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Challenge 2010
This past week we took 7 students and 6 adults to Challenge in Columbus, OH. Challenge is the national youth conference for the EFCA. Our students had a much different role this year as they helped coordinate ministry teams that went out into the city. This meant earlier mornings and fuller days, but even when they were tired, they maintained great attitudes and were an example to others.
Our students also helped run Challenge Circle for a Boys and Girls Club each afternoon. Even those few students who had never been part of Challenge Circle before dug right in and got involved with hyping up the kids.
We heard great messages each day from several godly men who spoke through the beatitudes from Matthew 5. Each speaker made the verses very real for the students and explained it in a way that made it applicable for today. Thank you so much to all who have been prayer and financial partners for this summer. Your contribution has made lasting effects on the Kingdom. We are thankful for you and proud of our kids for being such great examples this past week.
Keep an eye out for our upcoming newsletter where we'll share more from our students and what really spoke to them this week. Also, we are so very excited to announce that Challenge 2012 will be right here in New Orleans! Please join us in prayer for all that God will do and for all the preparation that has already begun to take place!
105 kids now part of VBS
We are now into week 3 of our summer VBS and so far 105 kids have registered. We are still averaging 50-55 per day and continue to see a lot of the same kids every day. Our first full teams are down for the week and I know our interns are glad for the extra help.
The kids are working hard to memorize their verses and many can still remember the verse from the first week. They are enjoying learning about the fruits of the Spirit and our interns have been very creative in the ways they help the kids remember what they're learning.
We are also preparing to send 7 high school students and 6 adults to Challenge, the EFCA national youth conference, in Columbus, Ohio. This year's theme is Undo and we pray that God will undo our students for Him during that time. The group will leave early Sunday morning and return July 3. Please pray for safe travels, meaningful time with God and as a group and changed lives.
VBS off to a great start
Our first of seven weeks of VBS has gotten off to a great start! We've averaged about 50 kids each day and they are already hard at work memorizing their verse of the week and learning the fruits of the Spirit.
This week has been different than most in summers past as we don't have any teams here, so our interns have been running VBS and Challenge Circle on their own. With 5 returning interns and 6 new ones, they have done an amazing job of bonding with each other and taking care of things this week. VBS has run very smoothly and they've done a great job of working through any problems that arise.
We are so excited for the rest of the summer and pray that God will continue to move and build his Kingdom here in New Orleans.
Second Hip Hop service
Saturday night we had our second hip hop service, and this time it was standing room only. Several performances by 3D (a trio of young men from our neighborhood), a drama presentation and a message all shared the gospel in various ways throughout the evening. The service drew a wide mix of people and even young people from another ministry in town were present.
Our second attempt brought some changes, including new lighting and additional participation from church members as well as a larger crowd and door prizes. With each service we learn a little bit more about what works and what will have the greatest impact for the Kingdom. Another service is already in the works for August and we'd ask you to pray for all those who heard the message Saturday and that God would be preparing hearts now for the next service.
VBS starts next week
We are excited to have 11 interns here for the summer! We've got a great mix of personalities and talents as well as several who are coming back for a second or third year. They are in training this week and are hard at work preparing for our first week of vacation Bible school which starts next Monday.
We are very excited to get the summer rolling and seeing kids again that we may not have seen for a few months. Summer always gives us a great opportunity to reach out the the youth of our neighborhood in ways that we don't always have during the rest of the year. It also gives us a chance to meet some of those kids' families and start to build relationships with them.
We look forward to continuing to share with you all that God does here this summer. Thank you to everyone who has been a financial partner or who will be bringing teams down. Your work for the Kingdom cannot be measured!
We need your help!
We currently have 47 youth sponsored for the summer but we still have 228 to go! Each summer we offer seven weeks of vacation Bible school for kids in the neighborhood. We take 52 students to KAA (Kids Across America) camp where they hear the gospel on a daily basis and this year we'll be taking 11 students to the Challenge 2010 conference.
Each of these activities gives us an opportunity to help students grow in their faith, receive Christ or hear the gospel for the very first time. These things also give our youth a safe place away from the violence, drug use and hopelessness that they come into contact with on a regular, sometimes daily, basis.
If you'd like to sponsor a young person this summer, a full scholarship is $350, half is $175 and a quarter scholarship is $87.50. You can donate online by clicking the "donate now" button to the left. You can also send a check to the address at the left and put "KAA" in the memo line so we know how to designate your gift.
We believe that God has big plans for our youth this summer and we'd love to have you be a part of it. Thank you in advance for your part to reach the young people of Central City!
Want to be part of National Project but don't have a team? No problem!
Summer High School Missionaries needed: We are in need of 300 more high school missionaries to come help run our summer 2010 programs.
We have modified our requirements to allow individual students the ability to come serve by themselves without their youth Pastor or a youth sponsor. We have opened the week of June 12th-19th for this purpose.
Students who come on their own will experience great training on evangelism, cross-cultural ministry and have ample opportunity to put this training into practice. While in New Orleans, the students will be supervised by Urban Impact staff at all times including over-night.
Please take a moment to pray that more students would come for the summer to ensure we can provide vacation Bible school and Challenge Circle for our childre.
For more information please call Joan Hathaway at 504-523-5556 or email at joanh@urbanimpact.org. Let her know you are interested coming as an individual student. If you are interested in bringing your whole youth group we have openings for that as well.
We need you for National Project
Do you work with high school students? Have you ever wanted a way to present issues like poverty, reconciliation and service in a practical way? Well, have we got a deal for you!
We still have plenty of space available for National Project and we are actively seeking teams of high school students who are interested in coming down to serve for a week with us. We, or more accurately, our high school teams and interns run vacation Bible school, teach Bible lessons, run Challenge Circle and receive training on all of the above issues plus several more.
We know several youth groups will be attening Challenge this summer (we will too) so that has created many extra openings for teams here in New Orleans. So, if you aren't going to Challenge, check out our National Project info here. If you are going to Challenge and know a church that isn't but might be interested in sending teams south, let us know!
We pray God will richly bless the kids of this neighborhood this summer as we work with you to spread the gospel and the love of Jesus all summer long.
Blight Busters part 2
We are so excited about all of the opportunites we had to reach out to our neighborhood these past two weeks as part of our Blight Busters initiative. God allowed us to meet neighbors we might not have met through other means and allowed all of our staff to spend significant time out of the office and in the community serving.
Many people from the neighborhood stopped by to say hello and thank you for what was being done and one man has even decided to take it into his own hands to keep his corner clean. Another gentleman stopped one of our staff members to inquire about how all of these people could be so happy and singing and praising God when they had so much work to do cleaning up the neighborhood. She was able to explain to him that it was all about the love of Jesus and while he said he didn't understand that, she was still able to share some hope with him.
It's encounters like these that make cutting grass and sweating in the sun worth every ounce of energy. It's a chance to change lives through simple service that leads to questions which lead to an opportunity to share the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. A big thank you to all of the teams that served alongside us. Please know we are grateful and you have helped to change lives.
For more about Blight Busters, check out this video from ABC 26, a news station here in New Orleans.
Click here to see the video.
Blight Busters
Last week we launched an all-out clean up effort in a concentrated area of our neighborhood. Called the "Hoffman Triangle," the area we are cleaning spans more than 35 blocks and is a portion of our target neighborhood. Last week we had volunteers from across the nation, as well as local volunteers, throughout the entire area.
The goal is to clean as many vacant and overgrown lots as possible in an effort to renew a sense of pride in the neighborhood as well as getting rid of some of the hiding places for drug activity.
"We are not comfortable being a community that has one of the highest crime rates in the Greater New Orleans area," said Pastor John. "We are working to remove all obstacles, including blight, that hold our neighborhood back from being a shining example of a new New Orleans."
The neighborhood clean up continues this week with another hundred volunteers. Please pray with us that this effort will glorify God, be a light to our neighbors and open the door for fruitful conversations.
Prayer for building tour
This Thursday our staff will be able to walk through the property of St. Monica's church. This is the building that we are considering for purchase instead of building an entirely new facility. This tour has been a long-time work in progress and God has been good to give us this opportunity. Please join us in prayer for wisdom, direction and vision for the future as it regards to our building project and how we move forward.
The "new" Yellow House
This week the infamous Yellow House is becoming, well, more yellow! We have a wonderful team in who is using some donated paint to repaint the whole house. If you've ever been here, you know that's no small task! We are grateful for all their hard work and for the new lease on life that the house is receiving. It has been such a vital part of our ministry here housing various staff members, interns, teams and offices throughout the years. God has been faithful to continue to provide for all we need!
Concert of prayer
Each week we we have a concert of prayer with the teams that come to work with our ministry. This past week we included church members and prayed very specifically for the change we seek in this neighborhood.
This evening of prayer was a kick off point to continue to emphasize the need for prayer as we serve here in New Orleans. We continue our weekly prayer walks in our target area of the neighborhood and are seeking ways to connect on a deeper level with those who have been responsive.
Please join us as we pray for our new mayor, Mitch Landrieu, our schools and teachers, our churches, our police department and the strongholds that hold this neighborhood in bondage. We eagerly anticipate what God will do!
A return to "normal"
For the past several weeks the city has been enjoying a constant party. First, we elected a new mayor with high hopes of seeing change and progress that can come with a new administration. Second, we won the SuperBowl! (Who dat!) Tuesday following the game there was a homecoming parade for the Saints that was attended by an estimated 800,000 people. And those were the ones who didn't get stuck on the interstate or waiting for the ferry. And finally, all of this happened during Carnival season which culminated with Mardi Gras yesterday.
Even with all of the additional people and celebration, the city has been relatively crime-free during this time and we praise God for that. It has been a blessing to see what can happen when the city comes together around a common theme to celebrate. And as we have celebrated with the New Orleans Saints in a SuperBowl victory, we think how much greater the celebration could be if it was Kingdom saints celebrating new life in Christ.
So as the city returns to "normal," we continue to focus on redeeming lives and transforming hearts. We are entering 10 straight weeks of teams, our first big rush of this team season. Please pray for our teams, that their hearts would be ready for all God has to show and teach them. And please continue to pray for our neighborhood and our city, that we would be able to celebrate new saints in the Kingdom.
Happy Birthday Pastor John
In celebration of Pastor John's 50th birthday, (and fulfillment of a long-time dream of his) several men gathered to play a little tackle mud football last Saturday. With tempteratures in the low 30s it was a cold day for football but that didn't stop them from playing. And as Pastor John said, the two oldest guys on the field connected for the final, game-winning touchdown.
Pastor John's final tackle football experience certainly led out with a bang and some seriously bruised, or perhaps broken ribs. But it was a great day of fun and celebration for fans and players alike and ended with some great barbeque and fellowship.
Tuesday night homework help
Tuesday nights we continue to offer homework help through our partnership with KIPP Central City Academy. This school is located right next to the Melpomene housing project and has been generous enough to let us hand out flyers and pick up students on Tuesday nights.
Students are then able to do their homework in a safe and quiet environment and receive help if they need it. We also provide dinner before sending the students downstairs to SLAM, our junior high youth night.
Not only does this increase our numbers at youth night, more importantly, it allows us an opportunity to share the gospel with a greater number of students. It also gives us some consistency in who we are seeing come each week.
Students who return each week are excited to share their good grades and many have formed connections with specific volunteers. We have several church members who help out each week, as well as UIM staff. We are hoping to increase our church volunteers throughout the year to make it run entirely by the church. Please continue to pray for our students, that they would work hard and have a desire to achieve great things.
Haiti earthquake update
As some of you may know, Castle Rock Community Church has partnered with Vision of Hope Ministries to support their work in Haiti. They are based in Cap Haitien, which is across the country from Port-au-prince, where the earthquake was it's strongest. We sent a team from our church last year and are currently in the process of planning a return trip.
Check HERE for an update from Pastor Henoc and visit Vision of Hope Ministries website HERE to find out what is going on as information becomes available. Please also join with us in prayer for the millions who have been greatly affected by this tragedy in and already struggling nation.
It's truly winter in New Orleans
We have had hard freeze warnings here in New Orleans the past several days. Pipes are bursting, plants are dying and the homeless shelters are filled to capacity. For those who think it's warm here all the time, it's just not so. We really can get cold enough for ice, however, this is the coldest it has been here in quite some time.
Most homes here aren't prepared to handle this type of cold and aren't insulated the same way that they are farther north. Pipes are located under the house and because many homes are set up for flood protection, they do not have the protection necessary to keep pipes from freezing and bursting.
We've had several house fires from people using space heaters or more non-conventional methods to try and stay warm. Please pray that people would be able to stay warm and that they would be safe while doing so.
There is, however, at least one good thing about weather this cold. The ever resilient roach which seems impossible to kill, well, even they die when covered in ice.
Check out our new videos
We've recently added two new videos to our website! They are currently posted on YouTube while we work out some details regarding posting them here.
You can see our National Project 2010 promo video here, and the one the features "God of This City" by Chris Tomlin, here. Both videos will also be available on our Mission Team Opportunities page located to the left.
UILA Global Wildlife Adventure
Students, teachers and volunteers from Urban Impact Leadership Academy visited the Global Wildlife Center near Folsom, Louisiana December 22. There are 900 acres and more than 4,000 exotic, endangered and threatened animals from all over the world. The animals roam free and come right up to the wagon as you pass by.
The students were able to feed and pet the animals as they listened to the tour guide provide several facts about many of the key animals they saw. The camels, llamas and zebras seemed to be the high point for many. The giraffes were a bit shy but a few people got to feed them if they were quiet enough to attract them.
The field trip was and end of semester trip that highlighted much of what the students had been studying in biology throughout this past semester.
Castle Rock Christmas "Singspiration"
Castle Rock Community Church held its annual Christmas "Singspiration" Sunday night. This night of fun and celebration includes a "karoke" time for anyone to come up and sing their favorite Christmas song, special music by our worship team and our children's Christmas program.
This year our kids put on an evening newscast to tell all about the events leading up to the birth of Jesus. In a short amount of time all of them learned their lines and put on a near flawless performance. God is good and not only to our kids learn about performing and public speaking, they hear the Gospel story and have the chance to present it to friends and family.
From all of us here in New Orleans, we'd like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for all of your prayers and support in 2009. We look forward with great anticipation to how God will use us in 2010.
Teddy Bear Tea
Castle Rock Community Church and Vineyard Christian Fellowship from Kenner, Louisiana, partnered this past weekend to put on a Teddy Bear Tea for young girls in our neighborhood. More than 30 girls, and some mothers, attended and enjoyed face painting, having their nails done, decorating cookies and teddy bears and a time to put on fun hats, scarves and jewlery.
They also heard the story A Tale of Three Trees which tells of three trees who have dreams of becoming very important things one day. Each tree ends up very different from their dreams, but each one is part of the life of Jesus.
It was amazing to watch our girls interact with each other in this different and sophisticated environment. They all took it very seriously and clearly enjoyed a chance to be girly and pretty. So many of these girls may have never had the chance to attend something like this, and even one of the mothers said it was her first tea.
A great thanks to all the ladies from Vineyard who put so much hard work into making this happen. It was a wonderful event and such a great opportunity for our girls!
Castle Rock celebrates Thanksgiving
Castle Rock Community Church held it's annual Thanksgiving dinner on November 24. This meal has always been a time to reach out to those in our community and to share a meal together. This year's event was another great success. We had a full house and an abundance of wonderful food.
Ms Bertha blessed us with a beautiful song as a reminder of all what we have to be thankful for. We welcomed many new faces and were also able to celebrate with old friends. As we look back on this year and all God has done in and through the church, we have so much to be thankful for. We have continued to see lives changed as we seek to connect with God, one another, service and the lost in our community.
First Hip Hop Service a success
Castle Rock Community Church held it's first Hip Hop Service Friday, November 13. Because rap and hip hop music are so prevalent in our community, we decided to try and reach out to a different demographic than we reach on Sunday mornings by offering a service filled with Christian rap and the gospel message.
Jeremy, Dingo and Jolly all grew up in the church and were on hand to perform several songs and Youth Pastor Tyrone Christoph presented a message. A wide variety of people came out for the service and most hung around for snacks and basketball following the service.
We plan to continue to improve this service by asking for imput from those who were present and those who might be interested in coming to this non-traditional church service. We plan to have another Hip Hop Service in January.
A trip to Green Bay
Youth Pastor Tyrone Christoph (right) and Director of Operations Terry Sistrunk (not pictured) recently visited Green Bay Community Church to share more about our youth programs, National Project and various other things we have coming up this next year.
It's always a blessing to be able to share what God is doing here with people from around the country and we are so thankful to all the hospitality Tyrone and Terry recieved. They both came back from the trip very encouraged and excited about continuing their work here in New Orleans.
UILA students get a hands-on biology lesson
Urban Impact Leadership Academy students recently received a bit of hands-on biology experience. In the past few weeks they've had an opportunity to dissect both a bull frog and a starfish at Tulane University.
Students have been learning all about different animals and how those animal's systems work. This lab gave them a chance to do a little more in depth exploring and get out of both the classroom and their textbooks.
Most students jumped right in and were eager to help cut and remove different parts, but some students took a little longer to warm up to the idea. By the end of the lab, though, everyone was fully engrossed in the project and they were able to work together.
20th Anniversary Celebration
We recently celebrated our 20th Anniversary with a weekend of celebration of what God has done in our neighborhood during the past 20 years. Several former staff and friends came from out of town and it was so good to talk not only about memories, but where the ministry is headed in the next 20 years.
Friday was filled with shopping for the ladies and golf for the guys and culminated with a cookout and a concert at the church which was a chance for Castle Rock members to reunite with friends from the past.
Saturday lunch was a time for current and former staff to get together and was followed by the challenge circle at the Melph housing project. The challenge circle has been at the core of what we do for the past 20 years and it was fun to get so many together to run it for the weekend.
Perhaps the highlight of the weekend was the banquet Saturday night where Dr. John Perkins was the keynote speaker. He has also been an integral part of the ministry and has helped lay the groundwork for urban ministry across the nation.
We also celebrated those who have followed God's leading and have made this ministry run for the past 20 years such as founder Glen Schrieber and long-time board memeber Alfred Young. We also honored Miranda Truehill, wife of the late Reverend Marshall Truehill who first introduced Glen to the housing projects in Central City.
We presented a "Lifetime Achievement Award" to George Nyholm who has been with the ministry from day one. He has served countless hours as a volunteer and he has been a blessing to all who have had the pleasure of knowing and working with him.
Thank you to all who came to celebrate and those who helped make this weekend such a success. To God be the glory for all he has done during these past 20 years, the lives he has changed and the blessing he has given those who have been a part of it all. We look forward to another fruitful 20 years!
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