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Greetings!
This month we announce the loss of a dear friend-Dennis Griffith, a Global Teen Challenge board member, and director of Teen Challenge Southern California. Our loss is heaven's gain.
Jon Connally is joining the Global Teen Challenge ministry team to head up MAPS construction projects for TCs around the world.
We have new statistics available on Teen Challenge around the world.
With Christmas just a few weeks away, we have a great Christmas project for you to consider-a cow for Christmas!
We also hope to see you in Argentina for the special weekend of training for TC leaders.
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The Loss of a Friend by Dr. Jerry Nance
On October 25th Dennis Griffith was called to a higher assignment than his position as Executive Director of Southern California Teen Challenge. I was shocked, and continue to be shocked at such a loss of a close friend and brother in the Lord. Dennis would have been 57 on the 17th of November, which lets us all know that he was just too young to be leaving us. Dennis graduated the Southern California Teen Challenge program in the late 70's and has faithfully served on staff with them all these years. I met Dennis when he was the Evangelism Coordinator for TC in the late 70's when he was responsible for planning all the outreaches for Southern California TC. Dennis was always filled with excitement, vision and passion for the work of the Lord. He was so much fun to be around that we instantly became friends and have maintained our friendship over the past 30 years.  He served as a role model to his family, the TC staff, students and donors all these years. He led with gentleness, compassion, faithfulness and maintained an optimistic outlook no matter the circumstances. Dennis not only made a difference with his life in Southern California, but he made a difference in Washington, DC, and around the world. Dennis served the Whitehouse office of Drug Control Policy and served on the Global Teen Challenge board since it first started. Few people I know have made a greater impact with their life. Dennis was a person of impeccable integrity, stewardship and faith. He had so much energy and such vision for the nations of the world. He made multiple trips to the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovenia and Serbia. He introduced his friends and donors to these Teen Challenge ministries so they too could catch a vision for TC worldwide. I miss my friend Dennis like you would never believe. We talked weekly about all kinds of issues. We laughed, we cried, we dreamed and we worked together on so many projects but now he's gone. Dennis, all of us who knew you - we miss you, we thank God for you and we commit to do our best to live as you did with such passion, conviction and love. You were our Hero and we honor you today. May God grant us the grace to live as Dennis did. Jerry Nance PhD President Global Teen Challenge top of page |
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Memorial Book for Dennis Griffith
A special book of memories is being prepared for the family of Dennis Griffith. You are invited to send a special letter which will be included in this book. Send your letter to Global Teen Challenge. You can email it to PBatty@globaltc.org or fax it to 1-706-596-1559. You can mail it to Global Teen Challenge, PO Box 511, Columbus, GA 31902 USA.  We would encourage you to include in your letter specific memories of your connection to Dennis. We would appreciate it if you would pass on this opportunity to others in your ministry or circle of friends who may not have received this Leadership Link newsletter. Some of you may have already sent a letter directly to Teen Challenge in Southern California or to Kim Griffith. We would encourage you to send another letter to Global Teen Challenge to be included in this book of memories. You are also welcome to submit pictures with your letter if you wish. Please submit your letter by December 14 so we can receive it in time to include in this book. Click here to go to the special page on the Teen Challenge S. Calif. Website with additional information on Dennis. top of page |
| Jon Connally joins GTC ministry team as MAPS Director
It is a great joy to join with the GTC family and serve within the MAPS construction corner of Global Teen Challenge! My wife Karen and I count it a privilege to take part in God's plan for these exciting days in which we live.
 We currently are serving in ministry at Evangel Temple in Columbus, Georgia. We have 4 children and have been married for 28 years. After graduating from Southeastern Bible College in 1984, Karen and I served in youth and children's ministry followed by a staff pastor position in Durham, North Carolina. We relocated to my home state of Georgia in 1993 where we were pastors and where I began to serve with MAPS on a regular basis. (MAPS does short term construction projects for missions.) During this time I established a construction business.
Since 1986 I have been a part of over 50 MAPS construction trips to various parts of the world. This has become a great joy in ministry. For the last nine years I have been serving in Men's Ministry and MAPS ministry while continuing to run a blessed construction business.
Karen and I are credentialed ministers with the Assemblies of God and serve in district related missions and MAPS ministry positions. When I am not on a missions trip with a hammer, I enjoy being on location with a hunting rifle! But ultimately I desire to serve centers around the world so that we might see God move in the lives and hearts of men and women, boys and girls. We want to see people from every nation, every tribe, and every tongue come to know Jesus.
We can do this with the Lord's help. Lord send me.
Jon Connally
GTC MAPS Director
PS: If your Teen Challenge ministry has a project which needs the help of a construction team, please contact me so we can talk about the potential to help you. Please email me at JConnally@globaltc.org
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New Global Teen Challenge Statistics
How many Teen Challenge centers are there in the world? How many countries have Teen Challenge? We have recently updated the statistics on Teen Challenge globally. We would encourage you to use these numbers in telling the global story of what God is doing in Teen Challenge. Teen Challenge statistics as of November 1, 2009
 82 countries have Teen Challenge ministries. This number includes 7 countries where the ministry is currently being planted. 1,156 TC ministries. This includes residential programs and outreaches (non-residential). It also includes 2 large coalitions that partner with Teen Challenge - The Teen Challenge International Coalition of Christian Faith-Based Rehabilitation Programs of Russia and the Association of Christian Rehabilitation Centers in Ukraine. 25,000 beds in the residential programs for youth and adults  40 countries with standing invitations for Teen Challenge to be started in their nation. (This number only includes countries that currently do not have a Teen Challenge already in that country. There are also many more nations who currently have at least one Teen Challenge ministry, but are also seeking to establish additional TC centers.)  Please also review your website and see if you have any of this info. If so, please update it to accurately reflect TC numbers. We have visited TC websites recently that have significant errors-either over reporting the number of countries where we have TCs or dramatically under reporting the scope of our ministry.  You can also help us by reviewing the information listed on directory of TC centers on the Global Teen Challenge website: www.Globaltc.org If the information for your ministry is incomplete or inaccurate, please send us the correct information so we can update the website. Send corrections to Patty Batty at PBatty@globaltc.org |
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Project Christmas Cow by Brent Collins
Amazingly, Christmas is upon us once again. If you are anything like me, you've just realized how many gifts you need to buy and wrap in the next month and are a bit overwhelmed at the thought of it all. I always try to find something a little different each year. I'd like to propose a possible alternative for your Christmas giving this year. Why not champion and support a special Teen Challenge project this Christmas?  I recently received information about 2 Teen Challenge centers in sensitive areas of Central Asia. Because of the degree of poverty in their locations and the lack of local churches from which to raise funds, it's essential for them to have alternative funding sources to meet their daily needs. Both centers have established small dairy cattle operations and need to expand them as their ministries are also expanding. They are also planning to open more centers. I want to ask you, the Teen Challenge family, to consider helping these two centers this Christmas by raising the funds for a cow to aid these centers in their growth. It's important that the cows are purchased now in the winter months since they are significantly cheaper during the winter. Why not give a cow or portion of one instead of a Christmas gift to your friends? Or you may want to do a special fundraising activity to help purchase one of these. Wouldn't it be exciting to see us literally purchase a piece of financial stability for the growth of TC in Central Asia? So here are a few options as to how you can give:
1. Purchase a grown, pregnant Milking Cow.............. $800 US Total needed: 23 cows
2. Purchase a small bull.................................................... $350 US Total needed: 22 bulls
3. Purchase 1 lot of hay to help feed the cows ......... $50 US Total needed: 70 bales
4. Make a donation towards any of these items ........ $_____
You can make your donation at the Global Teen Challenge website. Click to Donate. On the donation page, when you enter your gift, there will be a comments box on the page where you fill in your name and credit card info. In that comments box put Christmas Cow, and specify what your gift is for. You can also mail your check to Global Teen Challenge, PO Box 511, Columbus, GA 31902 If you would like to wire money directly to our bank, please email us for details: PBatty@globaltc.org I pray that you'll consider helping us with this project, and that God will in turn bless your finances and Kingdom efforts for your faithfulness to give. I will provide a report in the January newsletter on what we were able to give for this project. PS: We have uploaded to the website: www.iTeenChallenge.org the profiles of several different projects that can generate funds for Teen Challenge. More of these sustainability projects will be added in the weeks ahead. We hope they will provide you with practical ideas on how your TC can generate funds for your ministry. At the website, go to the "Resources" section and then select "RO7 Sustainable Funding Solutions" and then select the project to view.
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Executive Leader Training - January & March
 January 22-24, 2010, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaGlobal Teen Challenge (GTC) will be conducting a special training seminar for Executive Leaders of Teen Challenge January 22-24, 2010, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This training is open to all TC leaders around the world. It will begin the evening of January 22 and then go all day on the 23rd and 24th. You will be responsible to cover your own transportation costs as well as food and housing while in Argentina. Please contact Patty Batty at the Global Teen Challenge office for housing details: pbatty@globaltc.org The courses offered will focus on leadership issues in Teen Challenge today. This is for current senior leaders in TC ministry as well as those who are preparing for senior leadership. This is not for entry level staff, only senior leadership. Click here for a detailed schedule of workshops for the Argentina training. This Executive Leaders training is part of the long range goals of GTC to provide training for staff at all levels of the ministry. For the past 10 years or so we have conducted Leadership Training Institutes (LTI) around the world for all TC staff. This Executive Leaders training targets senior leaders and expands the training we offer for TC centers around the world. March 22-26, 2010, Columbus, Georgia USA
Global Teen Challenge and Teen Challenge of the Southeast Region will be conducting a special training seminar for Executive Leaders of Teen Challenge on March 22-26, 2010. Details are still being finalized for this week of training, but we would like you to mark your calendar and save the dates. Click here for a description of this event. This is the first of 4 one week intensive training sessions planned for the next 2 years. Between each week of intensive training will be several months of additional training offered in a distance learning format, with weekly assignments and opportunities for interaction with the other senior leaders who are participating in this 2 year training course. top of page | |
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About Global Teen Challenge
Global Teen Challenge is a service agency that exists to serve the more than 1000 Teen Challenge programs in more than 80 countries of the world. It is our desire to provide the best and latest tools available in helping individuals with life controlling addictions. According to the United Nations, more than 200 million people worldwide struggle with drug abuse. Drug users are getting younger and their use is becoming more frequent. Alcohol and drug addictions are plaguing our nations, our cities and invading our homes. We are committed to doing everything we can to reach people around the globe with life controlling problems. For more information on Global Teen Challenge, visit our website at www.GlobalTC.org |
| Contact Information:
Global Teen Challenge P.O. Box 511
Columbus, Georgia 31902-0511 USA
706-576-6555 | |
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