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April - June '07

Well it’s crazy how fast this year seems to be going with so many exciting things happening for Not Ashamed Youth in the first 3 months of 2007. The year started with my wife Deborah and I coming to a place where we felt God was moving us on from our role as Youth Pastor of Howick Baptist Church where we had served for the past 5 years. This was something that God had been laying on our hearts with a growing sense over the last 2 years and when I handed in my resignation it was a real step of faith as we had no idea what this next season was going to hold but just a real sense of peace and excitement that we were walking with God.

We went into the Parachute Music Festival weekend at the end of January with the thought at the back of our minds of using the weekend as a temperature gauge to see what God had in store for Not Ashamed Youth. Was God also bringing this season to an end like Howick or was this the next step, taking Not Ashamed Youth to the next level if you like, holding it loosely and seeing what God would do. We had some fantastic promotions over the weekend on the Mainstage big screens sharing the dream of Not Ashamed Youth and the meaning behind the logo as well as a presence in the weekend program magazine and of course a big Not Ashamed Youth shop in The Village selling all the Not Ashamed Youth merchandise and profiling the ministry through conversations and through our promotional brochure.

Coming out of that weekend, all the feedback, conversations and just how well it had gone for Not Ashamed Youth certainly showed us that this was merely the beginning of what I believe is the journey God has for us. To inspire, empower, equip and encourage young people to be all they can be in God, living out their faith in everyday life and full on for Him, Not Ashamed of Jesus, Not Ashamed of the Gospel and Not Ashamed to Live It!

Through conversations had at Parachute Not Ashamed Youth is being featured in both the Joy magazine and Soul Purpose, so keep an eye out for those as well as an invite for Not Ashamed Youth to have a presence at CTC in Wellington over Queens Birthday Weekend.

Other things on the go are we are just about to head to Mystery Creek Hamilton to be a part of the big BYM Easter Camp held there. We are also talking to UnderGround Music who are based in the Waikato about potentially being involved in their radio show on a weekly basis and have also had an approach from a Christian Youth Magazine in the States about profiling Not Ashamed Youth in America.

Our weekly devotional Not Ashamed Youth Inspire continues to really speak into the lives of young people with just over 800 people receiving it via email each week. We also know of a growing number of Youth Pastors who forward it onto their entire Youth Ministries and others who use it as their opening devotions for their Youth Nights.

As you can see on the preaching page we are getting more and more requests for preaching which is fantastic as that is something I am passionate about, the awesome opportunity to speak into the lives of young people (and at times not so young) for God. I was in Warkworth at the end of March preaching in a Youth Rally and had ¾ of the people come forward during the response time, praise the Lord!

Over these past few months as Deborah and I prayed “where to from here” there was a growing sense to protect this time and my focus, to see this time as a real gift and instead of stepping into some of the roles that were out there, to really spend this time developing the ministry of Not Ashamed Youth. It certainly is exciting how God is continuing to provide for this ministry as well as for our family and continues to open exciting doors for the vision of Not Ashamed Youth.

It was in Warkworth where I was asked the question, “So what’s the next step for Not Ashamed Youth?” The answer to that is we want to get Not Ashamed Youth to a place where it has a strong presence in Youth Ministry New Zealand. Where you could look at any number of Youth Ministries throughout the country and see different aspects of Not Ashamed Youth in what they are doing. Whether that is in their Youth Ministry using Not Ashamed Youth Bible study resources, their young people are receiving Not Ashamed Youth Inspire, where we may have preached in their Church services or Youth camps, or they are wearing Not Ashamed Youth merchandise as a statement of how they live their life. Because in it all we are passionate about seeing young people being all they can be in God and living out their faith in everyday life that we may see a generation of young people rise up who are full on for God, Not Ashamed of Jesus, Not Ashamed of the Gospel and Not Ashamed to Live It!

It is certainly a big picture vision and one of the great things about Not Ashamed Youth is that it is a heartbeat that is cross cultural, cross gender, cross denominations and with God the sky is the limit.

So in writing this I want to encourage you to think and pray about joining the growing family of Not Ashamed Youth financial supporters, investing into the lives of young people through the ministry of Not Ashamed Youth inspiring our youth to be all they can be in Him! That through your giving and prayer, together we may see the vision of Not Ashamed Youth become a reality, a generation of young people full on for God, Not Ashamed of Jesus, Not Ashamed of the Gospel and Not Ashamed to Live It! If you would like to find out more about supporting Not Ashamed Youth then please click here.

I believe Not Ashamed Youth is a new thing God is rising up and using to speak into the lives of young people not only within New Zealand but also in other parts of the world! It’s been a journey over the past 4 years bringing us to this place but like I said at the start, this is just the beginning and God continues to open the doors taking it from strength to strength!

To God be the glory for ever and ever, Amen!

Bless ya heaps and take care,

Andrew.