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.
Saturday, December 15
Angel Tree Christmas Party at First Baptist Church, Kingston, TN (PRIVATE EVENT)
Saturday, December 15 Book Signing Event at Bimbo’s Restaurant, 7606 Rhea County Highway, Dayton, TN 37321 (Hwy. 27)
4:00-6:00 pm
Meet Inky Johnson, get an autograph and if you like you can purchase his book. Proceeds from the sale of Inky’s book will go to support the High Impact Teen youth outreach of Rhea County.
Sunday, December 16 Speaking at First United Methodist Church 993 Market Street, Dayton, TN 37321 at 9:00 am and at 11:00 am
PRESENTED BY HIGH IMPACT TEENS
www.highimpactteens.org
Author of Inky: An Amazing Story of Faith and Perseverance
With his unique talents, Inky seemed destined for the riches and glory of the National Football League. But his future was dramatically altered late in the fourth quarter in the game against the Air Force Academy. Inky Suffered a severe injury that threatened and ultimately altered his life, in a matter of seconds crushing the plans he had for a career in the NFL and beyond. Through it all, Inky never gave up hope or faith in the One who’s plans are perfect.
You’ll be moved by this incredible journey of a life filled with faith and perseverance that will make Inky Johnson a bigger hero today than he ever could have been with a stellar NFL career.
My friendship with Ken started over 20 years ago, during our days in college. Ken has always been an encouragement to me in my involvement in ministry to others. He motivates me to continue reaching others with the messages of God’s love and amazing grace.
When God provides more than we need in our lives financially, I feel it is so that we in turn can help others. I have ministered with Ken in detention centers and youth meetings, I and have seen first hand his love for young people and for those who are less fortunate than others. I believe 100% in what he is doing and consider it an honor to be able to support him financially and prayerfully in what God has called him to do. I’d like to invite you to join us and support this great ministry.
With the holidays approaching, it always seems to be the time that devotionals point us in the direction of
having “an attitude of gratitude,” and mine today was no different. My verse for the day was 2 Corinthians 9:10-11, “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”
I think I reread this verse ten times before I decided to start breaking it down to fully understand just what The Lord personally was saying to me. Basically, God is supplying the seed and bread, increasing my store of seed, and enlarging the harvest of righteousness, so that I will be enriched in every way. Hmmm, sounding good so far, “but why Lord, why do you chose to enrich me?” “Oh My Child, I have poured into you in such a generous way that if you chose to follow My example and live a life of generosity…” That’s not very hard to understand. The choice is mine to make and He is calling me to be generous.
In 2011 we met this precious couple, Ken and Jennifer Turner. After hearing their testimony, their passion for Christ, and their love for others, we wanted to be engaged in their ministry beyond “hearing,” beyond “watching,” and beyond “sharing.” In the words of my mentor, David Busby, We desired to “taste” of that which God had called them to and join them in the journey. Walt and I now serve on the board for High Impact Teens, but we have also chosen to stand beside Ken and Jennifer in the work that they are doing. The blessing has been ours and it has been more than a privilege to be on the HIT team.
We have been with Ken when he has shared in juvenile detention centers on what it means to “Man Up” and be a disciple for Christ. Approximately 90% of these young men do not have a father, but Ken shares with them about a Father that will never leave them nor forsake them and hope returns to their eyes and eventually their souls.
Two weeks ago, I was with Ken when he shared with hundreds of public school students in Rhea County and Roane County Tennessee “Your classmates are killing themselves.” Students are going home from school to commit suicide because the treatment they receive at school has become so intense they feel no hope for a life that is bearable. High Impact Teens brought in Kim Harvey of Angels and Doves, the National Anti-Bullying Program for schools and youth organizations, former University of Tennessee football player Inky Johnson as well as musician and songwriter Scott Roley of Franklin, Tennessee. The message was so powerful. Whether it is Character and Values Mentoring in court ordered alternative schools or Leading P3 Clubs (Positive Peer Pressure) in 8 county schools in TN, crying with a young man in the detention center who has no one to go home to, or engaging with athletic teams to play for reasons other than the earthly desire to win, Ken and Jennifer give of their lives to minister to others.
Our desire as a couple, and as a board, is that we have at least 100 individuals 10 corporate sponsors and 10 churches partnering with High Impact Teens on a monthly basis. This support team will provide a strong foundation of prayer and financial resources that will give Ken and Jennifer the opportunity to focus on that which God has called them to do …. minister to the least of these, love the broken hearted, and disciple and train up this generation of youth. Please pray earnestly about making an end of the year donation to this frontline ministry to fatherless youth. We also ask that you pray about becoming a monthly supporter. I can assure you that God is true to His Word and that your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Sincerely yours,
Walt and Diane Sirmans
Simpsonville, SC
864-525-6389
High Impact Teens Partners with National Anti-Bullying Program Angels and Doves
“Classmates are killing themselves… literally.” As I stood before hundreds of public school students in Rhea County and Roane County Tennessee to introduce Kim Harvey of Angels and Doves, the National Anti-Bullying Program for schools and youth organizations, I made the statement to the students… “Your classmates are killing themselves. All across America students are going home from school to commit suicide because the treatment they receive at school has become so intense they feel no hope for a life that is bearable, so they end it by taking their own life.”
The team of presenters not only included Kim Harvey of Angels and Doves based in Indianapolis, Indiana but also former University of Tennessee football player Inky Johnson as well as musician and songwriter Scott Roley of Franklin, Tennessee. Kim founded the Angels and Doves National Anti-Bullying Program and has presented her message in a way that has reshaped the culture on many school campuses. I met Kim at an event we participated in together in July 2012 at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center in Indianapolis focused on anti-violence. After Kim presented the keynote presentation on bullying to the students, Inky Johnson shared his story of incredible success as a UT football player who was on track to an illustrious NFL career but his life plans were altered when he made a tackle in his junior year at UT and almost lost his life from the injuries he received. Although his life was spared, he now lives daily with a paralyzed right arm. Inky’s message was powerful as he explained that he went from a person with incredible God-given athletic ability to a person with a disability. But, he is still just as valuable with or without the use of his right arm. He challenged the students to treat all classmates with respect and seek to know each other’s story of life. Scott Roley closed the presentation with a story about his dad and an anger problem that was passed down through the generations of his family. He sang a song he wrote about his dad and how he had taken his dad’s anger problem and embraced it and then passed it down. The song titled, “The Old Man Came Back Last Night” was a powerful closing message to all our students.
Our team made presentations in Spring City Middle School, Rhea Central, Roane County High School, Rockwood High School and Rockwood Middle School. Local businesses and churches sponsored our presentations in Rhea County and the Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition was our signature sponsor for the programs in Roane County.
“Tonight, about 40 percent of American children will go to sleep in homes in which their fathers do not live…” David Blankenhorn in his book “Fatherless America.”
Dear Friend,
First of all, thank you for taking a few minutes to visit our website and learn more about our ministry. We are an outreach ministry to youth and we have a special focus on high-risk youth, youth from broken homes and the fatherless.
I began developing this ministry in 2008 and have been in full-time youth ministry since 1987. Until 2008 most of my youth ministry experience was in the church, serving as a full-time youth pastor and eventually developing some key ministries focused on training parents and youth leaders. If you are want to know more about my ministry experience, here is a link to my Linked In business profile.
All those experiences were very rewarding but when God redirected my path into this new world of ministry, things changed drastically… ministry took on a whole new meaning. James 1:27 says it in a pretty unique way, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” After connecting with very high-risk youth in our community, I realized quickly that what I was doing was a ministry that was very close to the heart of God. Ministry to the fatherless.
If you visit the pages of our website you will see a lot of activity from 2008 until now. The needs are so great in the communities we serve, we get asked to do a lot of ministry partnering with others. You will notice my involvement as a speaker in All Pro Dad Father and Kids events, juvenile detention center chaplain ministry including major events as well as Bible studies and mentoring, and partnerships with local public schools. The simplest understanding of our scope of ministry is on a personal level I provide specialized ministry as a youth ministry chaplain to high-risk youth in the communities we serve and we provide mentoring, mentor training and discipleship. Our outreach into the public schools focuses on positive peer pressure, anti-drug and anti-bullying. We can make a big difference with your help.
The outreach we provide is funded by individuals, businesses and churches. Our goal is to have 100 individuals, 10 business partners and 10 churches supporting our ministry.
Would you join us as one of our partners in this mission? We would be excited to have you on our ministry team. Our monthly supporters can support what we do on a monthly basis for any amount from $15 per month on up to several hundred dollars per month.
Why not start today, investing in youth that need the message of the gospel, those who need a caring adult to walk with them side by side?
On a Monday night during our “Man Up” Bible study 6 teenage boys accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior! I was asked to bring the Bible study in to a different unit from what was scheduled. This Bible study is something I started about at the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center in Indianapolis. When I walked in to the room, one boy was kind of upset and let it be known that he was not interested in listening to a Bible study. So I opened in prayer and jumped right in. His countenance changed almost instantly and he started listening, asking questions and became very engaged. Other guys followed with that same desire to hear. It was one of the most amazing evidences of seeing the Holy Spirit work I have ever experienced. At the end 6 teenage boys asked to be saved. One boy walked up to me after we finished, he grabbed my hand and leaned toward my ear and said, “My name is Michael. I need you to remember my name a please continue to pray for me. Remember… it’s Michael.”
It kind of made me wonder if Michael has people in his life who really care for him, who pray for him and are willing to take his name to the throne of God.
When the Bible study ended the guys started applauding, thanking me and asking me to come back as soon as possible to share more. The applause was started by the guy who was so angry when I walked in to the room.
Oh, and the guy that was angry when we started… he’s a brother in Christ now too!
If you ever wonder if God really knows who you are and what is happening in your life right now… read Psalm 139. You will be amazed at what He has to say about the subject.
High Impact Teens was invited to be the official provider of mentors at the All Pro Dad Father and Kids NFL Experience held at the Indianapolis Colts training facility. The event was held on August 25. A limited number of fathers and kids were invited to attend and High Impact Teens was there to provide mentors for a group of young people who attended from Indianapolis without dads.
This special event was filmed for TV simulcast to be aired on January 13, 2013 at 1:00 PM.
Our ministry is blessed to have some great ministry partners! They are people who volunteer in various capacities throughout the year and those who make the commitment to support the ministry to make it all possible. Without our volunteers and donors we wouldn’t exist.
On a personal note, my weekend in Indianapolis was filled with a lot of “behind the scenes” experiences. I travelled from Tennessee up to Indy on Friday, August 24 to join Darrin Gray. Darrin is the National Development Director for All Pro Dad and one of my best friends. We met after I started our outreach ministry in Indianapolis a few years ago and we have chosen to share our “ministry platforms” together ever since. The weekend of events included me picking up Darrin at his house north of Indianapolis, loading up all kinds of books, displays and giveaways for a whirlwind of activities.
We headed over to the Colts Training Facility to meet with Derrick Boles of Leadership 1st and Lorenzo Neal. These guys were awesome to spend time with. We discussed some of our ministry goals, shared ideas about outreach and brainstormed about some ministry plans for the future. Derrick and Lorenzo are great guys and have a great vision for youth. And they are funny! We had a lot of laughs over the weekend.
We picked up Tony Dungy and Mark Merrill at the airport and headed straight to Riley Hospital for some visits with kids who are battling illness. Clark Kellogg met us at the hospital and our group got bigger and bigger. We were walking the halls with Tony Dungy, Clark Kellogg, Darrin Gray, Mark Merrill, Derrick Boles, Lorenzo Neal and key hospital staff members visiting kids.
We left the hospital and headed over the the Lucas Oil Mansion. Tony Dungy and Clark Kellogg spoke to a group of invited guests to raise money for Kids Voice.
Jersey Effect – High Impact Teen Weekend In South Carolina
David McEntire lives in my hometown of Blacksburg, SC. He has a big part in running the little league football programs in the community there. We connected through Facebook a few months ago and started discussing The Jersey Effect book. David invited me to come “home” for a few days and speak to the football players in our community. All my family still lives in the area and my parents still live at the same place where I grew up. It was a unique privilege to go home and connect with the community. I was in South Carolina Thursday, August 16 through Monday, August 20. Thursday evening I spoke to a stadium full of football players, parents, band members, cheerleaders and fans at the “Restore The Roar” event at Blacksburg High School. I was asked to speak and challenge the students and their families on the message of The Jersey Effect. The football field was not intended to be a field of selfishness and the jersey was not intended to bring glory to one who wears it so that it destroys his life. We all wear a jersey of influence and we are to be making a positive impact on those around us. A few area business leaders committed to sponsor giving a Jersey Effect book to all the Blacksburg Football players from JH through Varsity. Our youth outreach will continue a connection with these 90-100 youth throughout the school year. We are seeking only $250 more to complete the sponsorship of these youth.
On Friday evening I was invited over to Gaffney, SC which is the other high school in our county (Cherokee County.) I did a pre-game chapel service for the Gaffney Indians Football team. They are starting the season ranked #3 and have been one of the stronger programs Nationally for several years. God was clearly at work and it was an honor to have this sm
all ministry with them.
On Saturday the Cherokee County Little League Football program had their little league combine where the youth try out and get recruited and placed on the various teams. During the lunch hour, David McEntire met me there to introduce me to a lot of the coaches and volunteers that run the programs for the entire county.
Sunday morning I was with my friend Pastor Chip Coleman at Bishop Branch Baptist Church near Clemson, SC. We had a great service. Chip had me teach the high school and college students Sunday school class and present our ministry in the Sunday morning service. Later on Sunday evening I connected with Walt and Diane Sirmans in Greenville, SC. They are on our ministry board of directors and we spent time meeting a lot of their friends who have a heart for our ministry.
The Gaffney High School Football coaches would like to place the Jersey Effect book in the hands of all their players for this season. We are finding this to be a great tool to link our youth outreach to athletes. If you are interested in this project and would like to have a part in the investment in these young men, please contact me to discuss how you can help.
The Jersey Effect Weekend in Tennessee with High Impact Teens Reaches Out To 6000+
When we put our heads together to begin writing the book, “The Jersey Effect”, we wondered what kind of response the book would receive once it was in the market. It’s been great to see how God has used the message already. Our publisher printed 5000 books and released it on June 1, 2012. As of this week those books are essentially sold out and a new printing of 3000 more are already in the warehouse.
Darrin Gray and Hunter Smith joined me in Dayton, Tennessee the weekend of August 11, 12 and 13. We scheduled 7 events in 48 hours around the message of The Jersey Effect. On Saturday evening Hunter spoke at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga to several thousand at the high school football jamboree. We did two church services on Sunday morning and an area wide youth rally on Sunday night. We rented out the Roane State Community College gymnasium in Harriman, TN and had over 500 in attendance. The evening youth rally was in partnership with The ONE Youth Rallies of Roane County. Monday we hosted a breakfast with local business leaders and did a school assembly at Spring City Middle School and led a leadership session at Roane County High School kicking off their P3 Student Leadership groups for their 2012-2013 school year. P3 stands for Positive Peer Pressure and our ministry will be overseeing much of the program this year for the school clubs.
One of the highlights of the weekend was the generous sponsorships we received from area businesses and individuals. La-Z-Boy, First Bank of Tennessee, Community National Bank, Dayton Utilities, uthStuph Clothing, Rhea County Anti-Drug Coalition, Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition and the support of Cardinal Contracting of Indiana were all great sponsors. Jerry Duncan Ford sponsored the purchase of 400 Jersey Effect books to be given to all teens who attended the youth rally. The teens who received the books signed a commitment card to read the book with an open heart to receive the message God would have for them. We also have all the names, addresses and emails to add to our youth outreach e-newsletter for teens so we can continue to follow up and disciple them. We will be connecting all of them who do not have a church home to youth groups in the area.
Sincerely yours,
