National Mentoring Month...

[continued at MentorYouth.com]

Transforming Indiana... recruiting mentors.

[Subsequent note... Learn about the new '1,000 Mentors' recruiting initiative growing out of all this.]

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"American children are more likely to be murdered, poor, pregnant, drug-dependent or incarcerated than the children of any other industrialized country."



[The following are notes taken during Tuesday's meeting of the Transform Indiana ministry networking meeting.]

Today's special speaker, is Dr. Virgil Gulker, Founder of Kids Hope, USA. He comes to us via our Transform Indiana connection in Grant County (Marion)... Jack Brady, a CBMC leader in the city, who also serves on the Advisory Commission for the Governor's Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives.

Some background on how/why we're here today...

Pastor James Carter... outreach director for our host church today, Oasis of Hope Baptist Church... updated everyone regarding our vision to help recruit 1,000 mentors among the various mentoring programs for the inner-city here in Indianapolis.

"Invest now, rather than pay later." The costs of losing these at-risk kids can be as high as $60,000 per year for kids dropping out of school, and almost certainly finding their way into jail."

Chip Neihdigh... also spoke of the early efforts to try to develop a pilot project... develop sustainability... learn lessons... and then scale up. This project is getting a favorable hearing in the IPS school system, which greatly encourages people who care, to get involved in these young lives.

There are lots of existing mentoring programs -- and too few mentors; so we're not out to reinvent the mentoring wheel... but rather, come alongside them and leverage our growing Christian network to FIND people who are willing to invest themselves in the lives of young people.

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Jack 'warmed us up' by sharing about Grant County's successful experience with Kids Hope, USA. They are now the first county in the country to tie a church to every single school in the area for the purpose of mentoring young students.

Dr. Gulker provided handouts and a power-point presentation, reviewing many of the key statistics reflecting the need, their solution, and how any church can get involved in this productive ministry.

Here's a well-written Christianity Today article about Kids Hope USA.


Ministries & Other Programs represented today:
Oasis of Hope Baptist Church (host)
Kids Hope, USA
Indiana Christian News
IndyChristian.com
Christian Businessmen of Indiana
Crossroads Bible College
TheHopeTeam
Church Federation
Child Evangelism Fellowship
Indiana Family Institute
Kids Games
Trusted Partners
Prison Fellowship
Indiana Wesleyan University
Choices
Common Ground
New Song Mission
Ken Johnson Ministries
Student Venture
Ministry Support Concepts

"Churches pray, pay and give stuff away -- but too seldom get personally involved to change lives."

We're talking one hour in-school, per week.

Fredrick Douglas quote: "It's easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."

"Bad news is... we have ___ schools waiting on churches. The opportunity for the Church of Jesus Christ right now is at hand."

As you prayerfully consider how your church can get involved... go to the KidsHopeUSA.org site and fill out the contact form, requesting a DVD.

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." [Matt 9:36--37)

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Subsequent Note: We're now compiling great Tutor/Mentor Links at WhenYouNeedSomeone.com.

It's getting more official all the 'time'...

[continued at IndyStar.com]

Clickable State-map Updated...

TI meeting Tues noon, Jan.17th at Oasis of Hope

Greetings

Our first Transform Indiana meeting of the New Year will be next Tuesday, January 17, from 12noon – 2pm at Oasis of Hope Baptist Church, 1701 East 25th Street. Their number is 317-925-6970, if you get lost.

Our focus will be on Mentoring Young People. We’ll bring you up to date on the 1000 Mentors program, and we will have, as our special guest speaker, the Founder of Kids Hope USA, Virgil Gulker. His bio is attached.

This quote is from a businessman who has been a KIDS HOPE USA mentor for 11 years:
“There are lots of people like me, Christians who want to make a difference in the life of a child. Give us a time and a place and we’ll be there.”

Lots and lots of Christian men and women want to love a child but they just don’t know how to make the connection. KIDS HOPE USA provides that connection.

Come next Tuesday to find out how you, or someone you know, can make a difference in the life of a child. Dr Perkins told us the answers to the problems that plague our communities are about the family. “Fix the family, and you fix a whole lot of problems.” Mentoring is one part of the family-fixing process.

As always, it’s BYOL... Bring Your Own Lunch!

Blessings

Eldon

Governors Prayer Team -- Indiana

[Ed. Note: As the several statewide prayer teams increasingly get involved in the Transform Indiana ministry network of Bible-believing pastors, leaders and other innovative Christians accelerating the Great Commission throughout our state, we'll be featuring them here. Today, we're featuring the Governors Prayer Team for Indiana. The national director for GPT is Tom Walker, also a Hoosier, from Brownsburg Indiana.]



Hello, I am Nita Scoggan the State Prayer Leader for the Governors' Prayer Team. I urge you and look forward to joining together with you in praying for our leaders.
[continued at Governors Prayer Team - Indiana]