FRONT LINE MISSION REPORT - JESUS AT TWELVE

FRONT LINE MISSION REPORT - JESUS AT TWELVE -
By Chris Holder, DCE - Missionary of Youth Discipleship

Chris is a DCE working as a volunteer missionary at LINC, Dallas - particularly at New Hope. He writes:

"Last summer (2005) as Camp Hope was coming to an end Mark Couser and I noticed larger and larger numbers of "older kids" coming around New Hope. Despite both of us having almost zero experience as Urban Youth Ministers we decided it was time to start a group for these older young men and last September "Guys Night" was born. Guys Night is a place where at-risk young men, 10 and older, come to hang out; help cook dinner; play a few games and talk about Jesus in the midst of their lives. Each week about 15 of these young men, the majority whom have no church background, eagerly come to New Hope for such an evening.

Recently, we spent a few weeks looking at the faith example of several young men from the Bible. As we studied the story of Jesus at the age of twelve holding his own with the temple experts, one verse really jumped up to me as applicable to these young men Mark and I are mentoring, "...and Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men..." Luke 2:52. Of course these young men will never match Jesus in these areas, nor will you and I for that matter; however they are slowly learning--against great odds--to follow Christ's example.

Youth Ministry at New Hope is expanding beyond Guys Night to include off campus events like a lock-in back in January where 8 teenage boys and girls from New Hope joined over 300 Lutheran youth from across the metroplex. We are also beginning a Girls Night later in March, so the young ladies of New Hope can have the same opportunity that the young men currently enjoy. Please keep the youth and Youth Leaders of New Hope in your prayers this spring."