Friends:

As you may have heard, in January the Coalition of Urban Youth Workers transitioned leadership from co-chairs Walter Sotelo and Kevin Young to me as its new Chairperson. After serving the Coalition for three years in a supportive function as the architect of 20/20 Vision for Schools, it is an honor to have been asked to assume a leadership role again after that assignment ended.

This Monday, February 8, is our regular network meeting from 10-12. In January, Coalition presented a vision for 2010 that includes connecting youth workers, cultivating leadership, collaborative partnerships, and communicating for greater Kingdom effectiveness.

This month, we will unpack those ideals in an effort to bring training resources, collaborative opportunities, and connecting points with other youth workers closer to where we actually serve in ministry.

What: Network and Planning Meeting
Where: Nyack College Manhattan Center
361 Broadway (b/w Leonard and Franklin Streets)
6th Floor Conference Room
When: Monday February 8, 10 am – 12 pm
Who: NYC church and para-church youth workers
Why: Trained youth workers collaborating for exponential Kingdom impact

Please RSVP your attendance via email. Thank you!

In Service,
Jeremy Del Rio

As you may or may not already know, for the past six years
the Coalition of Urban Youth Workers has served youth leaders and youth in NYC.
Much has happened and we have seen great works of God in our city. Like the youth created and lead movement we now know as-<<<<(My God Belongs in my city)>>>>

Once again He has opened a great door of opportunity that we would like to share with you.
On Monday January 11th @ 10am the Coalition will be hosting a State of the Coalition address at Nyack College located 361 Broadway 4th floor NYC.

During this time you will hear exciting new developments concerning our vision, plans and the new changes in our leadership.

Please Join us.

We would like to thank Our Almighty God for you this Thanksgiving Day. In you, He has demonstrated His generosity to NYC. He has given you gifts that have abundantly ministered to the youth you serve. He has called you from death to life, so that you may live abundantly in a dark place. He has granted you forgiveness through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, given you the Holy Spirit.

He has provided for us, both spiritual and materially. So we say thank you Lord! We Praise your name and rejoice in your goodness. Give us eyes to see your hand at work in this city. Enable us to realize that every good thing comes from you. Deepen our gratitude for one another so that we might serve you with undivided and joyful hearts. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

In 1996 I left Cedar Rapids, Ia to become a middle school teacher in Baltimore, MD. I got the surprise of my life. I ran into to groups of kids who had little to be excited about and lacked hope. I met young men that made drugs, money, and fighting a way of life and a matter of survival. Despite the despair it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Through teaching world studies and coaching basketball I saw kids who had much to fear find more to smile about. The eyes of their understanding had been opened, they started to learn and were excited about it.

Amidst the joy, success, and transformation I was still limited by my profession. What these kids really needed was Jesus. They needed to know that Mr. Coty loved them and more substantially that the God of the universe had a plan for their life; one that doesn’t include disaster. But because of the separation of church and state I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t introduce kids to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith. Then I was introduced to the ministry of Young Life. Young Life changed my life. It provided access to tools I didn’t know existed and to the ministry God had planned. It helped me bypass separation of church and state, allowing me to provide opportunities to assist reconciliation to Jesus Christ. Now, for the past 10 years, I’ve been working full-time for Young Life.

As a teacher with a passion to see kids meet Christ, there’s no better way to give yourselves away. You can teach more than curriculum, you can teach Christ.

2020 Vision has consistently worked from the outside in. We’ve been mobilizing churches, pastors, and other faith-based community leaders seeking to create a bond between the church and the school; aiming to rejuvenate the community. 2020 has also identified an additional strategy; working from the inside out.

Our schools our noticeably filled with teachers. Many of our teachers love Christ and have an obvious passion for kids. More often than not, because of the perceived separation of church and state, Christian teachers don’t have the opportunity to minister to kids in ways that are deep and meaningful. Young Life NYC, as a partner of 2020, is looking to provide teachers both with the skills and the opportunity to lead both middle/high school kids to Christ and to help them grow in their faith.

On 12/17/09 you will have the opportunity to become a Teacher In Mission through YL NYC’s introduction to its mission. You’ll hear real-life testimonies from both teachers and kids who have been exposed to God’s work through Young Life. The event will be accompanied by a unique option to sign up and become a part of God’s wonderful work in young people through Young Life.

Please visit www.ylnyc.younglife.org to register for the event.

No budget + high profile hostility
+ lousy weather + despondent adult leaders
+ inspired student leaders + 2 weeks notice
+ a community greatly loved + supportive adults
+ viral technology + a God idea
= one of the most amazing youth ministry experiences of my 23 year youth ministry career.

Best of all, for a veteran youth worker: I had nothing to do with organizing it.

All I had to do was show up, with a faith-filled heart and eyes to watch it happen.

In case you missed the memo (or the 100s of #GodBelongsInMyCity Tweets last week), 1,500 people marched through the streets of Manhattan on Saturday, November 14, from 96th Street in the North to Battery Park in the South, with shirts that proclaimed, “God Belongs in My City.”

“March” is actually a misnomer. There was no hostility or militancy. It was more of a walk with a purpose: to radiate love and affection for God and neighbor, while praying that God would be glorified in our City by lives that love others well.

The catalyst for the day was a dismayed youth pastor who asked some of his student leaders why Christians were publicly silent after atheists launched a citywide ad blitz claiming 1 million New Yorkers reject the existence of God. They responded as only youth can — by launching a movement.

Despite a Noreaster bearing down on the Northeast, with flash floods forecast throughout the day, a 1,500 person Flash Mob showed up at the two rally points at 9 am.

God smiled on them. The sun began to shine, and the rains held for four hours, just long enough to convene on the TKTS steps at Times Square for an impromptu worship service followed by a silent prayer meeting beneath the Zodiac mural in the Main Lobby of venerable Grand Central Station.

In the process, adults like me experienced the awe-inspiring joy that can happen only after we have gotten out of David’s way long enough to watch Goliath topple.

Some of the highlights (a sampling of play-by-play tweets from the day, with links to photos):

• The largest silent prayer meeting ever at Grand Central because #godbelongsinmycity http://twitpic.com/pixo7
• At 110 1500 teens will pray silently in Grand Central for 5 minutes because #godisinmycity http://twitpic.com/pi91r
• A choir of angels, a/k/a youth, because #godbelongsinmycity: http://pic.gd/96e3ad. His Kingdom belongs to them
• http://pic.gd/c91920 “they all have God on their tshirts” because #godbelongsinmycity
• Overwhelmed wat happens when youth lead #godbelongsinmycity http://pic.gd/48d618
• http://pic.gd/a049a0 who are these people? #godbelongsinmycity http://tinyurl.com/viralcity
• This is why @mikebloomberg closed the streets to cars http://pic.gd/e66ae4 #godbelongsinmycity
• Thanksging Parade comes early to Macys because #godbelongsinmycity http://pic.gd/9c1a7d
• Hark the Herald (Sqare) proclaims #godbelongsinmycity http://pic.gd/172690
• Hustler: you da bloods they da crips? Nah u got God on ur shirts #godbelongsinmycity
• At Madison Square #godbelongsinmycity http://pic.gd/0c6bd5
• Unity at Union Square because #godbelongsinmycity http://pic.gd/37d0bd
• Three generations wear it proudly because #godbelongsinmycity http://pic.gd/90eb1e
• Mr Mayor: #GodBelongsInMyCity http://twitpic.com/phkln
• We will never forget: #GodBelongsInMyCity. Esp at Ground Zero http://twitpic.com/phiyw “Buried in the rubble r the seeds of revival”
• Even on Wall Street #GodBelongsInOurCity. http://twitpic.com/phhl3 Romans 5:20
• #GodBelongsInMyCity Battery Park rally prayer http://twitpic.com/phg6i
• In case you missed the memo #godbelongsinmycity. Some of the student organizers http://twitpic.com/phg0w

For More info on GBIMC: Web // Facebook

Viral Videos

Google Video is picking up new “God Belongs in My City” videos each time I search. Here is a sampling.

From the South Route

From the North, Featuring the GBIMC Anthem

God Belongs In My City (NYC) from Calvary Christian Fellowship Inc on Vimeo.

One Youth Group’s Journey

Sights and Sounds from Times Square

RELATED

+ Goliaths Fall When Students Lead
+ Embrace the Mess: Why Youth Must Lead Now
+ Confessions of a Youth Pastor Hypocrite on Loving the Least of These: Meeting Jesus on the Lower East Side
+ Young People are NOT the Future: Embracing the YW8? (Why Wait?) Generation

Kevin Phillips is an original member of the Coalition and the author of the Youth News newsletter.

Dear Youth Leaders,

After 25 years of youth ministry, one often tends to think, “I’ve seen it all” but… I think I am seeing something a bit clearer now.

This past summer, a few of us stopped reading the “how-to” books and spent some significant time examining Jesus’ relational process of disciple making. 12 of us met weekly and shared insights gleaned from actually studying the Bible instead of someone else’s thinking about the Bible. Yes, we were guided by pertinent questions from a manual but we spent real time in The Real Source!!!

Another tool has emerged to facilitate this exploration of Jesus even further called 2:6 groups (see http://Live26.org).

I John 2:6 says: “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked”. I want to walk more like Jesus walked – to make multiplication my mantra – to see disciples emerge who make disciples of their peers – the only possible way this generation of teenagers will be reached!!!

Therefore, I am facilitating the first 2:6 group ever offered in the NYC area starting January 11-13, 2010 that will be open to 12 people who are active in leading youth. We will meet quarterly (Jan, April, July, and October) for 3 days and 2 nights for 1.5 years from Monday to Wednesday.

During each gathering, we will play and STEP together. STEP stands for study, train, evaluate and pray. As we do the life of youth ministry together, we will sharpen each other the way Proverbs calls us to – like iron sharpening iron – and encourage each other away from addition towards Jesus’ model of multiplication.

This is NOT a commitment to take lightly. In fact, most of us will need to get our church’s blessing to take these days off over the next 1.5 years. ALL of us need to bathe the decision to join this group with prayer.

One guarantee – this will be a transforming opportunity for you and your ministry!!! As we focus on Jesus, there can be no other response. Jesus is still in the business of transforming lives.

PRAY – call me with questions – PRAY – check out the website – PRAY…

Soli Deo Gloria,

Kevin Phillips
914/882-PRAY(7729)
http://JLifeUSA.org
http://Live26.org

A couple of weeks ago, a Brooklyn youth pastor asked a several of his student leaders why New York City atheists could launch a massive subway ad blitz with nary a public peep from local churches when, as he mused, “God belongs in my city.”

Their response to his dismay was a viral blitz online asking area students to mobilize for prayer. They created a website and a Facebook group and a YouTube video, composed and recorded an anthem, designed a simple T-shirt, and began tweeting that “God Belongs in My City.”

Finally, they organized a silent prayer walk throughout Manhattan that will take place this Saturday, November 14. More than 1,000 teens are expected to participate, wearing T-shirts that proclaim “God Belongs in My City,” and blanketing the borough from 96th Street to the Battery. My eight-year-old son and I will be following their lead.

If you cannot join us, please say a prayer for what God is stirring among New York City’s two million young people this weekend.

Web // Facebook

Growing up there was an old car in the forest behind our house. It hadn’t moved in two decades. The tires had sunk into the dirt, windows smashed; and the hood stuck straight up, as though the doctor were asking it ‘open real wide.’ My friends and I hatched a plan one day to get her back on the road. We set to work, but it wasn’t long before our naïve zeal, turned to boredom. That old relic needed something more than a screwdriver, hacksaw and greasy hands.

In the start up of a year, the business of reconnecting, planning, and engaging in a myriad of relationships can take its toll. If it’s been a while since you paused long and hard to listen, or simply were ‘wowed’ by something God revealed to you, then in some ways you may have parked your pursuit of God in the deep woods. The right tools can make a difference. Jude 20 gives us something to grab as we ask God to re-fire the cylinders.

“Pray in the Holy Spirit”—True prayer originates in the heart of God, and is borne by the Spirit into our spirit. He, the Holy Spirit “helps” our weakness when we don’t know how to pray. To pray reminds us that a fresh surrender to God’s will is a daily need for those on the front lines.

“Keep in the love of God”—All other loves require something from us to keep our end of the bargain. God’s love eliminates the need to work to keep, compare to feel good, or perform to please. Prayer reminds us that perfect love sits between our desire for Him, and His willingness to lavish upon us more than we ever hope for.

“Wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ”—Hope springs eternal in the day to day, for those willing to sit at Jesus feet. Prayer reminds us that when everything else pales, we still hold on, for to pray with hope raises our chin to see eyes of mercy.

Make prayer a habit, until it becomes a passion. It’s more important than any discipline, because it’s the best tool to carry into the woods to get our ‘car’ back on the road.

JOIN US FOR A REFRESHING TIME MONDAY NOV. 9TH
NYACK COLLEGE 365 BROADWAY NYC, NY 10013
4TH FLOOR

SEE YOU MONDAY NOV.9TH @ 10 A.M.

In addition to the Coalition’s Monday morning meetings (the 2nd Monday of each month), we will partner with a network in one of the boroughs to take the Coalition out to you! This month we’re in Brooklyn. Come join us.