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Churches Should Adopt Schools? (Via YM Today)
By Jeremy | August 30, 2010
While away, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Youth Ministries Today revived an article I wrote for National Network of Youth Ministries in 2008, before the launch of 20/20 Vision for Schools.
Why Churches Should Adopt Public Schools
Sometimes a good idea takes a while to generate traction. But then a combination of timing, people, and Providence inspire enough hearts and minds to action that it transforms society, in what Malcolm Gladwell calls a “Tipping Point.”
Consider, for example, the idea that churches should love youth in their communities by adopting public schools. The Campus Alliance has been saying this for years, even creating a website to help promote the idea and track its progress (www.EverySchool.com). But a review of the EverySchool database suggests that the cry has fallen on many ears that are unable, or unwilling, to hear. Many schools still wait to be adopted.
Recently, things began to change in NewYork City.
Topics: 2020 vision, articles, nnym, ymtoday, youth ministry | No Comments »
Summer 2010 Flickr Foto Fun
By Jeremy | August 30, 2010
Back from blogcation, with 100s of new fotos uploaded to Flickr. Here’s a sampling.
But first, Bermuda is definitely a keeper. Have to return with Diana, sans kids, for longer fun. As for the cruise, Norwegian Dawn is a great ship. The food isn’t as good as Carnival Valor, but the kids’ pool, spa, and family activities rocked.
Cruising 2010: Horseshoe Bay Beach, Bermuda
145 Photos | Set | View slideshow >
Cruising 2010: Exploring Bermuda
93 Photos | Set | View slideshow >
Cruising 2010: Onboard NCL Dawn
137 Photos | Set | View slideshow >
UYWI LC ’10: Hiking Hook Mountain
35 Photos | Set | View slideshow >
July 4th Weekend 2010
81 Photos | Set | View slideshow >
Happy Birthday Justin!
55 Photos | Set | View slideshow >
Memorial Weekend 2010
50 Photos | Set | View slideshow >
Summer 2010 Misc Family Fun
53 Photos | Set | View slideshow >
Topics: family, flickr, foto, photography, travel, vacation | No Comments »
“I am my School” and other Student Prayers for New York
By Jeremy | August 17, 2010
[Ed. note: Originally published in August 2010 issue of Tri-State Voice]
Goliaths fall when adults like Saul get out of David’s way.
For the last twelve months, student leaders from greater New York have proven this truism time and again. Now some are organizing a citywide prayer walk of 1,600 public schools the weekend of Halloween and inviting the city’s 7,100 churches to participate.
Imagine that: students leading congregations as together they intercede for 1.1 million public school students — on a weekend long symbolic of darkness and mayhem.
This second I Am My School effort, spearheaded by student leaders from God Belongs in My City and 20/20 Vision for Schools, expands a May 15 pilot that included ten walks in four boroughs covering twenty-five schools.
The students will pray, “I am my school,” because “I am,” the name God calls Himself, has sent them to love and serve and transform their schools. On the Monday following the walk, students will wear I Am My School t-shirts to school in an effort to identify other Christians on campus. They will also encourage their churches to adopt one school within walking distance for ongoing prayer, advocacy, and service.
This kind of catalytic student leadership is exactly what Latino Pastoral Action Center hoped to inspire on September 12, 2009, when they produced “Kickin’ it Old Skool,” the first student leadership conference in collective memory that was actually led by students. Most “student leadership” events involve adults teaching students, or adults teaching other adults how to lead students. Rarely do adults voluntarily play a supporting role to students leading the event.
LPAC empowered twelve student organizers from four boroughs defy the stereotype and design a leadership event that they and other students would lead, armed with a budget to pull it off. Sixty-eight of their peers gathered for the conference at Washington Irving High School in Manhattan, and 175 enjoyed the evening concert as well.
At Kickin’ It, LPAC’s President Rev. Dr. Raymond Rivera called students, “essential to efforts to transform communities.” Then he charged them, “Share your story. Declare your future. Inspire other students. Remember, tomorrow needs you. Prepare for it today.”
Little did he know that less than two months later, three of the Kickin’ It student organizers would rally a dozen or so other students to coordinate God Belongs in My City, the largest student led prayer walk in New York City. Fifteen hundred marchers walked a total of eight miles in Manhattan culminating in a Times Square rally and silent prayer “flash mob” in the main lobby of Grand Central Station.
In May 2010, those same empowered students organized the I Am My School pilot that provides the basis for the upcoming effort.
Another recent manifestation of authentic student leadership occurred at Reload 1.2.3, the groundbreaking multi-state, multi-site youth training event on June 12 that required every adult involved in the program — from musicians and singers to trainers and general session speakers — to integrate a “Plus-1? student protégé into their content delivery. With live music and workshops at all three venues, this strategy created a platform for more than fifty student leaders to provide meaningful leadership at a premiere training event for more than five hundred youth workers. Kickin’ It student leaders presented the “Student Led Student Leadership: Pipe Dream or Possible?” workshop that was simulcast to all three venues.
Dr. Larry Acosta, president of Urban Youth Workers Institute, challenged adult leaders at Reload 1.2.3, “You need to empower youth to lead with real ministry opportunities,” not just “passing the offering plates every fifth Sunday.”
To the Plus-1’s and other student leaders, Larry exhorted: “We need you … to rise up and lead the church into the future. You’re alive at this time in history at such a time as this. We need you to help us complete the Great Commission in the cities, in the … neighborhoods, in the projects, in the parks, in the places where too many from my generation are afraid to go.”
The Biblical character David was an untested teenager, a shepherd boy with no military training, when he simultaneously proved to be the only man among soldiers courageous enough to confront the giant Goliath. For forty days, Goliath’s taunts paralyzed Israel’s army with fear. Then David overheard the mockery, witnessed the cowardice of the adults around him, and was moved to action. The rest, as they say, is history.
Join veteran leaders like Dr. Rivera and Dr. Acosta in creating space for young people to continue making history. For more information on I Am My School, sign up online at 2020schools.net/i-am-my-school.
- Jeremy Del Rio was 13 when his youth pastor invited him to preach, 19 when his senior pastor asked him to start a youth group, and today directs 20/20 Vision for Schools, a movement to transform public education within one generation of students. www.JeremyDelRio.com
Related
- Watch the Reload 1.2.3 General Sessions for free online.
- Watch the Reload 1.2.3 Workshops for free online.
Topics: 2020 vision, UYWI, articles, god belongs in my city, i am my school, kickin it old skool, larry acosta, lpac, ray rivera, student leadership, youth leadership, youth ministry | No Comments »
Hook Mountain, NY
By Jeremy | August 17, 2010
Sometimes taking a moment to exhale fresh air requires the intentionality of Bruthas. Thanks, Larry Acosta, for catalyzing a learning community of friends, colleagues, and leaders who are journeying life together — especially when it means scaling a 700 foot peak via a six mile hike surrounded by deer, hawks, and granite cliffs.
If you’ve never been to Hook Mountain (Nyack, NY), go. Phenomenal vistas and the serenity that only nature brings, a mere 20 minutes from the George Washington Bridge.
More photos to come.
Topics: UYWI, hook mountain, larry acosta, nature, new york | No Comments »
Fires Ravage NYC Churches
By Jeremy | July 26, 2010
Two churches pastored by friends of mine have burned in the last three weeks. Please pray for the congregations and leaders of Love Gospel Assembly in the Bronx and Baptist Temple in Brooklyn as they rebuild. Meanwhile, Glory of Christ Church reopened July 11 after a hate-filled arsonist torched their Bronx church in December. I’m normally not a conspiracy theorist, but the GOC arsonist was never caught. Coincidence? Hmm…
Links
+ 160 firefighters at scene as Bronx church is gutted by fire that spread to homeless shelter (NY Daily News, July 25, 2010)
+ Historic church burns down in Brooklyn (ABC News, July 8, 2010)
+ “Bronx church reopens after arson,” (ABC News, July 11, 2010)
Topics: baptist temple, fire, glory of christ church, love gospel assembly, new york, news, prayer alert | No Comments »
Flickr Foto Fun
By Jeremy | July 20, 2010
Recent photo sets added to my Flickr page:
UYWI Learning Community
118 pics // Set // Slideshow
Journalism Stars Party
67 pics // Set // Slideshow
Misc Spring 2010
83 pics // Set // Slideshow
Topics: UYWI, family, flickr, foto, journalism stars, photography | No Comments »
The Gospel of Christ
By Jeremy | July 16, 2010
Thanks, Jorge, for sharing!
“I believe in justice: but I am not a preacher of the gospel of justice, but the Gospel of Christ who calls us to justice. I believe in love, but I am not a preacher of the gospel of love, but the Gospel of Christ who calls us to love. I am committed to peace, but I am not a preacher of the gospel of peace, but the Gospel of Christ who calls us to peace. I believe in the value of the simple life, but I am not the preacher of the simple life, but of the Gospel of Christ that calls us to the simple life. Let us beware of the ultimate plagiarism of borrowing some great concepts from Jesus then running off proclaiming these concepts and not sharing the Christ that empowers these concepts.” ~ Myron Augsburger, Former President of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, 1983.
And this reflection:
“The only thing I’d change is the last line. I’d change it to ‘and not sharing the Christ who embodies these concepts. The truth is, Jesus Christ doesn’t just empower us to live out these spiritual virtues, Christ IS justice, love, peace, holiness, etc. That’s a life-changing revelation that’s little known today.’” – Frank Viola
Topics: Christ, Myron Augsburger, christology, frank viola, gospel, quotes | No Comments »
Reload 1.2.3 Workshop Videos
By Jeremy | July 14, 2010
So you’ve watched the Reload 1.2.3 general sessions and waited with baited breath for the featured workshops to be posted online as well. Wait no more.
For more information on Reload 1.2.3, the first multi-state, multi-site urban youth ministry training event in the country that featured adult youth workers and more than sixty “plus-1 proteges” that occurred in New York and New Jersey on June 12, 2010, visit the Reload 1.2.3 homepage.
Featured Workshop 1: “Student-Led Student Ministry: Pipe Dream or Possible?”
It’s trendy for youth ministers to say, “Youth ministry is not about ministering to youth, but about empowering youth to minister,” but what does youth-led youth ministry actually look like? Experience youth ministry by young people as NYC students discuss recent student-led ministry models including God Belongs in My City, Kickin’ It Old Skool, Generation Xcel, and World Vision’s Youth Empowerment Project.
Facilitated by Enid Almanzar (Avenue of Hope Fellowship, Manhattan) and featuring student leaders: Eden Martinez (Abounding Grace Ministries, Manhattan), Johnny Navarro (No Limits International Church, Staten Island), Vanessa Medina (God Belongs in My City, Brooklyn), and Christopher Cortes (World Vision Youth Empowerment Project, Bronx)
Student-Led Student Ministry: Pipe Dream or Possible? from UYWI on Vimeo.
Featured Workshop 2: “Youth Ministry Beyond the Walls: Overcoming Injustices and Rebuilding Communities”
“I the Lord love justice” (Isaiah 61:8). How then can youth ministries lead the struggle to overcome injustices such as poverty, crime, institutionalization, and educational inequity that conspire everyday against urban youth and erode urban communities? What role can youth ministries play in restoring the shalom of our cities by advocating for and manifesting Biblical justice in the communities beyond our church walls?
Featuring Ruben Austria and Rachel Carrion, Community Connections for Youth
Youth Ministry Beyond the Walls: Overcoming Injustices and Rebuilding Communities” from UYWI on Vimeo.
Topics: UYWI, enid almanzar, reload 1.2.3, resources, ruben austria, training, videos, youth leadership, youth ministry | No Comments »
Reload 1.2.3 Webcast Videos
By Jeremy | July 2, 2010
What? You missed Reload 1.2.3? Never heard of a “Plus-1“? No worries. The general session videos are now available to watch online for FREE, and the featured workshops are coming soon. Enjoy the general sessions here.
General Session 1: “Homegrown: The Leader”
Featuring: Jeremy Del Rio and Ryan Schlachter, 20/20 Vision for Schools; Mitchell Torres and Esmeralda Castellon, Harvest Fields Community Church; Efrain Figueroa and Reginald Renier, Glad Tidings Assembly of God; Larry Acosta, Urban Youth Workers Institute
RELOAD123 General Session 1 from UYWI on Vimeo.
General Session 2: “Hand-Off: The Legacy”
Featuring: Efrain “Brother E” Alicea, Elements Church; Joseph Henry Cortese, Crossroads Tabernacle; David Ham, Evangel Church; Andy “C-Lite” Mineo, Sin is Wack; Jay Cabassa, Elements Church; and the Reload 1.2.3 Worship Team
RELOAD123 General Session 2 from UYWI on Vimeo.
Topics: UYWI, coalition, reload, reload 1.2.3, student venture, training, youth ministry | No Comments »
Recently on Twitter: Weekly Digest
By Jeremy | June 26, 2010
- I'm generally not a soccer fan, but after today, who knows?! Go USA! #
- It's a small world at PS102: Mexico, Poland, Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Egypt, Yemen, Morocco, Lebanon, & Puerto Rico represented in 4-423 #
- Reflecting on #R123 Thoughts on unloading our junk before reloading for battle courtesy of @josephdominick http://wp.me/pP41L-3t // Thanks! #
- @darellano wow. How is uriah handling it? in reply to darellano #
- @HarryTucker where ru moving? And who's the lucky new Tucker? in reply to HarryTucker #
- How eager r u? // RT @igneousquill Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. http://read.ly/Gal2.10.ESV #
- @MackieCharles let's talk! DM me if u need my number in reply to MackieCharles #
- 10+ hr tennis and historic Soccer match – and I'm feigning for more. Hmm. Unchartered sports territory for me. Fascinating. #
- I heard something about ppl lining up for hrs to buy new phones today. Their old phones must have been awful! #
- Last month ur iPhone was the greatest thing since Alexander G Bell. This month u can't wait to replace it. Perspective? #
- Thnx all 4praying 4Eddie. Removed frm ICU yestrday. Eating real food 2day. Asking 2go home already. Long rd 2recovery but so far miraculous #
- Disposable society: my iPhone 3G works fine, runs a gazillion apps, creates art, connects me to the world, & needs to be replaced by the 4G #
- Nice to see lots of content on my homepage again, especially re. student leadership: http://jeremydelrio.com #
- Pls pray for Kristi. She's heading to emergency surgery to remove unknown mass frm her abdomen http://is.gd/d2DKR #
- Much love for all NYC graduates today: K, 5th, 8th, HS, vo-tech, college, grad. "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom 12:2) #
- WSJ: "Fool for Christ" Manute Bol went broke building hospitals and gave his life for "suffering strangers" http://tinyurl.com/297bggf #
- Kristi's surgery was delayed. Pls pray tht the mass dissolves miraculously in the interim. More on her 30+yr fight 4life: http://is.gd/d2DKR #
- @imagineb what's in seattle? in reply to imagineb #
- @lisasharper major props to you! in reply to lisasharper #
- @mrtowles you got it! in reply to mrtowles #
- @dslaybaugh looks like the personal domain is being well tended in reply to dslaybaugh #
- @PastorLT thanks for the #FF Ditto! in reply to PastorLT #
- Bear hunting http://twitpic.com/206r6o #
- Natural born leader (in diapers bc he didn't keep his lunch down) http://twitpic.com/2085sw #
Topics: twitter | No Comments »
On Student Led Student Leadership at Reload 1.2.3
By Jeremy | June 24, 2010
Those familiar with 20/20 Vision for Schools’ Transformation Matrix know that empowering student leaders as change agents within schools is a pillar of our paradigm for transforming public education within a single generation of students. In summary, it goes something like this:
- Stop viewing students as consumers of education, buying a product from teachers
- Instead empower them as owners of their lives, investing in their education as a means to a life worth living
- As owners, nurture a culture of leadership among the student body of public schools
- Develop a 10% pipeline of student leaders within any given school because when 10% of a community changes its values, the rest of the population generally follows
This value has defined my youth work since my own teen years, having first been inspired at a youth retreat after discovering this passage, and then serving as the defining characteristic of Generation Xcel’s “by youth for youth” mantra. More recently, this passion surfaced producing Kickin’ It Old Skool for Latino Pastoral Action Center in September and observing God Belongs In My City in November.
Because of this foundational commitment to authentic student leadership, it was 20/20′s privilege to sponsor Reload 1.2.3 on June 12, the first ever multi-site multi-state student ministry conference. (1 conference. 2 States. 3 sites.) And it was my privilege to director the event with the help of 30+ other youth workers and dozens of volunteers.
Specifically, 20/20 Vision contributed three core components to Reload 1.2.3′s one-of-a-kind program. First, 20/20 inspired and shaped Reload’s Plus-1 program strategy, requiring every adult involved in the program at all three venues, from musicians and singers to trainers and general session speakers, to integrate a “Plus-1″ protege into their content delivery. With live music and workshops at all three venues, this strategy created a platform for more than 50 Plus-1 student leaders to provide meaningful leadership at a premiere training event for more than 500 youth workers. More importantly, Plus-1s demonstrated what empowered student leaders look like, rather than adults simply talking about student leadership as a value, and created a common reference point for more than 500 leaders who can influence a shift towards more authentic student leadership in organizations throughout greater New York.
Second, 20/20 shaped the “Student-Led Student Ministry: Pipe Dream or Possible?” workshop which featured four accomplished student leaders as experts on what student-led change looks like and how to achieve it. The workshop description follows, along with a slideshow that captured visually the impacts of their student leadership.
It’s trendy for youth ministers to say, “Youth ministry is not about ministering to youth, but about empowering youth to minister,” but what does youth-led youth ministry actually look like? Experience youth ministry by young people as NYC students discuss recent student-led ministry models including God Belongs in My City, Kickin’ It Old Skool, Generation Xcel, and World Vision’s Youth Empowerment Project.
(Student Led Student Ministry: Possible from Jeremy Del Rio on Vimeo.)
Finally, Reload 1.2.3 provided a platform for the 20/20 Vision Workshop to be taught live at three venues simultaneously, thanks to our instructors Edwin Pacheco (associate pastor Gateway City Church and director Youth Rock), Walter Sotelo (director New York Gospel Outreach), and Rohin Beach (youth pastor St. Luke’s Baptist Church of Paterson). Here’s that workshop description:
Adults promise children that if they stay in school they will be equipped to succeed in life, but we have failed to make good on that promise for generations — with high school graduation rates in some cities hovering at or below 30%. Come explore how urban youth ministries are transforming public education within a single generation of students by activating congregations, adopting schools, and becoming answers to prayer.
Download video of the Vision Workshop, along with its PowerPoint and lecture notes, here.
Thanks Urban Youth Workers Institute for being an incredible partner and affirming that empowered student leaders are key to reaching their generation.
Topics: 2020 vision, UYWI, byfy, generation xcel, kickin it old skool, leadership, reload 1.2.3, training, youth ministry | No Comments »
Are You Infected? Plus-1’s Change the World
By Jeremy | June 23, 2010
If you missed the national broadcast of Reload 1.2.3, here’s a flavor of the opening general session, introducing both the technology innovations and the concept of plus-1′s.
Broadcast Intro
Emcees: Ryan Schlachter & Jeremy Del Rio
[VIDEO INTRO: River Rush]
Ryan:
“Welcome to the national broadcast of RELOAD 1.2.3. My name is Ryan Schlachter and I’m a Plus-1. Yeah, I am contagious.
Whether you’re joining us live in Manhattan, Jersey City or watching online around the country, you’ll meet many other Plus-1’s today. Hopefully, we’ll infect a lot more of you before the day is over.
What’s a Plus-1?
We are the next generation leaders, the fruit of the seeds planted by urban youth workers. That’s right. A chosen generation. A royal priesthood. Empowered by God to represent God’s Kingdom Legacy. Wow…I like that.
We’re the future of youth ministry, and our future is NOW.
The Kingdom we represent upends convention and transcends what’s normal. It proclaims good news to the poor and sets free the captive. It restores what’s been stolen and populates empty streets with homes that flourish. It mends broken hearts and fixes broken systems.
And it trusts people like me to change the world.
My generation has already changed the world. That’s why this year, we have revolutionized Reload. Here’s how.”
[VIDEO 2: Social Media Revolution]
Ryan:
Thank you for helping us make youth ministry history today!
RELOAD 1.2.3 is the first multi-site, multi-state youth ministry training event ever.
One Conference. Two States. Three venues that marry the energy that comes when people of like mind and heart convene face-to-face … WITH the real-time interactivity social media provides when face-time isn’t always possible.
Topics: UYWI, leadership, reload 1.2.3, social media, videos, youth, youth development, youth ministry | No Comments »
20/20 Mentors Matter
By Jeremy | June 23, 2010
A year ago this month, Mayor Bloomberg appealed to concerned New Yorkers to volunteer as middle school mentors. Be an answer to his prayer. Mobilize and equip congregational volunteers to respond to his plea.
In partnership with the Christian Association of Youth Mentoring, 20/20 Vision for Schools offers a two day mentoring training June 25-26. Learn best practices for recruiting, screening, matching, and supervising safe and effective mentoring programs. Scholarships up to 80% are available. Go here for more info or to register.
Topics: 2020 vision, caym, mentoring, training | No Comments »
Latest Article in Tri-State Voice
By Jeremy | June 23, 2010
“RELOAD 1.2.3: Innovating Youth Ministry Training in Metro NY/NJ” (June 2010)
Here’s an excerpt:
Interactive general sessions and two featured workshops will originate in the Bronx and be simulcast to the other locations via the internet. More talk show than sermon, the simulcast sessions feature topics such as “Homegrown: The Leader,” “Handoff: The Legacy,” and “Student-Led Student Ministry: Pipe Dream or Possible?” The simulcast will invite participants to catch the “Aha Moments” as youth ministry veterans and their proteges explore themes like indigenous leadership development, inter-generational leadership, and impartation. Regardless of venue, Reload 1.2.3 participants will join the conversation via Twitter, text message, surveys, and camera phone-ography.
Also new at Reload 1.2.3 are what the host committee is calling “Plus-1’s.” Plus 1’s are student leader proteges of the adults involved in the program (trainers, speakers, and worship leaders) who will be integrated into the program and training experience. For years, youth ministry veterans have advocated the idea that youth ministry is not about ministering to youth, but empowering youth to minister. Plus 1’s are Reload 1.2.3’s attempt to model what this looks like by intentionally creating space for younger leaders to actually lead.
Topics: UYWI, articles, reload 1.2.3, tri-state voice | No Comments »
Christian Post: No Time for Passive Youth Ministry
By Jeremy | June 23, 2010
The Christian Post reported on Reload 1.2.3 last Monday. Here’s an excerpt:
Youth are being empowered in gangs and dying in the streets, yet Larry Acosta of Urban Youth Workers Institute finds many churches giving teens nothing more than the role of passing the offering plates every fifth Sunday.
“Are you kidding me?” he said during the institute’s youth worker training event, Reload 1.2.3. in Bronx, N.Y.
“You need to empower youth to lead with real ministry opportunities,” he exhorted. “I’m talking next generation leaders empower[ing] youth to teach Bible studies, to lead small groups.” …
“We want you to know that we believe in you,” he told next generation leaders. “We need you … to rise up and lead the church into the future. You’re alive at this time in history at such a time as this. We need you to help us complete the Great Commision in the cities, in the … neighborhoods, in the projects, in the parks, in the places where too many from my generation are afraid to go.”
Full article here.
Topics: UYWI, coalition, reload, reload 1.2.3, youth ministry | No Comments »