Friends,
Your investment in the Center for Youth Ministry Training continues to pay huge dividends and we are grateful for your support. Recently, I was presenting the CYMT partner church program to a church in West Tennessee. As folks were arriving, one gentleman sat down and read our tagline on the screen: “Because good youth ministry doesn’t just happen. That’s for sure!”
I couldn’t agree with him more. CYMT celebrates our seventh anniversary in March and we are currently finalizing our eighth class of graduate residents for this fall. We are privileged to help churches and youth ministers do the hard work of building effective youth ministries. But it is hard work. Guiding, training, teaching, and walking with young youth ministers in their first three years is rewarding and challenging. Helping churches get organized, focused, and equipped to support a youth ministry is essential for building sustainable youth ministries; but it is hard work and it certainly “doesn’t just happen.”
One of our first year graduate residents had the privilege of praying with one of her youth as he made the commitment to follow Christ. I am grateful for each one of your investments that makes moments like this possible, because the end goal of CYMT’s mission and ministry to and with youth ministers and churches is to reach youth with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
CYMT will launch a Foundation Campaign this month with a goal of raising $5 million by September 1 to endow a youth ministry professorship, rural and urban partner church grants, and to create spiritual venture capital to expand our ministry. We will be sending you more information about this campaign in the coming weeks.
Finally, I would ask that you keep the staff, residents, and partner churches of the CYMT program in your prayers!
Serving Christ,
Dietrich “Deech” Kirk
Executive Director