Make plans to join us for the 2019 YOKE Banquet, presented by Pilot Flying J! The event is Tuesday, August 27th at 6:30 pm at the Hotel Knoxville (formerly the Knoxville Marriott). Together we’ll celebrate 42 years of ministry in East Tennessee. There is no charge to attend the banquet, but there will be an opportunity to invest in this life-changing ministry by making a gift or a pledge. The banquet is a great opportunity for folks to learn more about YOKE and how they can be involved. The event provides a glimpse of the YOKE culture and the impact that the ministry has on kids, schools, ch ..read more

​Brittany Charnley’s life was so impacted by YOKE during her years at Bearden Middle School that she knew she wanted to always be a part of the organization. She went on to serve as a YOKE Folk for five years at Bearden, Farragut and Vine Middle Schools. When changes in her schedule made that kind of weekly commitment impossible, she decided to invest financially and became a YOKE MVP – a Monthly Vital Partner.     “Middle school is such an important time in a child’s life,” said Brittany. “They’re learning so much about themselves and about the world. I loved getting to be there for them dur ..read more

Part of the new & improved Alcoa team at Spring Camp. YOKE is looking for mature(ish), passionate, fun-loving young adults to serve at a local middle school for the 2019/2020 school year. These “YOKE Folk” commit to helping once a week at a local club, building personal relationships with middle school kids, and serving at camp one weekend a semester. One of the best parts of being a YOKE Folk is getting to serve alongside a team of other passionate leaders. YOKE aims to have a team of at least 6-8 YOKE Folk at each school. While a team smaller than this may be able to do the bare minimu ..read more

With nearly 240 volunteers serving in 30 middle schools, the YOKE community is full of people with all sorts of talents and experiences. It’s always exciting when a YOKE Folk can use their particular skills or experience to meet a specific need with the students YOKE serves. Sarah Gregory, a former YOKE kid and YOKE Folk who is serving in YOKE’s Summer Adventures program this year, is a great example of this. Allan, a deaf student at Bearden Middle School, is participating in YOKE’s Summer Adventures program for the first time. Sarah, who recently graduated from Maryville College, has been h ..read more

One of the challenges that comes with school-based ministry is helping our leaders to stay connected with their YOKE kids during the summer months. While there is plenty to be done over the summer in order to prepare for the next school year—connecting with financial partners and local churches, helping out with special events, and recruiting new leaders—we want to ensure that YOKE Folk have a way to stay in touch with kids over the summer and continue to invest in their lives. That is why every Tuesday in the month of June, YOKE hosts Summer Adventures! YOKE’s Summer Adventures program is o ..read more

David and Landon (no relation!) at Spring Camp. Contributed by David Schilling, Hardin Valley Church of Christ ​Middle school is a challenging time, and one thing that was a huge help to me during those years was my church community. Many middle school students lack a community of believers, or maybe just attend church every once in a while. YOKE reaches students and connects them to Christ and each other, and that’s why I chose to serve as the team leader in the brand-new club at Hardin Valley Middle School.   I love going to Hardin Valley Middle School for lunch on Tuesdays to visit with s ..read more

Jared at fall camp. It’s always great to find people who already share YOKE’s passion for middle school students and just need an outlet to do so. Jared Boyd, a youth pastor in Jefferson City, saw YOKE as the perfect opportunity to connect with students and families in his community and now serves as our Team Leader at Jefferson Middle. With years of experience in student ministry, Jared has seen firsthand the importance of mentoring youth.  He previously worked for the Boys and Girls Club in Cleveland, TN, and recalled an experience when he was taking some students to a minor league basebal ..read more

Whether you talk to YOKE kids and YOKE Folk from the ‘70s or those currently involved, YOKE Camp is always a highlight and our 2019 Spring Camp was no different. We had two fabulous weekends at Camp Ba-Yo-Ca in Sevier County. Mystery Camp was our theme, with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson working to solve the mystery of the missing Mountain Dew just in time for our chug-and-crush competition. On Saturday morning, students had to work together to solve clues to diffuse a “bomb” and escape the dining hall before it went off. After lunch they headed down to the field for Human Foosball and rela ..read more

In order to serve students in 30 middle schools across 5 counties, YOKE relies on more than 230 volunteer leaders (YOKE Folk) who spend time with students both in and out of school on a weekly basis. Last year, our YOKE Folk invested more than 20,000 hours in middle school students outside of structured YOKE programming. We asked our YOKE Folk why they think serving with YOKE is worth their time. Here are some more of their responses. Lee (left) with Jacob at Camp.  “YOKE provides a unique opportunity for churches to get on school campuses and share the love of Christ with students. Gettin ..read more

​Our YOKE Folk strive to form deep, authentic relationships with the students they serve. When this happens, the students often feel comfortable opening up about struggles and unfortunately, suicidal thoughts are all too common among adolescents. According to a study from the National Institute of Mental Health, suicide was the second leading cause of death among people between the ages of 10 and 34 in 2016. That is why YOKE takes suicide prevention seriously. Part of YOKE’s commitment to investing in leaders involves providing them with training opportunities so that they can be prepared w ..read more