by Ken Turner | Ministry Update
You meet so many people in life, but there are a few of those relationships that carry on forever.
My friend Joshua Goodling is one of those life-long friendships. We met in college, became friends, and God continues to use Joshua in my life on a weekly basis to strengthen my faith, and I believe He continues to use me in Joshua’s life in much the same way. It’s one of my “iron sharpens iron” relationships.
Have you ever met someone given “zero chance of survival?” I hadn’t until I met Joshua. You’ll need to read the story on his website because I can’t do it justice here. But at age four, his parents were informed his chance of living was zero, and he was given one week to live. That was in the 1960’s so as Joshua would say, “It’s been a long week.”
Over the past few years, Joshua’s life has taken many unexpected turns. After a very successful career as a web engineer with WebMD and then on to PGI, another international company based in Atlanta, he could not escape the burning desire to impact others for Christ by sharing his message of God’s power to overcome all obstacles.
Joshua has spoken to over 15,000 youth in the metro Atlanta area over the past few years. He receives invitations all school year long to talk to students and FCA clubs and entire school assemblies. He also speaks to churches and youth groups.
Today, at 12:00 noon, Joshua is signing the closing documents on his condo in Atlanta and plans to buy a truck and small RV and devote his life to sharing the message of God’s power to change lives to youth and adults.
Joshua has a contract to do web development projects for an Atlanta based company which helps provide for his needs, but there are some who have stepped up to support Joshua through our High Impact Teen outreach.
I wanted to share Joshua’s news with you, asking you to put Joshua on your prayer list and consider inviting Joshua to speak to youth in your community or at your church.
If you know of anyone with a smaller (20-24 foot) RV to sell, please pass that information along! Joshua is looking for a truck also.
Learn more about Joshua’s story, how to invite him as a speaker and how to support his ministry at JoshuaGoodling.com
You can also support Joshua through High Impact Teens by going to our giving page and making a donation today.
For Youth,
Ken Turner
High Impact Teens
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by Ken Turner | Ministry Update
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May 23, 2018
Our Ministry Partners Have Made This Possible
For ten years, Ken Turner Ministries, through our High Impact Teen youth outreach, has been ministering to high-risk and fatherless youth. Much of our impact has been through Bible studies, worship services, outreach events and one on one time invested in youth in our juvenile centers. Through volunteers and staff, we minister to youth in Tennessee, Indiana, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.
The Problem That Remains
We’ve learned so much in these ten years, and we’ve seen God do His miraculous work in the hearts of fatherless youth. Hundreds of youth have accepted Christ and are fatherless no more. But, there is still much work to be done. 85-90% of the youth we serve are fatherless, motherless or both. Many of them go back to the same environments after we reach them. These youth need a relationship with a caring, nurturing adult who will mentor and disciple them. There are twenty-eight juvenile centers in Tennessee alone and High Impact Teens ministers in the three long-term facilities in Knoxville, Nashville, and Memphis.
There are two great needs here:
1. The need for more adult mentors and disciple-makers who are specially trained for one on one ministry with fatherless youth and…
2. The need for more adult ministry volunteers who are specially trained to do regular ministry in juvenile centers as well as other places serving fatherless youth.
Our Solution To The Problem
Just over a year ago our ministry began a pursuit of high-level training to become better equipped to recruit, screen, train, and manage teams of mentors. Much of our training came from the Christian Association of Youth Mentoring (CAYM), an organization that has trained over 400 churches to do mentoring ministry. We are now working with churches and individuals in Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis and other cities to join us and be trained to minister to youth through mentoring. We are also ready to roll out online training for ministry to fatherless and high-risk youth that adults can complete being equipped to reach teens in their community. We are re-vamping our High Impact Teen journal which over 15,000 teens have used so far as their “spiritual growth plan” and found a structure to keep them on track in seven disciplines of spiritual growth. In addition to the online training for mentors, and training for fatherless ministry, we are also adding an online study for teens using the High Impact Teen journal to remain focused in on a weekly study method to maintain their commitment to Christ.
My Invitation To You
These youth among us have spiritual needs, and we believe you, and I can make a difference in their lives. You can get involved in ministry to the fatherless and experience the joy of serving and investing in their lives in a meaningful way. We believe fatherless youth can be “fatherless no more” by knowing God and seeing Him in us.
For youth,
Ken Turner
You can join us by…
- Donating today to support our outreach ministry, new training startup and provide HIT Spiritual Journals to youth.
- Sign up below to learn more about training for mentoring or ministry to the fatherless.
- Sign up below to be on our “prayer alert” list to receive prayer requests from the front-line of our ministry.
Donate online or by mailing a gift to: Ken Turner Ministries, PO Box 1325, Dayton, TN 37321
LEAVE US A MESSAGE:
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by Ken Turner | Mentoring, Ministry Update
Make a life-changing impact in the life of a teen!
We are currently looking for mentors in the following locations in Tennessee…
- Dyersburg, 1 male
- Knoxville, 2 males, 1 female
- LaVergne, 1 male, 1 female
- Lewisburg, 1 male
- Memphis, 1 male
- Sevierville, 1 male
- Chattanooga, 30-60
Contact us to learn more about our next mentor training or just to learn more.
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by Ken Turner | High Impact Stories, Ministry To Fatherless, Ministry Update, Word for Today
Yesterday, I was with a group of six high school boys in one of our outreach programs in a juvenile facility. Two of the six boys made this statement, “I’ve been on my own since I was twelve.”
They went on to explain they weren’t homeless since age twelve but they were “on their own” in the sense that their parents had essentially “checked out” on them by the time they were twelve. In some cases, fathers leave and never return and moms fall into crime or are battling addictions at such a deep level they can’t function well enough to be a parent.
There are no easy answers, but I’d like to hear from others who have overcome difficult circumstances like this. What advice would you give a teenager who said, “I’ve been taking care of myself since age twelve.”
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by Ken Turner | Faith, Ministry Update
Yesterday I was able to go “door to door” in a juvenile center here in Tennessee while escorted by security. Looking through a small window I saw boys napping, writing letters and some just thinking. I invited each one to join me when I come back to learn and study how to be the man God intended you to be. Some were skeptical, some were uninterested and some said please count me in. Each one is some man’s son. Each one has a mom. It won’t be easy… but each one can still find God’s path and have an an amazing life.
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by Ken Turner | Ministry Update
Our outreach is to high-risk youth. Our youth have great needs and one of the greatest needs is to be connected to a caring, trusted adult who will be a friend and guide them through the days ahead.
Last year we started down a path to fill in a gap that I’ve been very burdened about for several years. We began investing in the foundation of building a mentor outreach team that will eventually stretch all across the state of Tennessee and even beyond.
Our partners and consultants are the Christian Association of Youth Mentoring. CAYM has trained over 400 churches in the best practices of running highly successful church-based mentoring.
Recently Peter Vanacore, the Executive Director of CAYM made another trip to Tennessee from Boston, MA and we spent several days in meetings with those in the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services and church leaders from East Tennessee to give updates on our progress.
Our first round of mentor training was held in May and we trained church leaders in a sixteen hour CORE training in all aspects of recruiting, screening, training and managing a mentoring ministry.
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Ken Turner (left), Jim Henry (middle), Peter Vanacore (right)
We met with Jim Henry, Deputy to the Governor and Chief of Staff for the state of Tennessee. Mr. Henry has been a very valuable friend from the beginning of the project by giving us the larger vision of the needs of youth in Tennessee.
Our first phase in our mentor outreach is for youth in East Tennessee with a goal to expand to Middle Tennessee and West Tennessee.
If you are interested in mentoring, developing a mentoring program or sponsoring a teen who needs a mentor, please contact us! We are currently seeking partners to invest in the development of the mentor outreach. Prayers are appreciated as we speak with individual donors, corporate donors and foundations.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
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