Empowering Young People

One of the most amazing things about having the privilege of mentoring at-risk youth over the past six years has been the gift of watching the mentees develop into empowered young people who are ready to succeed in life. God has opened the door to be able to mentor kids living in urban poverty, kids who are homeless, kids who are angry, kids who are desperate... the kids who would have normally fallen through the cracks of society. It has been heartbreaking to watch kids struggle through many ups and downs, but it has been remarkable to watch these resilient kids go through a profound process of transformation. Yes, many of the young people I work with face many challenges. However, they are becoming empowered to take on those challenges and overcome them. This is the work of the church in urban environments. Roberth Linthicum writes, "When the church builds networks between the poor and people of power which result in the observable improvement of the life of the poor, the gospel gains a credibility all the preaching by the church cannot provide. When self-confidence and self-respect of the poor are raised by networking to solve their own problems, the gospel gains a new hearing. It is a hearing based upon the respect the church has shown the poor. They are not objects to be ministered to, but people capable of taking charge of their own lives." I know God has big plans in store for the young people that I've had the joy of spending time with in Homewood.