|
|
As I write this newsletter, a hurricane is bearing down on the coastline of Florida…again. Storms like Helene, and now Milton, create catastrophic impact resulting in human lives lost, property destroyed, livelihoods eviscerated, and even entire towns swept away. Join us in praying for those impacted by these unimaginable destructive forces of nature. | |
|
*Pray for the relief organizations like Samaritan’s Purse, SBC Disaster Relief, and Feed the Hunger who, fueled by the love of God and the generosity of others, are bringing desperately needed supplies to the region.
*Pray for our extended Reach Out “family” of financial partners and trained churches who live and serve in Florida (and throughout GA, SC, and NC).
*And finally, because of our long history in Cuba, there many people living from Tampa to Miami who are either formerly JFYM trained youth leaders or current Cuban leaders’ relatives who we invite you to join us in prayer for at this time.
| |
|
ANOTHER STORM…
The outer bands of another storm brewing in our world today can be seen in the newest statistics released by Barna Research. Although this storm isn’t a natural disaster, it is a cultural storm with eternal consequences. These statisticians flew into the center of Gen Z and took readings about what this generational group believes and how they live. Here are a few of their findings, after completing Barna’s most comprehensive survey of 13–24-year-olds to date:
| |
|
|
REGARDING SEXUALITY AND GENDER:
- 22.3 % of Gen Z identify as LGBTQ+
-
38 % of Gen Z say gender is based on what a person feels like
REGARDING DEPRESSION:
- 11% of 18-24-year-olds “always” feel like life isn’t worth living
REGARDING MORAL ABSOLUTES:
-
63% agree that “what is morally right or wrong depends on what an individual believes.”
- 33% are willing to change their belief if it offends someone or hurts their feelings
-
Only 30% of Gen Z say, “My religion / religious beliefs are very important to my sense of self” (family, friends, hobbies, professional/education achievements, and gender/sexuality all rate higher)
As one who has spent his entire adult life ministering to students and to the influencers who lead, parent, and pastor them…these stats were still quite jolting to read. They speak to a confused generation…confused about who they are and about why they exist. They are confused about how to make choices and whether or not God (if He exists) has any significant part to play in their lives. Our response…PRAY.
*Join us in praying for this generation. Pray their lives are opened to the reality of who God is and that it is in Him that they find identity, purpose, and truth. Take a few minutes to pray for someone you know in that generation who desperately needs Jesus. Find two other people and commit together to begin praying regularly for the Generation Z friends and family members you know who need Jesus. (This is putting our 3x3x3 prayer strategy into practice…Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry – pg. 31 “Pray with Passion”)
| |
|
THE ANCHOR:
Whether in the midst of a literal hurricane, a cultural tsunami, or the storms of religious persecution, relational chaos, or mental turmoil…our God invites us to run to Him.
| |
|
“Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls."
Hebrews 6:18b-19
| |
|
Who or what is the anchor the writer of Hebrews is describing? His name is Jesus! Here are just a few of the places we are seeing Jesus, our anchor of hope, at work in the next generation right now!
SOUTH ASIA…
| | |
|
|
We praise God for the ways we continue to see the next generation running to Him! Last month, in South Asia, I spoke to a crowd of over 500 young people, via Zoom. It was a “Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry Conference” put on by churches located in a city where many believers and churches encounter significant religious persecution.
*Pray for the churches in this South Asian country who are being trained in JFYM, and for the students who are living out and sharing their faith here, against all odds.
| |
|
In Malawi, we were able to train 79 youth leaders from Phalombe, Malawi. These men and women came together from 18 different churches, unified in their deep burden to reach the young people where they live. 43% of Malawi’s population is under the age of 15. It is in this region of Malawi where child marriages are common… 14% of girls are married off before the age of 15 and over 50% of teenage girls are sexually active. Malawi also has the fourth highest percentage of people living in extreme poverty in the world.
*Pray for Billy Banda, as he and his team continue to travel throughout the country providing training and resources for churches desiring to reach the next generation. Pray for these recently trained youth leaders (as well as the many others in multiple countries who have been trained this quarter in JFYM) as they begin to implement the action plans they have created.
| |
God is at work in the evangelical local churches located in the literal no-fly zone created from the war between Russia and Ukraine. In the midst of the continued unrest there, our Russian team led a training on Discipling Students in the city of Rostov, Russia. | |
|
|
*Pray for Pasha and our Russian team of leaders, as well as Igor and his team in Ukraine, as they continue to train leaders, even in the midst of war and chaos.
*And pray for Reach Out Youth Solutions, as we walk through this season of raising funds so that the mission of equipping and multiplying youth leaders globally not only continues but expands into 2025 and beyond.
May each one of us be encouraged today that even in the eye of whatever storm we are facing, HE is our Anchor, our Hope, and the salvation for not only this generation…but for generations to come…until He comes…
| |
Randy Riggins, President
Reach Out Youth Solutions
| | |
| | | |
