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Friends for Making a Unique Difference,                                                                                  March 2015

Beginning this year we had no idea how many unique opportunities would come our way so quickly! In February I wrote about five of them. Now let me describe five more--each one expressing God's unique touch on Reach Out's ministry.

3rd Ward in Houston     

 

For several years Rick Eubanks, long-time JFYM trainer, has had a mission's
3rd Ward Forum Attendees
ministry in Houston's 3rd Ward. After several tries to gather youth leaders around Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry, this year it came together. Damien Lawson, Fellowship of Love Church, has fully bought in to JFYM...
  

What Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry challenges youth leaders to do is to keep Jesus at the center--build through discipleship rather than through events. I recently adopted the JFYM strategy in my youth ministry and have become a catalyst for the JFYM movement. - Damien Lawson

Convergence in Chicago

53 leaders came from 20 churches for Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry training. Sponsored by Converge MidAmerica, people participated from many areas around Chicago. The day sped by because all engaged with an "edge of their seats" enthusiasm for the JFYM training. Several teams stayed afterwards to process their application of JFYM. As follow up, a day long "Go Deeper with Christ" retreat is planned for all who attended!

Highly Engaged in Chicago
Disciple-Making in Dallas

Ignite, a conference sponsored by First Baptist Colleyville, Texas, focused on churches making disciples--the most practically important issue facing the church in America today. Eight years ago First Baptist made the decision to change their church's paradigm from "an audience to an army". Their difference from the average Baptist church is palpable. In my role I led 5 seminars and preached on Sunday morning--a quite moving experience. Aaron Scarborough, a pastor, and Kevin Miles, a youth pastor, and both Eagle Leaders, helped me lead. Aaron spoke powerfully about how he discovered and implemented JFYM as a youth pastor, and then, after the death of his pastor, how he became pastor of the church and has built the church around the JFYM principles. Kevin, youth pastor at First Baptist Stephenville, spoke about how at 15 one of my books strongly influenced him. But then he experienced years of youth ministry frustration before he discovered JFYM. Then he explained how dramatically it has changed his life and ministry.  

  

Leading on Disciple-Making
JFYM Forum for Teens

Kevin Miles... 
Continuing with Kevin Miles...The last two years Reach Out--mostly Rick Eubanks--has enjoyed investing in Kevin. His church has hosted two JFYM Forums and worked tirelessly to make the necessary changes to apply JFYM. Now an Eagle Leader, Kevin decided to lead a Forum himself for his students. No one has ever done that before!

I cannot say enough about how Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry
has changed my life and the way I do ministry.   We are becoming
the unique and dynamic Youth Ministry that Jesus is calling us
to be--one Forum at a time!
Kevin Miles
...And Some of His JFYM Students

    

Attending the JFYM Forum taught me how to be a great leader. 

 I never realized learning how to serve God better could be
 so invigorating!

 Katie Pierce, 11th Grader
First-Ever Retreat in Africa

So much happens in our Africa ministry that we could write our update about Africa every month. Our 300 Eagle Leaders who do JFYM training in Africa, are led by a team of 5 leaders--Enock, Mark, Chris, Obadiah, and Joseph, plus Charles Juma. For the first time ever they gathered for a weekend retreat to pray and plan. They called me from Kenya, and I spoke to each one. With enthusiasm and thankfulness they asked me, When you created JFYM did you know that one day we would take this training all over Africa? Obviously not, but God knew. During their retreat as they prayed, the Lord gave them a significantly expanded plan to equip youth leaders and communicate Christ in schools for the next year.   

 

Key Africa Leaders Meet to Pray and Plan

Only Jesus, through the work of the ever-present always-working Holy Spirit can create these kinds of unique experiences. I know they happen all over the world every day. But it certainly is encouraging when they happen around us--and around you. You participate in these unique opportunities with us by your prayers and giving. Our team at Reach Out is very grateful.

 

Jesus is Lord,

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