Bible Impact Ministries (BIM)

For this paper, I choose to interview Jean Proll, Elijah Purnell, Alex Synder, Zach Perry, and Cynthia Bring. Jean Proll has been working with children ministries in her church for many years. I thought that she would be a good choice because she grew up in a completely different American culture than I had, so I thought she would have some good advice on how to deal with things changing, and different types or kids. I then decided to interview Elijah Purnell, because he lives in New Zealand and I thought it would be interesting to see how they lead the ministries and work in groups. I also thought it would be a good idea because I don’t know who God will bring into my path or where he will take me, so I would have some insight into another country’s culture when it comes to leadership in groups. Alex Synder has started a lot of groups around the community to help many people and she has also helped her brothers find Christ. She also has helped out the Christian students in our high school and help them start a before school Bible Study. Zach Perry was one of my choices because he led many small groups in his church and he helps many people get back on track with God. Cynthia Bing has been a devoted Christian from a very young age. She has started a women’s ministry at her church to bring the women of the church together.

At Eastbay camp, the children of the United Methodist Church join together with the children of The Baby Fold. They form bonds that touch hearts and inspire friendships. The camp experience is tailored to meet the individual needs of each child. After all, God

“Restoring At-Risk Communities,” written by John M. Perkins is a collaborative work of urban professionals in ministry, providing a blueprint for working in urban communities. It provides the personal expertise of so many to help fellow missionaries and those in ministry to develop a Christian community. In today’s culture, many of our cities are falling apart due to poverty, lack of education, lack of religion, and large amounts of people leaving for the suburbs. People who are being called to minister in the downtowns, or those who are already suffering in the trenches are struggling with how to reach the community for Christ. Perkins shares his personal experience of being on the frontlines of ministry, and the appropriate strategy to reaching those communities. He writes, “The desperate problems in America’s inner cities will not be resolved without strong commitment and risky action on the part of ordinary Christians with heroic faith” (Perkins, 1995).

Our goal is to help out in the freedom school in Mount Zion Methodist Church in Longdale. With a lot of courage and inspiration, I couldn’t wait. However, when I reached the church, I entered a comprehensive state of shock; I couldn’t believe my eyes. The freedom school was burned down. As a devoted Christian, I couldn’t believe that someone would burn down a church, the place of God! I stood there

More than 2,500 children, youth and adults from the Southern region and beyond gathered in Nashville, Tennessee, over Thanksgiving weekend for the “Celebration of the South” Conference sponsored by the Southern Regional Bahá’í Council. The spirit of love and fellowship, the learning from one another, and the uplifting music were nourishment for the souls of all those privileged to attend. Of special significance was a tribute to the Persian Bahá’ís who gave their lives for the Faith , and to their families.

Waves of people arrived with arms full of canned foods; I was simply amazed at the altruism and benevolence those people possessed. The groups of people formed a semicircle and the same coordinator who I was first introduced to earlier began speaking about the event. She proclaimed that the purpose of the event hosted today was to not only provide assistance to those in need today but for many years to come. She continued by giving her countless thanks to the groups who gave a helping hand and donated their time to the Jubilee Center, as well as the event. As I looked across the crowd of people, I noticed that there were some who were very young, some still in elementary school and others who appeared wise and sagacious. Despite the difference in age, there was one thing that grouped all the people there in common: they all shared a passion to support those in

Throughout the past four years I have had the fortunate pleasure to immerse myself in many extracurricular activities; however, one service project has truly changed my high school experience for the better. The summer before my sophomore year I volunteered as a teacher aide for my local parish's religious education classes. A month before the classes began I received a call from the administrator asking if I would work one-on-one with a third-grade boy with special needs. As a fifteen-year-old, I had very little experience working with children with autism; however, with the help of the young boy's former instructor and the administrator, I felt reassured that I had the ability to help this young boy who was so eager to learn about his faith.

As I mentioned, event number one occurred this past summer when my church youth group traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana, for a national Lutheran youth gathering. We departure on July 15th and arrived in New Orleans to meet and worship for a week with 25,000 other Lutheran youths from different states and across the world. Much had traveled from Germany, Hungary, and Canada. The lyrics ¨Every Sunday I see people filling in through those front doors, got a cross up on that steeple, yeah itś time to praise the Lord,” from The Saltwater Gospel by The Eli Young Band relates to my time in New Orleans, especially for a mass event at the Superdome, when 25,000 people came together. Each night, we would enjoy personal stories, skits, and songs about

The Art of Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus in a changing culture By Will McRaney, Jr. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Academic, 2003, 268 pp., $19.99 paper.

Seeing the way these young people were acting, dressing, and speaking made me realize, to an even greater degree, how important youth ministry is. These young people broke my heart that night as I realized how lost they must be. Many of them probably didn’t grow up in loving homes. Many of them may not even have homes to go to when they left the mall that night. What is truly heartbreaking is that many of them may have never had anyone share the Gospel with them. Their actions that night are only a result of the environment they’ve grown up in.

When I decided to volunteer for Crossroads Corporation, I was prepared to inspire the lives of children in need. However, I was not ready for the emotional and spiritual journey that was about to transpire. Voices for Girls focused on using religion, arts and crafts, and other activities to empower students to confront daily problems. Several girls’ lives were full of obstacles, not to mention the pressure of meeting societal norms. I was surprised to learn how one young lady overcame problems with a free and religious spirit. The perception of issues was either I can overcome my problems or will I allow problems to get the best of me. As I met each student, they shared stories about all of the voids in their life, not having a father and

The God-sized vision for my life and ministry is to fulfill the vision shared by my husband, which is to build a youth center for children that offers positive Christian values to enrich their lives and their families. Youth intervention has been a ministry of deep passion for the last six years of our life. Thomas and I decided we could no longer sit on the sidelines knowing we could do more to help children in need in the community. So we opened the doors of our fellowship hall to feed, clothe and tutor as needed to meet their needs. The non-profit, Integrity Unlimited CDC started with this outreach. Its mission is to invest in children, strengthen families, and build communities. The call of God on this

An excited shout echoes through Ford Field: “ELCA, are you ready for tonight?” Around me, I hear the roar of 30,000 Lutherans cheering in response. The noise is deafening, and being a part of it both gives me goose bumps and makes my heart race. I stand there in Ford Field, in awe of the sheer number of Lutherans surrounding me. As part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) National Youth Gathering in Detroit, each person in the crowd is my age and shares the same religious beliefs as I do. The energetic and unified atmosphere already has me smiling, and I can’t wait for the rest of my week in Detroit.

But, through all of this heartbreak, Harmony and her brother just radiate joy. Also when they open up about their lives, Team Browning was deeply touched. We were able to pray for them and remind them of the lesson that we went through in one of the previous kid's clubs, The Lord is our good Shepherd and he cares for us. There is redemption to their family too, a few months ago Harmony, her mother, her older sister, and her brother went to church and got baptized. Since then Harmony has come to Kids club most weeks eager to learn more about God, and she reads her Bible in class every day. When I asked her what her favorite book or story of the Bible was, she replied “Titus”, which she is reading through at the beginning of

At church, in addition to my participation in the worship services, I volunteered at our church’s soup kitchen, medical camps and elementary school for underprivileged children. These experiences opened my eyes to the deprivation of love and care in the world and a dire need of God’s grace for people at large so they could receive forgiveness, healing and restoration in their lives.