A Look Back At 2012

by Ken Turner | Ministry Update

Ken Turner Ministries * PO Box 1325 * Dayton, TN 37321
www.kenturnerministries.org * email: kenturner@highimpactteens.org

A Look Back At 2012

In January 2012 we held the first ever Parent – Teen Conference at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center in Indianapolis. We had a powerful line-up of speakers like former Penn State wide receiver (and NFL) player Freddie Scott II, Ramon Presson, family and marriage counselor, founder of Life-Change and The Marriage Center of Franklin, TN, Charles Juma, director of East Africa Region for Reach-Out Youth Solutions, Inky Johnson, former UT Football player and author of Inky, A Story of Faith and Perseverance.

In February I spent a few days in Indianapolis participating in some very unique Super Bowl activities with Darrin Gray of All Pro Dad. Although I didn’t get to attend the Super Bowl, Darrin and I did several events together leading up to the game including an event with the Children’s Museum and spent time meeting with those in the Super Bowl Media Center spreading the word about our book, The Jersey Effect which was to be released in June.

In March we hosted the NACA National Basketball Tournaments at Fort Bluff Camp where I served as the Chaplain of the NACA. We ministered to several hundred high school players and saw many come to Christ. I also travelled to Dallas, Texas to spend some time with Dewayne Washington who is the founder of The Gentlemen’s Society, a mentoring program for hundreds on inner-city youth. Bob Lepine of Family Life Today Radio was there filming a story on Dewayne and his ministry.

In April we took time to go to Palm Beach, Florida with Diane Sirmans, one of our board members, to visit Place of Hope, a neighborhood of homes for youth who have been displaced from their parents. We also met with the staff and toured Urban Youth Impact, a youth center that is doing an amazing work with youth in the poor neighborhoods of West Palm Beach. After these trips, I transitioned from my office at Fort Bluff Camp and set up my new youth outreach office on Main Street in Dayton, TN.

In May, June and July we began the intense work of setting up the re-launch of our outreach ministry in Tennessee. I spent time speaking at churches in Tennessee for special graduation services, meeting with new and potential ministry supporters and developing new partnerships in the community.

The Jersey Effect Book was released during the first week of June and the first 5000 copies sold out by September and an additional 3000 were printed are are selling very well. It has been great to see the book do so well after working about 18 months on it with Hunter Smith and Darrin Gray as well as Stephen Copeland.

In July I participated in a major event at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center in Indianapolis on anti-violence. It was great to be back in the facility and reconnect with great friends there.

We held seven events in 48 hours in August with Darrin Gray of All Pro Dad and Hunter Smith, former Indianapolis Colt. These were “Jersey Effect” youth rallies and ministry events and we were in front of several thousand people in just a couple of days.

In August I was invited back to my home town of Blacksburg, SC to speak at a “Jersey Effect” event for our football players at the high school football stadium and also for the Gaffney Indians Varsity football team chapel service. I preached at Bishop Branch Baptist Church near Clemson, SC on that Sunday.

The last weekend of August, I was back in Indianapolis for a very special mentoring opportunity. Our outreach ministry was asked to provide mentors for about 10 fatherless youth to attend the filming of the TV Simulcast, All Pro Dad Father and Kids NFL Experience at the Indianapolis Colts facility. The TV simulcast will be shown in churches all over America just before the Super Bowl in February of this next year. It was an honor to spend the weekend with Tony Dungy, Clark Kellogg, Lorenzo Neal, Hunter Smith (former NFL players) and my good friend Darrin Gray. One thing that was really special for me was to have about 10 of my friends and ministry supporters come along as mentors for the youth.

This fall we were able to get our “feet on the ground” and start getting more ministry momentum right here in our community in East Tennessee. We held 5 school assemblies this fall with the National Angels and Doves Organization after bringing them here to Tennessee from Indianapolis to address bullying in the schools. I was able to invest this fall in our varsity football team by providing some chapel services for them, I spoke several times in our public schools on values, character and goals and have started a special mentoring session with a group of students I meet with regularly at the alternative school in the county just north of us. These students have all been placed through juvenile court and have great needs.

As we wrap up the last few weeks of 2012 I am getting ready to bring Inky Johnson back to town this coming weekend for a special Christmas party event with Angel Tree ministries where 57 youth who have a parent in prison will receive Christmas gifts. We will be doing a book signing event, a church service and then flying out on Monday morning to speak at a church in Scottsdale Arizona on Monday night as part of a special campaign called Stand Up America, along with Derrick Boles (former professional basketball player), “Papa Joe” Bradford who ministers to inner city youth in Nashville and was the basis of the new movie “Unconditional” along with Scott Roley of Franklin, TN. We have been asked to present the message to encourage others to stand up in their communities and help our hurting youth. Pray for us.

We are excited about 2013 and plan to start our parent ministry and discipleship/mentoring ministry here in our community as we move in to the new year.