Youth Outreach Challenge

Why do we do outreach? I've reflected over this questions several times over the course of the past six months.

It's not a numbers thing. We don't do outreach for the sake of getting bigger as a group. What good is growing larger as a group if we're not making a change in the lives of those we touch? No, we don't do outreach because bigger numbers are more impressive to the outside world.

It's not a cool thing either. Sure, you can do more stuff when you have more people. But what good is all the entertainment in the world if people aren't coming any closer to Christ? No, we don't do outreach so that we can be the coolest youth group in town.

We do outreach as a matter of obedience - Jesus tells us to make disciples. We do outreach because we have something that is so valuable, so important, that we can't keep it to ourselves. I'm reminded of an old Steven Curtis Chapman song, which is strange because I don't even really listen to SCC. But the song starts out by giving a scenario in which a person goes on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and wins the million dollars, but then they put it in a coffee can and bury it in the backyard. They don't tell anybody about it. What good does it do to win a million dollars and then do nothing with it? We have something all the more valuable - Jesus Christ.

We do outreach because we have something so valuable in Jesus Christ that we can't help but tell other people about it. We do outreach because Jesus has made such a profound impact in our lives that it would be selfish to not tell anybody else about Him. We do outreach because Jesus did outreach. He saved the least, the last and the lost. All of heaven rejoices when just one sinner comes to repentance. Imagine the party in heaven when many more come to know Christ.

Because of this, Emmanuel Student Ministries is doing something amazing. We're giving away two free trips. Because outreach is so vital in the life of ESM, we're putting $300+ dollars on the line. It's called the Youth Outreach Challenge, and here's how it works:

For each new friend that comes to an ESM event (be it the Super Bowl party, an open gym night, Sunday evening youth group, etc.) the person that brought them will receive one point. The new person does have to fill out an information card and give you credit for bringing them. For the first five events that this person comes to, the one who brought them will get a point. Following the fifth event, the new person is eligible to take part in the Youth Outreach Challenge.

The Jr. High and the Sr. High students who have the most points on June 8th will be the winners of the free Spirit Song trips.

Remember, while there is a reward for bringing people, don't bring them because big numbers are impressive; don't bring them just because we're doing something "cool"; don't bring them for the sole purpose of winning a free trip. Bring them because you care about them. Bring them because you have something that is more impressive than big numbers, bring them because you know someone that is cooler than anything in the world, bring them because you know Jesus Christ and you care about them enough to want them to know him as well.