Unchurched Friends

#1 Brian
> What are a few issues or topics that impact/interest you?
- Why is global warmer making me colder?
- Alternative energy? Anytime soon? No? All right then.
- Why are people from Boston and New York so pompous?
- Save the Penguins. Both the animal and the hockey team.

> What is the greatest need in your area?
I don't really know, I don't get out too much. Port Authority has a money shortage, so they've had to cut down routes when they should just be going to the state and whining for more money. Pittsburgh also needs a new multi-purpose arena. The Pirates need some power out of their 6 hitter and consistency from their pitching staff.

> Who or what organization(s) are addressing that need, if any?
Well, Port Authority route changes are pretty much a done deal I believe, so there's not much to do. Gov. Rendell is working with the city to finance a new arena. Xavier Nady is looking to put up 20-25 HR this year.

> Do you think the church, universal, has a responsibility to meet this need?
Not really for any of these needs. Although I'll be praying for Nady, and I'll enjoy all the accompaniment I can get.

> Are you actively attending a church/mass?
Not at school, but I do at home, rarely. I should go to St. Paul's sometime down here though, I've heard it's gorgeous.

> Why do you think many people don't attend church?
Laziness and disdain for being scolded. Some preachers seem more interested in pointing out all the faults of the congregation than allowing Christ to enter their lives. So sitting through a scathing sermon, followed by tossing 5% of your salary into the collection basket, can cause one to second guess one's desire to return to church.
But then there are others who simply don't feel that they should have to conform their own faith to a common belief structure of a church. They would rather hold onto their own beliefs without compromising them.

> What kinds of things would prompt someone to start going to church who had not in previous years?
Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, deaths in the family, losing a job, divorce, trouble with the law, midlife crisis, etc. Basically, tragic events.

> If you were looking for a church, what kinds of things would you look for?
It depends on the person I would think. If you already have some sort of faith, you would look for a church that would fit with that faith. If you're starting from scratch, then you would find the church that gives you the feeling in your soul and enables you to better communicate and connect with Christ.

> What advice can you give to pastors who really want to be helpful to people?
Listen and be empathetic. If everyone could only listen to others and have the ability to put themselves in another's situation, that'd be just about all the world would need. Or at least it'd be a good start.


#2 Alex
Interviewer:What are a few issues or topics that interest you or that you feel passionately about?

Alex: The War in Iraq, city art and cars

Interviewer:What is the greatest need in your area?

Alex: hmm... higher paying jobs...

I:Who or what organizations are addressing the needs, if any?

A:Well that I know of the PCC have been helping out with higher paying jobs by taking high school graduates and letting them work for a higher education, congress is taking care of Iraq, and mainly Japan has been focusing on the modern car industry

I:Do you think the church has any responsibility or say in these matters?

A:Yes

I:Which issues, in what ways?

A:The church can help the job placement by using the opportunity of helping with job placement (not solely the church's responsibility, but whatever helps the community out yunno) and the church usually informs the general public on which candidate stands for what and helps with petitions dealing with the government

I:Are you actively attending a church/mass?

A: Sometimes, but you couldn't really call it “actively”.

I:Why do you think that many people who don't attend church regularly, don't attend?

A:Laziness, there is no habit of going, fear of meeting new people, or they prefer to use their "time off- wisely"

I:If you had just come to a new community and were looking for a church, what kind of things would you look for?

A:hmm.... see how often I see a flier from a certain church lying around

I:What type of flier, or any type?

A:Pretty much any type

I:What advice can you give pastors who really want to help people?

A:Do not to be afraid to help people, sure there will be shut downs, but there will also plenty of opportunities and open doors

I:Awesome thanks

#3 Anthony
>What are a few issues or topics that impact/interest you?
Gay Rights, the Environment, and Politics
>What is the greatest need in your area?
High School dropouts. Pretty much no one graduates high school in this area anymore. And the ones who do, they just go off to college and then when they graduate move someplace better so we're left with just hicks and high school dropouts.
>Who or what organization(s) are addressing that need, if any?
Well, mr. bush is suppose to be taking care of the education system with no child left behind, but we can all see how well that's working. The teachers and the students all hate it, and it doesn't help at all for kids who want to drop out, that only hurts the school. Some people learn that, and they drop out just to hurt their school on purpose. Yeah, nclb is supposed to be to be addressing this need, but it's not. Abolish it!
>Do you think the church, universal, has a responsibility to meet this need?
No not really. The church has no place in education. And christian schools are immune to nclb anyways.
>Are you actively attending a church/mass?
I go with my family on Christmas and Easter, but other than that no. When i go i don't care it's just tradition anyway. even the pastor knows it's tradition because im pretty sure he preaches the same thing every time.
>Why do you think many people don't attend church?
Its boring. Nothing that they talk about relates to real life. This is a scientific world, and the fantasy world of the bible is just unbelievable most people.
>What kinds of things would prompt someone to start going to church who had not in previous years?
A tragedy in their life or the life of one of their loved ones.
>If you were looking for a church, what kinds of things would you look for?
It would have to be a place accepting of all lifestyles.
>What advice can you give to pastors who really want to be helpful to people?
Don't be afraid to go out into the real world and learn how to relate to real people. Pastors are all shut up in their church and they act weird when in public.

#4 Renee
What are a few issues or topics that impact/interest you?
Drugs, music, Invisible Children (Children being drafted into war in Uganda)

What is the greatest need in your area?
Battered and abused women and kids.

Who or what organization(s) are addressing that need, if any?
The Catholic Charities is doing alot, they are a national organization that does alot of good things.

Do you think the church, universal, has a responsibility to meet this need?
Not really, people need to take care of themselves. Everyone is responsible only for themself, but if the church wants to help out then i guess that's ok. I mean, they help out anyway, but its not really their responsibility.

Are you actively attending a church/mass?
Eh, no.

Why do you think many people don't attend church?
It's a waste of time and they have better things to do.

What kinds of things would prompt someone to start going to church who had not in previous years?
Death of a loved one or a holiday.

If you were looking for a church, what kinds of things would you look for?
A place where people are not judgmental and they accept people as they are without trying to change them.

What advice can you give to pastors who really want to be helpful to people?
Don't try to force your beliefs on other people.

Faith Formation Project

Section 1: Why start this ministry?
A. State your calling. How is it that you believe God is working to bring you to launch this ministry?
My calling is two-fold and primarily unclear at this point. I am to plant a church, I believe in the states, but I'm not sure, and I am to be a missionary, in the classical sense, to somewhere in the Middle East, I do not know where yet. There I will minister to Muslims. In this project I am, totally apart from any divine inspiration, attempting to combine my callings into a unified ministry that will combine aspects of both.
B. Briefly state your vision. What will this ministry look like in five years?
This ministry is meant to be a Mosque for lovers of Christ. I want to create a place where Muslims can maintain their cultural identity and traditions while placing their focus on Christ. In five years, I hope to have a center that can minister to the needs of American Muslims who have converted to Christianity. In terms of numbers, I think that about 40 adults in attendance would be a good goal for five years. There will be times of prayer conducted 5 times a day. Worship services that combine the post-modern church and the typical Jum'ah service will take place on Fridays, in keeping with common Islamic practice. Everything will be directed at worship of Jesus, the Father God and the Holy Spirit as a triune being, but the balance between what looks “Christian” and what looks “Muslim” will be a product of the will of the congregation.

I also would like to have my Mosque do ministry to the poor and needy of the area. This would be almost necessary being that, according to a 2001 Study by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, 70% of mosques in America provide some sort of assistance for the needy. According tot he same study, 20% of mosque contain schools, but for this mosque that would be more of a long-term possibility than a pressing need.
C. Why is there a need for a ministry in this area?

I plan to plant this Mosque is Patterson, New Jersey. According to a study done in 2000 by The Association of Religion Data Archives, New Jersey had the highest concentration of Muslims n America, 14.35 per 1000 people. According to the same study, Passaic County has the greatest concentration of Muslims in New Jersey, 45.8 per 1000 people. Comparatively, for all Evangelical denominations combined in Passaic County there are only 31.9 adherents per 1000 people. There is an obvious need for a Christian ministry directed at Muslims in the area.

Section 2: Who is your ministry focus group?
A. Describe your ministry focus group. Include appropriate demographics

The ministry focus group is Muslims and Christians who have recently been converted from Islam. The US Census Bureau cannot gather religious information based on national law, but on their website they directed to a number of private organizations. According to a study done with the 2000 census by The Association of Religion Data Archives, New Jersey had the highest concentration of Muslims n America, 14.35 per 1000 people. According to the same study, Passaic County has the greatest concentration of Muslims in New Jersey, 45.8 per 1000 people. Comparatively, for all Evangelical denominations combined in Passaic County there are only 31.9 adherents per 1000 people.
B. Describe the particular needs of your group/community.

My group needs to be able to worship Christ in a safe environment while maintaining their cultural identity. The new converts would need a large amount of discipleship and Biblically founded teaching on what is true and what is not. Islam and Christianity use many of the same “characters” in their texts, but the personalities and the divine aspects of the characters' lives are commonly interpreted very differently.
C. Describe the proposed location, if necessary.

The proposed location would be in the suburbs of Patterson New Jersey. Hopefully, a location would be available that would be in a neutral location in terms of the nearby religious atmosphere while simultaneously being within easy driving distance of a number of Muslim-dominated communities.
D. What are some possible names for your new ministry?

I have no idea what I will name this. Preferably, I would like to have mosque in the name and avoid anything that was outrightly Christian, while still giving the message that this mosque is different from the other ones in the area.
E. How will you determine the name?

I would like to be able to go from church to church in the area and interview former Muslims who have converted to Christianity about what they would imagine a Christian mosque would look like and what its name should be. From the pool of ideas generated something useful must come.

Section 3: What kind of ministry are you trying to start?
A. State up to, but not exceeding, eight core values of your new ministry.

1. There is only one true God who has revealed Himself in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

2. All the 66 books of the cannon of the Bible are inspired of God and are the infallible revelation of God to man and the final rule of faith and conduct.

3. All mankind is innately marred by sin and is in need of salvation that can only come through faith in the atoning work of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the only Son of God by grace.

4. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a Scripturally backed experience that empowers believers to do the work ordained for them on this earth and is normally evidenced by speaking in tongues.

B. State and expand your mission statement.

Our mission is to provide a safe place for Christian converts from Islam to worship and pray to the one true God within their own cultural context.

Many converts from Islam are persecuted not only overseas, but also in America, our goal will be to provide as much as we can to keep our adherents safe a well taken care of. Christian ministries are very focused on white, middle-class Americans. The church causes people to become a part of the church culture in order to be Christian. The goal of this ministry will be to allow people to maintain their cultural identity while worshiping.

C. What style of ministry will this be? What "model" will you use?

The basic model for this ministry will be like a church that is planted in a foreign context. This will not even be a home missions church. Everything will be considered cross-culturally. In terms of missions styles, this will be pioneer missions in that the pastor, Imam, and his very small staff, if any, will carry out almost all of the tasks of the church at first and then after a few years and, hopefully, a few converts the members can begin to be worked into the leadership structure.
D. Draw your ministry flow chart as your presently envision it.

E. Describe your ideal launch team.

In my research, I found that most mosques in America (78%) have one part-time leader who also works a second job. That will be my starting point. My launch team would consist of myself and my wife. Both of us will work other jobs at first if necessary. I will deal with the “pastoral” functions and male counseling, and she will deal with counseling the women.

Small Group Project

In my 20's small group at my church, we used the icebreaker ball that was used in class for one session. They actually had two of the inflatable balls. One was very general things that anyone in any walk of life could use and relate to. The second was a more church-focused one. It had questions that were very non-threatening to anyone of any Christian denomination, but it was still very useful for lightly getting to know each other as Christians. That week we happened to have group from YWAM Nashville visiting the church. It worked as an activity to let us get to know them and let them get to know us. The inflatable balls with icebreaker questions would work very well as an opener for almost any small group so long as it is a small enough group. I don't think that this would work well in too large of a group because by the time everyone had had a chance to speak even once it would have consumed all of the time available. In my small group, there were enough people to make it interesting, the same people aren't speaking the whole time, and yet there were few enough people that everyone was able to speak twice without taking more than the allotted time. Overall, I think that the icebreaker balls are a great discipleship tool.

Interview with Bryan Coch

Bryan is the senior pastor of Glad Tidings A/G in Reading PA.

Bryan was a minor league baseball player until he was hit in the face by a pitch. He was unable to play, and went into a buisness college. He was called to ministry out of a profitable buisness in concrete. He took a 70% pay cut and was called an idiot by his boss, but he knew that he had to follow the call of God on his life.
Coming from the sports world he treats everything in his pastorate as a team. He tries to keep things interconnected in that he works closely with his paid and unpaid leaders.
The church has grown from 225 to 2700. The chruch is very intentional with getting out and meeting every visitor that comes to the church. If someone fills out a visitor card on sunday, there will be someone knocking on their door on Monday. There is a team that does these visitations and there is a team that make zuccini bread to be given to the people visited.

His model for discipleship is based ona house. "The Foyer" is the sunday morning service. It is focused on changing non-believers' minds about church. "The living room" is where they change peoples' minds about fellowship. Here they use small groups to connect people and train people in the Bible. "The kitchen" this is where they train people up to be leaders and grow in intimacy with God.

"Don't just train the leaders train the team." They take the teams to the conferences and training sessions and then its not just one leader trying to implement new things with an untrained staff.
"Don't fixate on the tress you can't touch." Focus on the things that you can do and build the trust of the board, and then when you have the trust you can venture into new things.

"Order is the mother of liberty." Having services planned out in conjunction with the events, ministry, and seasons that are happening allow more freedom for the minstry. Those who think that the Holy Spirirt needs you to have everything unplanned and then fly by the seat of your pants in order for there to be a move of the Holy Spirit.

Interview with Dan Miller

On his promotional info for his church plant he put a picture of him and his hunting dog rather than him and his wife. This has become a conversation piece and starter for him.
When he first felt called to Truckville, he didn't want to go. It was a rundown backwater church with next to no money in the bank.
Within the first 100 days he was there he showed he had a vision, and he even changed the church name. He was known by the area as a man who didn't care about what people thought, he listened to God. He says that at present, his church can get somewhat wild. He says that there has to be a leader that is in constant communication with God making sure that the things going on are of the Holy Spirit and not fleshly.
He cares greatly about minister who have had moral failures. He has a prayer that God would kill him before He would allow him to bring disgrace to the kingdom of God.
He wants his staff to be more concerned with the details of people's lives. He really cares for his congregation in terms of hospitallity and the little things. He cares greatly about the details of his congegants and their families. He doesn't just remember your name, he tries to ask you about "how your daugther did in her basketball game, or how your grandma did in her perogie contest."
His church, rapidly growing, instead of building a larger sactuary, he built a recreation center. It is a 2-million dollar building that the church built and operates. It provides a need to the community for less cost than the other gyms in the area. It is not for the church people, it is for the community. 40% of the members are not part of any church.
"It's not about your own church, it's about the Kingdom of God."
"It's not about us (the church), it's about those who aren't us yet."

Interview with Brian Knorr

Pastor of Mountaintop Family Center

Church planter assesment fo the A/G in the Penn/Del district (Tom Rees):
Past performance is the best indicator of future performance.


When planting a church, design the church based on the demographics of the area. Know who the influencers are and remember, people are people and be careful what you say. The focus of the church is outside the church. "Come in and get answers then go out and do good work."

We did some speed-stacking of cups. it was rally fun. He ues it as an outreach to get into schools and to get people into the churches.

Most churches keep their pastors so busy with the people inside the church that the pator can rarely if ever reach or even speak to unsaved people.

"If I have to offend someone, I will always offend the churched person over the unchurched person." Mature Christians should be mature enough to handle things.
He said about the way he does church that it is very untraditional in a traditional area. I'm not sure how that agrees with the idea of designing the church as per the demographics of the area. I guess being untraditional in a highly traditional area does not count.

He wants to have a cafe setting in the back that is very comfortable for guests because he believes that it is better for someone to sit in the back of a church for a month than for them to come once an hopefully get saved because the church is not welcoming to guests.
He calls his dog satan, and he says he'd like to see it dead. Dog hater! Jerkface!


www.mfcchurch.com

Interview with Bill Ellis

Bill Ellis is the lead pastor of Riverside Community Church. His church meets in two locations near Pittsburgh.
A year after his church plant his church went from 30 to 31. He learned much in trial and error. In his christian life, he has always felt like an outside looking in. He therefore connects well with the outsiders. In his ministry, he has learned to be the man God made him to be not try to fit someone else's model. His church and his people are intentionally welcoming to people.
He believes that everyone needs to get "saved." Everyone both the Christians and non-belivers need to get more of Jesus. I firmly believe this. Even the professor of this class seems, at times, to be part of the evangelism-only mentality. Once someone has raised their hand and said the prayer they are not done, they are still a sinner in need of salvation, they are redeemed now. I agree with him greatly. The church is for both evangelism and discipleship.
He spoke on the difference between the kingdom and an empire. He spoke of the new revolutionary church that is rising up. Many are afraid of these changes calling it the fall of the church, but it is simply the next wave of the church. Being part of this new wave, I agree that we are not part of the downfall of the church, we are the new church.
Everything in his church is based on small-groups. Everything from the baseball team to the board are small groups. The church's expectation is both to have people there on Sunday and be involved in a small group.
The church must be more active in the world of politics in terms of things that Jesus cared about. He does not promote the republican Jesus. He says that the church has a responsibility to help the poor and the widows and the weak. The church must set the captives free and lift up the downtrodden. He said that Christians should care about Darfur, and AIDS, and things of that nature.
On the one year aniversary of the Katrina tragedy, there was a news report about how many displaced people have gone to Houston. The largest church in Houston is Joel Olstein's. Joel Olstein, on this day, preached on how we should lose 5 pounds and get to the ideal weight that God wants us to be. He was showing how the church of America is focused on themselves, especially the big popular churches. I despise Joel Olstein's Bible-less, self-help preaching.

Interview with Courtney Bankroft

At the end of college, she stayed on as an assistant to the campus pastor.
"If you feed them they will come!" College students Love home cooked meals.
She was going to start a Chi Alpha at Villanova, but their sister school Georgetown
She believes that discipleship begins even before they are saved. She readily involves non-saved Chi Alpha attendees in hanging out fliers or other things of that matter. She does not place the unsaved in positions of spiritual leadership, but she belives that getting them involved helps them to stay, and eventually leads them to make a decision to accept Christ. I definitely agree. Getting someone involved helps them to come back and stay involved.
In her Chi Alpha meetings, she tries not to monopolize the conversations. She says that she tries to talk the least in her Bible meetings. When asked about who talks the most in her meetings, she answered that the Chrsitans talk the most. She said she was more willing to ask a Christian to be quiet or even to leave before she will ask an unsaved atendee to do so.
When taking people to church, she has a really good church to invite them to, but when asked her opinion on churches by students in her ministry, she is torn between the real problems in her church and her pet peeves. She said that her major pet peeve is worship from the early 90's or simply bad worship. An unsaved person coming into the church does not care that "Jesus likes my worship" they care if you are a good musician and if your songs are modern and cool. I definitely agree. Even as a person saved for many years, bad musical quality is distracting in worship.
When itinerating she travels to many different churches. In speaking in our class full of possible future pastors, she was asked about her experiences at different churches. She said that the number one bad experience that apparently happened multiple times was pastors trying to set her up with their sons. I think this is hilarious. AG pastors are silly people.
She said that one problem she has in raising money is that any time she is having a meeting with a pastor then there has to be another woman present. I'm not sure if that's a correctable problem because of all the things involved in a pastor and a woman having a meeting alone. A more real problem is that MANY male pastors do not want to give up their pulpit for a whole service to a woman. Yeah this is a big problem. Stupid male pastors..... wait a minute..... im male and planning to be a pastor.....

Interview with Sam Masteller

Pastor in Christiana, PA. The community is diverse made up mainly of entrepreneurial blue-collar people. When he as 28 he became senior pastor of the AG church in Christiana.
"Meritocrat" One who bases everything on the merit: right or wrong. You won't be in your position long because everything has a political aspect. I most definitely agree. Most people don't understand this until they learn it the hard way. I'm mildly impressed that he was able to learn it by observation at only 28.
"Cultural relevance is not optional"
He has spent a long time talking about his church and it's organizational structure. He also talked alot about the business side of a church. This is a great thing to know, but I personally have had to suffer through this type of things in another class and thus, it was not that fulfilling.
Concerning the funeral he did. He did the funeral of a girl from a parishioner's neighbor. At the funeral there were many unsaved people. The message he gave was not cliche, it was culturally relevant. It reached the people where they were.
"Comedy is of high value, so we should use it."
"Irrelevance is irreverence." He spoke to a woman that had never heard the story of Adam and Eve. There are many people in the world who, if spoken to under the assumptions that Christians make, would simply be confused and feel rejected and therefore never be changed by God.
He, like many others, emphasises the family relationship over every other relationship. No matter what has happened or how involved int he church or ministry a person is, his or her relationship to their spouse and children is most important.
Overall, he is a very genuine, if not overly so, man who is really concerned with reaching the lost at all costs. My only question is how well he could adapt, culturally, to the discipleship of someone who has been in the church for many years. The "old fogies" have their own culture, and you must not leave them behind in the attempt to be culturally relevant tot he ever changing culture of now.

Interview with Bill Fray

Bill Fray is an '83 graduate of VFCC, and a father of 4. He worked in a home-church in the area while in college. He worked as a youth pastor in Connecticut for a while. Eventually, he was interviewed by Cardone. Because he had gone to a "Bible college" they thought he was good with people. They hired him in the HR department. I constantly think that many people truly use what they majored in in college.
Cardone is a business that remanufacturers auto parts. They call themselves a Christian company. Honoring God is one of their main aims, but they are also a business. Bill Fray is an HR rep, and that is apparent in the way he is careful about his language.
The class, really isn't that exciting, nor is it very helpful. He has talked almost entirely about the problems of being a Christian business. The only "helpful" thing said has been the cliche idea of the best way to evangelize is by your life / lifestyle. He didn't even explain how that is lived out. He should have some perspective on it being that he works with a ton of Christians.
"God's will is doing the best you can, right where you are at, right now" A quote from one of his professors that really impacted his life. That seems like a good idea, but it also wastes alot of energy. You must ALWAYS have a goal in mind. If you want to know God's will for your life seek revelation. Do your best where you are while you wait, but always have the futue in mind. "Always start with the end in mind."
Overall, it was nice as a buisness / self-motivation session, but i don't think it really belongs in a class that is desigen to prepare students to reach the unreached for Christ.

Interview with Mike Hammer

Pastor of Celebration Community Church, Dillsburg, PA

Mike Hammer, raised catholic, turned AG when he was 8. Most of his ministry has been traveling with 4 other families as traveling ministers to families.

"Alot of [church] staff persons have the most issues within their families." "The staff people took a vacation when the family ministry came in." I have heard things to this effect alot. I could imagine that those most involved would somewhat be forced to neglect their families at least to some degree.

He saw that there was a need for something for the highschool age kids to do. He found and rented a building that he made into a student center. It's just a safe place for teenagers to hang out. Through this, he was able to meet the mayor, speak in front of the school board. It is a seperate non-profit entity so that other area churches can use it and be involved. I think that's awesome. So many churchs plant youth centers that are focussed toward the youth of their church, but this one has open arms to the youth who don't want to be home and also all of the youth of all the churches in the area.

"people hide behind God and never deal with real life issues" "It's not about lecture, notes and information, it is experiencial weekend. These are his comments concerning "Bridges." It is an intense weekend of inward focus. It is a "non-religious" weekend of dealing with Real problem in people's lives. There is no "God-talk" allowed. I love it. Christians ask for God to take away their problems, but they are never willing to deal with them even in "secular" ways.

Interview with Pastor Brian Bolt

He had drugs and alcohol in his family. Became a drug dealer/runner. Entered the military and continued to run drugs. In a brawl, he was shot in the head. In the back of the ambulance, "you better know Jesus, 'cause you won't make it to the hospital." He gave his life to Jesus right then. After years of reconstructive surgery and being discharged from the navy, he went back to the drugs on the streets. Former gang members brought him off the streets and helped him through rehab.
He had a really rough background, and yet God has used him mightily. He went through master's commission, got married, and began looking to plant a church in Pittsburgh. With the blessing of certain pastors he did exactly what I would do; He prayerfully looked for the absolute worst spot in the area, Allison Park, and planned to plant his church there. The church takes in the worst people they can find, prostitutes, drug-dealers, gang members, etc. and take them into a home. The church becomes their family. The people who were the worst catch the vision of the church and they do something I am really impressed by, they make them leaders in the church. It has always been my belief that forgiveness involves empowering the person. You don't trust someone until you give them power which can be used to hurt you or help you. This ministry is based on that theory.
In order to graduate from one of the homes, an addict must be "saved", "baptised in water" (in the Assemblies of God, they believe that immersion is the only legitimate water baptism), "baptised in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues" (in the Assemblies of God, they believe that unless a person speaks in tongues then they are not baptised in the Holy Spirit).
When asked about the role of his wife, "I like my wife to clean, cook, do laundry.... women's work." This is a prime example of his humor. Throughout the interview, he has maintained a great sense of humor.
"The home is the backbone of the church." The ministry to the drug addicts is not a side issue of the chruch. I really like how integral he has made the home and people from the home in his church.

Class interview with Jason Lamer

"Find a need and meet it"
"You have to be vulnerable to be taken advantage of."

Average youth group... 20 kids.... spirtual atmosphere 4 to 10...
The first week he preached on repentance. It was not well recieved.
"In a few weeks, I took that youth group from 22 to 13"

After some sexual sin was exposed and dealt with then God began to really move. The youth group exploded. The power of God really moved powerfully.

Made a connection with the local schools. Some youth pastors never set foot on a high school campus. God opened the door to the school when he made himself available. After a student committed suicide, he was invited back to do grief counseling. In the grief counselling, every student said that they had thought of or, a few, even considered suicide. At this point, he knew that he had to go to them, he couldn't wait for them to come to him. He started doing school assemblies. He brought the church to wherever there were large groups of people.
He started to go to schools to pick up a student and take them out to dinner or lunch. In the process, he would meet many other students.

His time at Youth Alive
One of 22 missionaries to high-schoolers in the US. Raises up local churches to pray for their local high schools. Campus missionaries; high school students who are discipled and trained to get their friends saved. Effective campus clubs work through a network of churches.

7 Project:
School principles select the top 6 issues in the lives of students...
Peer Pressure
Coping
Integrity / Character building - "The choices you make will shape the person you will become."
Scholastic Achievement
Drugs / Alcohol

Ones they don't want to touch:
Suicide
Sex / Abstinence

There is NEVER any religion shown during the school assembly. The students are invited back to an evening program and they are always told that at that time the presenters will be talking about their faith. There is never any bait-and-switch.

"Whatever it takes to get a youth to come [to youth group / church], that's what it will take to keep them [in youth group / church]."

Reflections:
He was a humble man and it is easy to see how he could grow a group and connect so many people together. In what he has done, he has shown both great passion and great wisdom. His heart was truly for the youth that he woked with. He was always willing to open his home or his car to youth, whether saved or unsaved. Also, I liked that he never did anything without prayer. He asks churches to stand behind him in prayer with whatever he does in his area. Every major thing that he has done has come from prayer. I also really like how, everything he does he connects with someone else whether they be the town mayor, or the school guidance councillor, or other churches in the area. I think he has probably done much to bring down animosity between the churches in local areas. I really enjoyed that his heart was totally for the youth that he works with.

Test

This is a test of the blogger posting system. this is only a test. If it were not a test then there would be like alarms or something because we're all gonna die!!!