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Winter 2010
Dear friends,
I have had the privilege of teaching in the public school system in Louisville Kentucky this last year. One day I was substitute teaching in a 8th grade classroom when I heard a girl offer her body to a couple of guys in the classroom. The actual words she said are too explicit to write out. It was shocking! My heart was broken for this girl. All I could think is, "What is going through her head and why would she say that? I asked her to go out into the hall way and she flippantly said "I was just kidding", with a smile on her face. At that very moment I thought to myself how do I connect truth to this girl, we obviously were on two different pages. What page is this generation on? Students today are living in a very divided world. If you have any connections with teenagers you will notice their addictive relationship to their cell phones and this modern activity we call texting
American teenagers sent and received an average of 2,272 text messages per month in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to the Nielsen Company — almost 80 messages a day, more than double the average of a year earlier. Youth of today are always "on" and never unplugged! Communications happens faster today and with more people then ever before, but with no real connection. I believe that the real need of youth today is true community and adventure vs. the cyber community and adventure that many students are exploring. They are searching for something else because the worldwide Cyber community and video gaming world leaves them feeling somehow ripped off. Youth of today are bored and technology is not quenching their thirst for a challenge that pushes them physically, emotionally and spiritually.
I am working on my thesis for my masters in Adventure Education. This thesis asks the question; “Is technology sabotaging students' journey to create healthy community.” The technology world offers another place for students to hide in and have pseudo community and a divided life in my opinion. At the core of community is relationship that comes out of an undivided heart, focus and attention. In other words if you go to sleep half way then we get no real rest. If we seek God with a divided heart we never get to experience all He has for us. My passion for working with students has been driving me since I was a teenager myself and as I continue on my journey this month I started an internship with Sojourn Community church which gives me a launching pad to jump back into connecting Christ to this generation. My passion is to create transformational experiences for un-churched students and create a bridge from church into public schools. My role will focus on three main areas of development.
· Assist Gary Almon the student pastor, in leadership and vision development of Quest Student ministries of Sojourn community church.
· Public and Private School Campus Ministry-Designing and building a self sustainable non-profit focused on building community in public high schools and middle schools initially focused on the Louisville and Southern Indiana school districts. The non-profit would be an effective bridge between public schools and the local church. The goal would be to launch this non-profit fall of 2010 after building the vision and team in the community of Sojourn Community church.
· Student Ministry Outreach
·
I will need to raise 2000 dollars a month to cover my expenses during this internship. Please keep me in your prayers.
Thank you for joining me in this faith journey as I begin this internship after being with Christian Associate International for over 10 years. My journey with Christian Associates has been life changing starting from student pastor at Crossroads International church starting the pump café which helped launch youth café in Germany and Romania. There was even a team from Texas who caught a vision while being in Amsterdam and they started a pump youth center in their community. God opened so many doors as we started camp juice snowboard camps and camp juice summer which blossomed into True Life Adventures. The other day one my former students e-mailed for prayer as they are starting a church plant in South Africa. Here are some visuals of my journey over the past 10 years in ministry with Christian Associates.
Dear friends,
I have had the privilege of teaching in the public school system in Louisville Kentucky this last year. One day I was substitute teaching in a 8th grade classroom when I heard a girl offer her body to a couple of guys in the classroom. The actual words she said are too explicit to write out. It was shocking! My heart was broken for this girl. All I could think is, "What is going through her head and why would she say that? I asked her to go out into the hall way and she flippantly said "I was just kidding", with a smile on her face. At that very moment I thought to myself how do I connect truth to this girl, we obviously were on two different pages. What page is this generation on? Students today are living in a very divided world. If you have any connections with teenagers you will notice their addictive relationship to their cell phones and this modern activity we call texting
American teenagers sent and received an average of 2,272 text messages per month in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to the Nielsen Company — almost 80 messages a day, more than double the average of a year earlier. Youth of today are always "on" and never unplugged! Communications happens faster today and with more people then ever before, but with no real connection. I believe that the real need of youth today is true community and adventure vs. the cyber community and adventure that many students are exploring. They are searching for something else because the worldwide Cyber community and video gaming world leaves them feeling somehow ripped off. Youth of today are bored and technology is not quenching their thirst for a challenge that pushes them physically, emotionally and spiritually.
I am working on my thesis for my masters in Adventure Education. This thesis asks the question; “Is technology sabotaging students' journey to create healthy community.” The technology world offers another place for students to hide in and have pseudo community and a divided life in my opinion. At the core of community is relationship that comes out of an undivided heart, focus and attention. In other words if you go to sleep half way then we get no real rest. If we seek God with a divided heart we never get to experience all He has for us. My passion for working with students has been driving me since I was a teenager myself and as I continue on my journey this month I started an internship with Sojourn Community church which gives me a launching pad to jump back into connecting Christ to this generation. My passion is to create transformational experiences for un-churched students and create a bridge from church into public schools. My role will focus on three main areas of development.
· Assist Gary Almon the student pastor, in leadership and vision development of Quest Student ministries of Sojourn community church.
· Public and Private School Campus Ministry-Designing and building a self sustainable non-profit focused on building community in public high schools and middle schools initially focused on the Louisville and Southern Indiana school districts. The non-profit would be an effective bridge between public schools and the local church. The goal would be to launch this non-profit fall of 2010 after building the vision and team in the community of Sojourn Community church.
· Student Ministry Outreach
·
I will need to raise 2000 dollars a month to cover my expenses during this internship. Please keep me in your prayers.
Thank you for joining me in this faith journey as I begin this internship after being with Christian Associate International for over 10 years. My journey with Christian Associates has been life changing starting from student pastor at Crossroads International church starting the pump café which helped launch youth café in Germany and Romania. There was even a team from Texas who caught a vision while being in Amsterdam and they started a pump youth center in their community. God opened so many doors as we started camp juice snowboard camps and camp juice summer which blossomed into True Life Adventures. The other day one my former students e-mailed for prayer as they are starting a church plant in South Africa. Here are some visuals of my journey over the past 10 years in ministry with Christian Associates.
(FOR MORE PICTURESAND STORIES FROM MY JOURNEY GO TO MY FACEBOOK PAGE JEREMY ISOM)
Quotes from the adventures:
A 15 year old Mexican girl on our snowboard camp who was adopted by Dutch and American parents committed your life to Christ on the last day of the camp.
One student went home and confronted a bully at school after learning and experiencing the value of compassion.
“Best week of my life”
“I am Muslim but the best week of my life is hanging out with Christians and learning of Jesus”
“I learned this week that I am lost and I need Jesus”
“I danced for the first time in my life”
God is so good and I have so much to be thankful even in the unexpected places. I am trying to follow God’s redemptive journey through places that don’t make sense. My heart is broken for this generation. Thank you for continued prayer for my kids and God’s provision for this next adventure.
Embracing,
Jeremy Isom
www.sojournchurch.com
isomjeremy@gmail.com
Facebook: Jeremy Isom
http://thedownwardmobility.blogspot.com
615 483-1818
Funds can be sent to Sojourn community church 930 Mary Street Louisville, KY 40204 in the memo put quest internship.
Quotes from the adventures:
A 15 year old Mexican girl on our snowboard camp who was adopted by Dutch and American parents committed your life to Christ on the last day of the camp.
One student went home and confronted a bully at school after learning and experiencing the value of compassion.
“Best week of my life”
“I am Muslim but the best week of my life is hanging out with Christians and learning of Jesus”
“I learned this week that I am lost and I need Jesus”
“I danced for the first time in my life”
God is so good and I have so much to be thankful even in the unexpected places. I am trying to follow God’s redemptive journey through places that don’t make sense. My heart is broken for this generation. Thank you for continued prayer for my kids and God’s provision for this next adventure.
Embracing,
Jeremy Isom
www.sojournchurch.com
isomjeremy@gmail.com
Facebook: Jeremy Isom
http://thedownwardmobility.blogspot.com
615 483-1818
Funds can be sent to Sojourn community church 930 Mary Street Louisville, KY 40204 in the memo put quest internship.
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