That’s right! Yesterday marked Day 1 of Youth 4 Hope, Local Hope’s new after school program for local elementary students. Local Hope Education and Development Coordinator, Ashley Lee, discusses the vision behind the program and what exactly these students will do at Hope on a day-to-day basis.

Youth 4 Hope kids and a volunteer soak it all in on their first day.

Youth 4 Hope is a pilot after-school program for elementary students who live in the vicinity of Hope’s Raleigh Campus. Our mission is to raise up local youth to become excellent leaders who impact their community for generations. This spring, Youth 4 Hope will serve a diverse group of students, most of whom have never attended Hope, live within one mile of the church, and are in need of academic assistance.

Matthew 5:16 tells us to “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Youth 4 Hope gives Hope mission partners an opportunity to serve our local community and let our light shine. This program is one of the many ways we reach out to the community, love people where they are and encourage them to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Volunteering with Youth 4 Hope is an excellent opportunity to build relationships with children and their families. We currently need volunteers to help with crafts, sports and recreational activities, Bible lessons, tutoring, welcoming students, and/or running the reward store. Youth 4 Hope meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-6pm, April 17 through May 31. If you would like to find out how you can use your gifts and talents to serve with Youth 4 Hope, send me an email or give me a call and I’d love to discuss (ashleyl@gethope.net or 919.532.0620 x 207).

Jay Reynolds works on our Student Ministries team, specifically with Middle School Ministry (MSM). God continually works through our leaders and in the lives of those middle school students in powerful ways that, as staffers, we’re lucky enough to hear about in weekly staff meetings. Today we want to encourage you with Jay’s recap below of the middle school baptism last week at Hazardous, MSM’s weekly Wednesday night worship service that attracts hundreds of middle schoolers around the Triangle. You can also follow Jay’s MSM adventures through his blog or on Twitter (@reynoldsjay).

Baptism is an outward expression of the commitment these students have made with God. Choosing to do this in an atmosphere like Hazardous is not only inspiring but courageous. 18 brave students and 1 leader in front of 400+ witnesses confessed their love and commitment to follow Jesus Christ.

The beginning of the night starts out the same, loud and proud Hazardous. We cover songs students hear on the radio, sing some rocking songs in an act of worship and play some messy and loud games to get everyone to smile and enjoy themselves.

It was such an awesome sight witnessing many small group leaders getting the opportunity to baptize their students. To think that our leaders have connected with their students in such a way that they feel honored by having their small group leader baptize them. This is the church developing disciples and baptizing them, right out of Matthew 28.

If you have a middle school student or would like to help out with Hazardous, You will be blessed and blown away by the force of middle schoolers actually wanting to know Christ and learn more about what it means. Check out these images and see for yourself!

Between careers, kids, carpools, clutter and chaos, today’s families in all their various forms may seem light years away from God’s original blueprint. But all is not lost. Join us for this upcoming sermon series and discover sound, biblical truths for strengthening and restoring the many facets of family relationships.

What Happened to the Family?

It’s no longer a “Little House on the Prairie” or “Leave it to Beaver” world. When did things change? Or have they always been changing? And did it all start in the Garden of Eden?

Like Pastor Mike said last weekend, Easter is the Superbowl for all churches. Although we joke about that, we are truly grateful for every person that chose to walk through our doors this past weekend. We hope they left feeling loved and that the true meaning of Easter rang loud and clear.

Each Good Friday and Easter we listen to the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the ultimate story that changed everything. One of Hope’s five goals is to encourage people to share their personal story. Specifically, why and how you decided to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Where exactly was that fork in the road? What are you doing now?

If the ultimate goal is to have a relationship with Christ then we need to do our part by sharing our testimony with others. Your story may encourage someone on the fence to walk through our doors again or even accept Christ for the very first time.

We invite you to share your story now or whenever you are ready.

Read along as Elementary Small Group Coordinator Laura Johnson describes her most recent mission trip to Ukraine (March 22-30), full of reunions and new beginnings.

REUNIONS
When I first started going to Ukraine in February 2009, I worked at Jonkoi orphanage. God used the next two years and the kids from that orphanage to impact my life in huge ways. I grew to really know orphans. Not to read about them or see pictures but to know their names, hear their stories, develop friendships and write monthly letters to them. Unbeknownst to me, God was breaking my heart for these kids and teaching me volumes about Himself.

When it was time for my third year to Ukraine, we found that we were unable to return to Jonkoi. This was difficult because the foundation that was being built with the kids seemed to be crumbling. Letters were difficult, if not impossible, to get to the kids. Updates were rare or non-existent. More than that though, the disconnection with the kids from Jonkoi seemed to prevent me from being able to connect with kids from new orphanages. I was conflicted in starting new relationships when my heart was still so full.

Over the last several months, changes occurred at Jonkoi that sent a majority of the children to various orphanages throughout the Crimean region. Little did I know, God would allow me to see nine of the children!

NEW BEGINNINGS
With the ability to nurture the relationships with the kids who already had spots in my heart and to affirm that they weren’t forgotten about, God seemed to be preparing me for new kids. We spent the week doing ministry at Lozovoyeh orphanage. The cool thing was that while I may not have felt ready last year to start additional relationships, God was impressing some of these kids upon me. Kids who needed attention, love and God’s Word. I remembered many of them and they were equally thankful a team came back to visit.

There are now several children I hope to communicate regularly with through letters until I’m able to reunite with them in person. I’m not sure all that these relationships will produce but my prayer is that my involvement in their lives will help them know Christ and to give them hope.

This trip was a blessing to me in so many ways. I’m thankful God brought this country and this mission into my life. Each year I go I feel He changes me more and more.

I would encourage everyone to find where God is leading you to go (locally or internationally) and GO! Don’t wait for some miraculous feeling to affirm where you should go. It might be as simple as hearing of an opportunity and then choosing to go. Because of my agreement to go, God has worked in miraculous ways in my life. In His Word, He tells us to go (Matthew 28:19-20) so unless He gives you a clear “no”, GO! Who knows what He has in store for you?

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