Last weekend a ten-person team from Biola went to Fresno to prepare for a week of witnessing coming up in January at four high schools in Fresno. The Launch Weekend allows for the HomeTown Trip team to meet the high school students for the first time and begin training and encouraging them.

 

So who's hometown is it? When Nick, a mentor last year, heard about HomeTown trips, he loved the idea that he could take the gospel home with him. God has brought all the pieces together over the last year for him to lead a trip to his hometown: Fresno. 

 

As a president of his Christian club in high school himself, Nick knows the challenges that come with doing ministry as a high school student. Using that experience he says, "Every Christian club is diverse and has different skills, God-given gifts. A club is a place where you get to bring all that together and use it for God's kingdom. Even if people have different opinions or come from different churches, at the end of the day we are all united in Christ."

Team Members Tiffany and Michelle coach Edison High School.

 

Nick was inspired by the weekend, having everyone together for the first time to develop what January will look like. "The high school students actually make everything happen. At our training they had to present the plan for the witnessing week. It just excites you everything they want to do."

  

Jameson, Nick's connection at Youth for Christ in Fresno, has a role that is like a one-man CSP. He supports all the Christian clubs in Fresno, giving resources or anything they need. Upon hearing about it, he loved the ministry strategy of CSP so much he has decided to recruit volunteers to continue mentoring the high schools after HomeTown leaves. 

 

 "It has been so obvious that God has been setting this trip up. God is supplying the workers, the schools, the community. I have no idea what it's gonna look like but I'm excited." 

 

The HomeTown Fresno team is partnering with Youth for Christ and Nick's home church, but the team is also trying to connect with United Fresno, an organization of 20+ churches. One thing United Fresno does is a winter camp at Hume Lake for all the youth groups of those churches, so that they can foster unity of Christians in Fresno.

 

This year United Winter Camp happens to fall the weekend before the week of outreach for the HomeTown Trip. The team is hoping to go present their outreach plan to all the schools so more people can be involved in the witnessing week. 

 

Pray for the high school students in Fresno, that they stay encouraged and that God is in their midst as they get everything ready.

Pray for the HomeTown team that they would be united and able to pour into the students from a distance right now.

Pray for the community of Fresno, that they will really back the high schools and sustain the ministry with local volunteers after HomeTown is gone.