White Pine for a while now, and YOKE provided a great opportunity to do that,” he explained.
In addition to providing volunteers, True Life is investing financially in YOKE by helping to sponsor the club. “We decided to take ownership and really support this ministry,” said Jacob. And the team comes from every walk of life. They range from a Senior in High School (a former YOKE Kid himself) all the way to Ms. Judy who, at 72 years of age, claims the title of “most experienced” YOKE Folk this year. Don’t let her age fool you. Ms. Judy is full of life and love for students.
Jenna Fuesting, an 8th grade science teacher and our faculty sponsor at White Pine, is excited to have YOKE back in the building. After participating in her first club, she said, “YOKE is a club for anyone no matter their athletic ability, academic ability, or anything else. They can come, be kids and have fun, and most importantly learn about Jesus.”
God is undeniably moving and working through YOKE in the White Pine community, and we are eager to see how God will use the ministry to transform the lives of students, volunteers, and teachers at White Pine School.
For more information about how you can get involved at White Pine or at another school in Jefferson County, contact Kelly at 865-522-6907 or kelly@yokeyouth.com.
