Mike King

Immigrants Need The Church to Stand Up For Them

We hosted around 100 Pastors, Youth Pastors and Ministry leaders yesterday at Youthfront for a focus on Immigration reform.  The event was sponsored by CCDA and featured CCDA's President Noel Castellanos.  Youthfront staff members Kurt Rietema and Amber Booth, along with Mission Adelante staff member Jason Schoff organized this informative event. 

Here is a video of the media coverage of the event.

  "When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God."

Leviticus 19:33-34 ESV

Immigration Reform Lunch Briefing with Noel Castellanos from CCDA

Next Tuesday, April 23, Youthfront is hosting an event sponsored by the Christian Community Development Association.

CCDA is providing an Oklahoma Joe’s bbq lunch for pastors and ministry leaders.  The special guest is Noel Castellanos, CEO of CCDA.  He will be addressing the current issue of Immigration Reform.  Many churches in the KC metro support ministry initiatives among Hispanics which serve many whom are here without proper documentation.  Right now, immigration reform is at a critical juncture and many Christians are unsure what they can or should do about it. 

Join us from 11-1pm at Youthfront's auditorium to hear from Noel about how you can navigate your church to think differently about immigrants through Scripture and participate in making historic changes for millions of families that have been torn apart by poor immigration policy.  

Feel free to invite other key leaders, but please RSVP with the number of people who will be attending with you by emailing Kurt Rietema - krietema@youthfront.com

Youthfront Auditorium, 4715 Rainbow Blvd. Shawnee Mission, KS  66205

Two Time World Series Champion Jeremy Affeldt and His New Book

On Baseball's Opening Day, Youthfront supporter, friend and associate Jeremy Affeldt releases his first book taking readers off the field and into his life story.  The story of Jeremy’s relationship with our President Mike King and his involvement in our ministry, as well as details of his active participation with Youthfront’s Something to Eat ™ initiative are featured prominently in the book.  Expected to make multiple best-seller lists, this book offers a compelling, page-turning story for all readers.  Another fan of Youthfront and five time Major League All Star, Mike Sweeney says, “Jeremy Affeldt may be a two-time World Series champion and one of the greatest left-handed relievers in major league baseball but that is just the tip of the iceberg as to the man that he is.  As you will read in this book, Jeremy Affeldt is not defined by baseball. He is defined and validated as a child and follower of the most high God.”

Affeldt, pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, tells of the ups and downs of his life and major league career beginning with his childhood spent in a military family, the impact his parents had on his life, and his tumultuous high school years.  Affeldt admits that he was often an uncaring, self-centered athlete who was difficult for his parents and teachers. So much so, that his dad kicked him out of the home on more than one occasion.   Although he attended a Christian school, Jeremy wasn’t buying any of it until a series of events led him to see his need for Christ.

After being kicked out of games and sitting the bench because of his behaviors and his attitude, one of his coaches gave him books on attitude and anger control as well as scriptures that Jeremy read mainly so he wouldn’t have to watch the games from the stands. As the Bible began to come alive for him, he was also influenced by God’s transforming work in the life of another student who had been Jeremy’s archenemy. That was the beginning of Jeremy’s close walk with Christ.

Jeremy Affeldt tells of his opportunities in baseball, his marriage to his high school sweetheart and, of course, his success including two World Series Championships – after many setbacks and injuries – in the major leagues.

The book includes Jeremy Affedlt’s passion for social justice and his humanitarian endeavors as he continues to use his time and finances to do God’s work throughout the world.   Available now, discover the side of Jeremy that thrives off the field; the side that is passionate about freeing the slave, feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty and seeking justice for the oppressed.

ORDER BOOK

Stirring Imagination

Recently, Youthfront partnered with Generation Alive and Able Works to mobilize 450 high school students in East Palo Alto to package 100,000 meals for our Something to Eat™ initiative. East Palo Alto is divided from Palo Alto by a freeway. Palo Alto is a very wealthy area fueled by the success of the Silicon Valley. Apple, Google and Facebook are some of the corporate success connected to Palo Alto. East Palo Alto lies in stark contrast to Palo Alto. About 65% of the residents of East Palo Alto are Hispanic/Latino, 16% are African-American, and 10% Pacific Islander/Asian. Several years ago, Michelle Pfeiffer starred in the movie Dangerous Minds as a teacher, teaching a classroom of East Palo Alto high school students whose lives were being  destroyed by drugs, gang involvement, illicit sex, crime, etc. For a young person, living in East Palo Alto can still be a dangerous reality. In the few months before our Something to Eat™ event several young people were killed through drug and gang  violence.  The names Something to Eat™ and Something to Drink™ come from Matthew 25 when Jesus led us to imagine that when someone is hungry or thirsty and we give them food or water it is the same as giving food and drink to Jesus.

More than 450 young people from this under-resourced community moved outside of the dominating and destructive script many of them feel trapped in and instead worked to raise money to provide food for those around the world who are suffering from starvation. Most of these  young people have grown up with a script that imprisons them into thinking that they are stuck forever in a story that centers around poverty,  drugs, gangs, crime and violence. I wish you could have been an eyewitness to what happened in this Something to EatTM event. We worked hard all day and yet, these teenagers didn’t even want to take a break. We stopped for short five minute breaks throughout the event to talk and  reflect on why we were doing what we were doing – information about the world hunger crises, about the importance of taking care of each other along with inspirational thoughts. We had local artists perform Street Poetry that was uplifting and spiritually rich. It was amazing to see what was unfolding.

The East Palo Alto Police Captain spent the day with us. He was so enthused that he was on the phone talking to the news media reminding them that they were all at the recent murder scene involving young people and they needed to come and see the good things young people were doing.  I got into a conversation with the Police Captain, an East Palo Alto School Board member and a former mayor of the city. We talked about how important it was to provide the opportunity for these young people to participate in an alternative script to the broken scripts that they had grown up with and ensnared by. We agreed that these young peoples’ imaginations were being unleashed and this has the potential to alter their life scripts forever. It was also cool to learn that the Police Captain grew up in Kansas City and had served our country for many  years as a presidential appointed U.S. Marshall

Albert Einstein declared, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge  defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.” I believe Youthfront’s mission to bring youth into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ happens because we embrace the most powerful script of all – the Gospel.  The Gospel unveils a story that unleashes the imagination of those who have ears to hear. The Gospel story has the power to render other scripts impotent. Think of Jesus’ own  disciples. They fled in fear when he was arrested. They witnessed his crucifixion. They were hiding in a state of dreadful trepidation. And when a few of Jesus’ followers, mostly women, went to his tomb the Gospel story breaks forth with the declaration “He is not here, he has risen!” Still the disciples hid in disarray and confusion.  Although a few were convinced that Jesus Christ was resurrected, some, Thomas for instance still didn’t have the imagination to believe that the Gospel proclamation that Jesus was risen could be true. And then he saw Jesus. Thomas declared, “My  Lord and my God!”  I believe the Christian story properly told stirs the imagination of the listener. 

Peasants' Day Feast 2-18-13

Youthfront is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

to bring youth into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ

Peasants' Day Feast 2-18-13

In the midst of our prosperity, we so quickly forget.  Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti.  In the days following, thousands filled Youthfront’s auditorium to pray and to pack thousands of meals that were then shipped to respond to the crisis there. 

On Presidents’ Day, February 18th, as our country remembers the privileged and the powerful, we gather together to honor the peasants and the poor like we did three years ago.  Join us for the Peasants’ Day Feast to package thousands of meals that will be shipped to countries experiencing urgent food crises.  Together, in fits of passionate action filling bags to boxes, boxes to pallets, and pallets to shipping containers with humble, life-giving feasts, we awaken an imagination of another world, another kingdom, another King.

Groups, youthworkers, families, individuals; all are invited to give food and clean water to the poor and powerless.  Join us for our Peasants’ Day Feast.  Sign up now.

Download posters and flyers for this event here.

Click these links to learn about Youthfront's Something to Eat™ and Something to Drink™

Peasant's Day Feast

On Presidents’ Day, Feb. 18, we’re going to be doing a push to have the biggest packing event in Youthfront’s auditorium since the earthquake in Haiti three years ago.  We’re calling it Peasants’ Day Feast.  As our country remembers the privileged and the powerful, we honor the peasants and the poor.  As much of the American church begins its Lenten fast, we chose a different kind of fasting--an Isaiah 58 kind of fast where we loosen the chains of injustice and share our food with the hungry.  

We’re also developing a way for churches to take a Something to Eat assembly line home with them so that their churches and youth groups can practice this “Lenten fast” by packaging meals onsite all the way through Easter.  We’ll also be developing a series of prayers and reflections for each week of Lent that focus on Christ, our spiritual hunger, and the physical hunger experienced by so many worldwide.

Join us on Presidents’ Day, February 18 where hundreds from around the KC metro area will descend upon Youthfront’s auditorium to pack thousands of meals that will be shipped to countries experiencing urgent food crises.  Together, in fits of passionate action filling bags to boxes, boxes to pallets, and pallets to shipping containers with humble, life-giving feasts, we awaken an imagination of another world, another kingdom, another King.  Join us for our Peasants’ Day Feast.

For more information check out the website.

Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly

“How do we as youth workers seek justice - and teach our students to do the same? How do we help the world’s most vulnerable people  in our own neighborhood -without enabling dependency?”

If you find yourself asking how to teach students what it means to seek justice and love mercy, this event is for you.

We’ll meet at the South Branch Library in the Argentine neighborhood in Kansas City, KS for a short presentation and discussion on how to do “missions” with dignity, followed by a tour of the community and a Something to Eat™ meal packaging event at the Franklin Center. As we wrap up, we’ll enjoy delicious
homemade Mexican food from one of our neighborhood friends.

When: Thursday, Nov. 29th, 9:00 AM - noon

Where: South Branch Library in the Argentine neighborhood of KC, KS

Cost: $10 - includes lunch and Something to Eat™  packaging experience

Register online at www.youthfront.com/justicetraining

Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly... Youth Worker Training Day

REGISTER HERE

Stop Short Term Mission Trips for Youth Groups?

I remember taking my first short term mission trip with students nearly thirty years ago before they were a fixed annual project for most church youth groups.  I have many fond memories from leading several dozen of these "short term mission trips."  However, over the last seven or eight years I have engaged with many youth workers in a dialogue about the theological warrant for this concept. 

Christianity Today recently featured three views on this issue.  Brian Howell, believes that we should cease expensive "travel-intensive projects."  He states there are good reasons for Christians to travel but "projects" is not one of them.  I believe we should shift to an emphasis on missional activity in our local contexts.  The concept of pilgrimage also needs to be reconsidered as a valid faith-immersion formational activity in our churches and youth groups.

Here are a few thoughts from Brian M. Howell who is associate professor of anthropology at Wheaton College and author of Short-Term Mission: An Ethnography of Christian Travel Narrative and Experience (IVP Academic, forthcoming).

"Churches should not abandon travel, but we should abandon most travel-intensive 'projects.'

It is good for American Christians to visit Christians in other places to witness what God is doing around the world. It is good for American Christians to visit missionaries, learning firsthand about their work and how to pray for them. The opportunity to learn from all our brothers and sisters living and working around the world is a gift many of us have received due to our relative wealth, access to technology, and leisure time. We should accept this blessing gratefully.

When it comes to projects, however, the good we do is often outweighed by the warped impressions left on both sides. For example, sending high-school students to do construction in front of poor, underemployed adults furthers the humiliation of the poor as they see wealthy North Americans casually doing jobs they would happily accept, while it reinforces the views of many American Christians that poor people cannot help themselves.

Our projects further promote views of poor people as lacking personal agency, as short-term mission teams often spend most of their time interacting with children conducting Vacation Bible School or teaching games. Teams often leave with the impression that the whole country is childlike, vulnerable, and in need of our care. When short-termers do interact with adults, it is often in unequal relationships—cooks, drivers, and other employees of the American missionaries—where true fellowship is difficult. Those ministries run by nationals who host short-term teams frequently adapt their ministry to meet the needs of visiting foreigners first and local residents second. These hosts are reluctant to ask too much of powerful guests or to confront their visitors' views and risk losing material benefits.

Unequal social relationships and a skewed view of poor communities can affect service in the United States too. However, there is a reason why many churches have little problem getting 25 youths to sign up for a project in South Africa, while the trip to a nearby urban community goes unfilled. The dynamics of international travel make it easier to imagine that we in the West have no responsibility for the problems "over there" beyond our occasional charity. We can feel good about our service without being confronted by our responsibility for the injustices we witness. In nearby urban centers, or a local apartment complex, we are more likely to be confronted with the reality that our lives are bound up with theirs, and we cannot so easily turn away from what is going on in front of us when it gets difficult or inconvenient.

We should not abandon international travel, nor should we be less generous with our resources. But if we would spend less time building walls, painting houses, or digging ditches, we could spend our time learning how the problems there are part of the problems here. These trips should serve to teach us how we are bound up together, in our economics, in our politics, and, most importantly, in Christ."

The article continues with views from David Livermore and Robert Priest.  READ FULL ARTICLE HERE.

REBBL

REBBL is a tea company started with a vision to end slavery in the Peruvian Amazon.  This initiative is an idea that was concieved of by my good friend and collaborator in Gospeling, Jeremy Affeldt and my friend David Batstone, President of Not for Sale.  Check out this video.