Updated Friday, March 07, 2008

Youth can make Deep Impact on community

By Dianna L. Cagle

BR Assistant Managing Editor

WINSTON SALEM - North Carolina Baptist Men want to make a Deep Impact with youth in the state.

"We've got to stop looking at our teenagers and saying how do I minister to them?" said Mike Sowers, youth mobilization consultant with Baptist Men. "We need to ask how I can minister with them? We have to invite them along in the process. What do you see in the community that needs to be fixed?"

Sowers led one of the many break-out sessions March 1 at the 2008 North Carolina Baptist Missions Conference at Calvary Baptist Church.

One of the key ways to make an impact on youth is to get them involved in hands-on ministry, Sowers said.

"Your teenagers can make a difference," he said. "We need to invite them to the table. They don't want to be the object of your ministry. They want to be out ministering."

The Deep Impact strategy for youth missions involves four legs:

- Deep Impact Missions Learning.

- Deep Impact Motivation Weekends.

- Deep Impact Associational Weekends.

- Deep Impact Mission Weeks.

Sowers said curriculum will be available online (www.ncmissions.org) soon to use for Bible studies or to include in your current curriculum to encourage youth to be more involved.

The weekends could be catered to the local church or the association and would involve a Friday night rally, a Saturday of mission work. Sundays would be aimed at allowing youth to lead the local church services.

The 2008 mission weeks are scheduled in Honduras, Grifton, Red Springs and Caswell.

Honduras and Caswell are already full, but the money is not in yet, Sowers said. Openings still may come up at Caswell. At least one week in Grifton (July 13-19) is near capacity. Youth will come in Sunday and take part in mission projects for the week. Each night there will be a worship service and time to meet with their youth group.

A new addition is a roundtable available for juniors and seniors. They will talk with college students about the transition and how it is possible to stay on mission in college as well.

Sowers said about 70 percent of youth drop out of church when they turn 18. Out of all the churches in the Southern Baptist Convention, only 30 percent get youth involved.

That needs to change, he said.

Studies show that youth that are involved in hands-on missions are more likely to be involved in other aspects of church, such as prayer, Bible study, worship, witnessing, giving, etc.

Using Matt. 5:16 as the theme verse, Sowers said parents and leaders should know other verses than the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) and Acts 1:8.

One of the areas where youth are especially good, Sowers said, is being stewards of all God's creation.

"They are aware of what's going on around them," he said.

The Weekend is planned Oct. 24-26 at Caswell. Sowers said teens will participate in creating mission action plans for their youth groups and their communities. They want at least 20 projects out of that meeting.

Sowers said it is important for young people to have mentors.

"You have a lot of Timothys who need a Paul," he said. "You have a lot of Marys who need an Elizabeth in your church."

Deep Impact 2009

Red Springs and Grifton will host several Deep Impact 2009 events. Sowers said future plans include another trip to Honduras as well as two weeks (April 2-12; April 11-19) around Easter 2009 to Munkacs, Ukraine, to work with gypsies.

Registration opens in June 2008 for next year's international spots to the Ukraine. The cost is expected to be about $1,500 per person and is limited to 24 people each week. Sowers said the average daily wage is less than $1. Some children are rented out to beg. Sometimes those children have their arms or legs broken to increase the amount of money they would collect. Youth will possibly be doing sports camps or Vacation Bible School. One of the requests is that some of the youth wash the children's hair.

Sowers said some children are fortunate to have a bath every few months.

Another week (Aug. 2-8) at Caswell is planned as well, and they are adding a week (July 5-11) in Pennsylvania.

A family Deep Impact is in the works for 2009. It will have "geared activities for families," Sowers said.

He said that research shows that children who see their parents involved in missions are more likely to get involved too.