CONVERGE '06

There is a lot going on around the Peoria Area.  You may or may not remember me mentioning a “stirring” amongst community leaders and students in the Peoria area.

Regardless, I am very excited.  We (Metamora Campus Life, your church, and you, individually) have the opportunity to take part in a HUGE initiative that is aiming at seeing thousands of people (especially teens) reached and impacted for Christ.

What I’m talking about is called “CONVERGE 06”.  A quick explanation is that it is a movement of a series of prayer meetings, weeks of evangelism training for local teens, a huge service project, and an amazing outreach event that will all be taking place from at lease now until early November.   All of this is geared toward reaching lost teens and equipping believing teens to love their friends and share Christ with them.

As far as Metamora Campus Life is concerned, we are changing up some things to get on board with CONVERGE 06 wholeheartedly.  In fact, one of the evangelism training facilities is going to be in Germantown Hills on Sunday nights starting in September.   I would love to see 100 teens from Metamora go through the training and begin to live out their faith amongst their friends.  Can you imagine?  100 teens actively sharing Jesus in their circles of friends could radically change the communities of Metamora, Germantown Hills, and Spring Bay (as well as other hundreds impacting other parts of the Peoria area).

I’ll continue to roll out more details about Metamora Campus Life’s involvement in CONVERGE 06, but for now, you can find many more details at the CONVERGE website: www.ConvergePeoria.com . Don’t hesitate to browse through the website.  All of this gets started in the next week or two. 

Please pray for hundreds of lost teens to come to know Jesus this school year.  Please pray for Christian teens to be amazed with how much Jesus loves them and begin actively sharing Jesus with others.

Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for your partnership to advance the knowledge and worship of Jesus among teens. 

 

Every young person

The vision of Youth for Christ is, as a part of the body of Christ, to see every young person in every people group in every nation have the opportunity to make an informed decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ and to become a part of a local church.

 

 “…every young person” in the world!!  What a goal!!  That means that locally, we want to relevantly and lovingly share the great news of Jesus with every young person so that they have a chance to embrace Jesus.  We don’t coerce or convince, we present Jesus through our lives and words.  Then we let them decide.  We don’t guilt or condemn.  We love.  If they decide to embrace Christ, that’s great!  If not, we have no desire to push that person aside and move on.  By that time, they have become our friend and we really do love them.  There is no agenda, but to live to truly honor Christ. 

 

I don’t know about you, but Jesus has changed me … and He continues to change me.  I’m not perfect, but I know that Jesus is real and that he’s worth looking into.  I know that the more I get to know Jesus, the more amazed I am at who He is.  So, that’s why I’m on staff with Youth for Christ.  Jesus is transforming me and I want to help others have the opportunity to have a relationship with Him.

Test

test.

Mexico...HERE WE COME!!!

21 people (mostly from Metamora and Germantown Hills) are leaving for Juarez, Mexico on Thursday, June 22.  We’ll be driving for 2 ½ days to get there.  Once we’re there, we’ll be joining others to form a team of about 40 people to spend 7 full days in Juarez.  We’ll be helping with the construction of a park that a church uses for ministry.  We’ll be putting on Vacation Bible School (or “escuala de biblia”) for little kids.  I think we might play some soccer and basketball with teenagers.  I’m guessing that they will be much better than us in soccer.  Kids love soccer in Mexico and they play all the time!! 

Anyways, please pray for us.  Pray that God would allow us to see Mexicans with His heart and through His eyes.  Pray that each of the participants would be personally challenged to go deeper with Christ than every before.  Pray for effective ministry with kids through VBS.  Pray that many seeds of the Gospel would be sown through words and actions…that many might come to know and live for Christ as a result of this trip.  Pray for safe travel.  Pray for team unity.  Pray for Christ to receive the honor and glory that He is worthy of through this trip.  We return on July 3^rd.  We’ll be tired physically, but I’m sure we’ll be closer to Jesus.  Thanks for taking the journey with us by praying for us.

What's up with MySpace.com??

By now, you’ve probably heard of MYSPACE. It is a social networking website that has exploded in the last year, especially among high school students and young adults. Each person manages their own webpage, connects with friends through a variety of messaging options, and can even post blogs on their page. There are some great things about it, but there are also some dangers, too.

If you’re doing the myspace thing, look me up….I’m “whiteguy”. Also, and this is very important… be careful what you post on myspace. Remember that it’s a public forum, so use your head. Never share your phone number, full name, email address, home address, or anything like that. Be careful who you accept as your friends and never arrange to meet with someone who you met on myspace. There are many predators on myspace who will use the information you post. I’m not saying you shouldn’t use myspace. Enjoy it and use it to connect with your friends, just be careful.

If you’re a parent and your teen is on myspace, get familiar with it, and maybe even join myspace yourself to see what the craze is all about. Coach your teens on what is appropriate and what is dangerous.

Are you serious?

“If someone strikes you on the right check, turn to him the other also…If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” – Matthew 5:39-42

Jesus said these words. After reading this in a small group last week, a high school guy said, “Are you serious?” …I love this guy's response. It shows that he realizes that Jesus is calling us to live completely different than how we normally live. Jesus totally destroys the notion that you gotta to make sure you get what’s yours. He calls us to stop being so self-centered and to think bigger….to love others, not just ourselves. Is it really going to kill me to go the extra mile? Or is it that, as I go the extra mile, I come to find out that life is not all about me?

Mission Trip to Mexico!!

Hey!  We’re going to Juarez, Mexico this summer….are you?  Here’s the deal:  Serve, Sweat, Play sports with Mexican teens, Work on various projects, Trust, Plan activities for Mexican children, and Take a long trip away from the comforts of home…..  It’s going to be a tough, but worth it!  This trip is open to all Peoria area teens, but there is a limited number of spots, so sign up soon!  Contact Todd at tmarsden@yfcpa.org for more info.