Mike Pastor Alvarez, a youth leader in his 30s, has worked with kids for years. He has helped them financially, worked
with their parents and brought many young people into his church. Barry's assistant in the Reach Out office knew him
from mission trips she had taken to Peru. She told Mike about Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry and sent him a copy
in Spanish. He read it and began to implement it. When Jill found out we had a team going to Arequipa, she told Mike
about it. We worked it out for him to attend and he brought four other leaders from his church with him. By the time he arrived at the JFYM Forum, he had basically implemented some of the principles. Attending the Forum helped him see more clearly what he needed to do. His first Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry book got so torn up that our leaders gave him another copy. He told us later:
I was given a free copy of the book since the one I had was in pretty bad shape from all its use, and it was like a water bottle to me!
The Need:
With 70% of its population made up of children and youth, Peru is a country of young people. One of the greatest challenges these young people face is education. Lower class youth struggle to have a chance at opportunity and they struggle to survive. The middle-class youth desire to create their own identity by looking for models to emulate. They are hungry to be something and to develop as an individual. On the other hand, young people from the upper class strive to maintain what they have because they have a fear of losing it. They focus on material things. The majority of Peru's children and young people live in urban areas and as a result they are affected by serious problems: alcohol, drugs, prostitution, child abandonment and gangs. All of these problems are compounded because of Peru's centralized government. With a lack of basic means of support and the government's abandonment of the educational sector and a lack of jobs, these social problems increase and intensify.
The Ministry:
Bill Winton's church has had a ministry in Peru for several years. When Bill became an Eagle Leader, he sensed God's leading to equip the youth leaders in Arequipa, the area of Peru where his church has their ministry. That first year Reach Out had the Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry Power Point translated into Spanish. Bill used it to teach 60 youth leaders. The next year, he decided to take his church youth ministry Leadership Team to Peru as the small group leaders. They trained seventy-nine youth leaders in a JFYM Forum. Since
then he has gone back each year, taking those who have implemented JFYM more in depth, and bringing in new leaders.
Each year his Leadership Team has helped lead. That has transformed both the youth leaders in the Arequipa area as well as
his own youth leaders. The momentum for the training builds each year. Last year they saw 100 youth leaders attend the Forum. Twenty
participants traveled fourteen hours by bus to attend. One pastor commented: The JFYM Forum has proven to be the catalyst for
significant growth in the discipleship of the youth here in Peru.
The Plan:
In 2007 Bill led a team back to Peru where he conducted a JFYM Forum for approximately sixty youth leaders. During this Forum Bill identified several potentail Eagle Leaders. These Eagle Leaders will be certified in 2008 and will mentor other youth leaders who will multiply Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry throughout Peru.
The Resources:
Working with World Hispanic Publishers, Reach Out has translated and printed these resources in Spanish:
Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry Training Kit
Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry
Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry Power Point
Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry CDs
Moving Toward Maturity Series
Getting Started
The other Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry resources in Spanish are being translated over the next two years.
With 70% of its population made up of children and youth, Peru is a country of young people. One of the greatest challenges these young people face is education. Lower class youth struggle to have a chance at opportunity and they struggle to survive. The middle-class youth desire to create their own identity by looking for models to emulate. They are hungry to be something and to develop as an individual. On the other hand, young people from the upper class strive to maintain what they have because they have a fear of losing it. They focus on material things. The majority of Peru's children and young people live in urban areas and as a result they are affected by serious problems: alcohol, drugs, prostitution, child abandonment and gangs. All of these problems are compounded because of Peru's centralized government. With a lack of basic means of support and the government's abandonment of the educational sector and a lack of jobs, these social problems increase and intensify.
Bill Winton's church has had a ministry in Peru for several years. When Bill became an Eagle Leader, he sensed God's leading to equip the youth leaders in Arequipa, the area of Peru where his church has their ministry. That first year Reach Out had the Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry Power Point translated into Spanish. Bill used it to teach 60 youth leaders. The next year, he decided to take his church youth ministry Leadership Team to Peru as the small group leaders. They trained seventy-nine youth leaders in a JFYM Forum. Since
then he has gone back each year, taking those who have implemented JFYM more in depth, and bringing in new leaders.
Each year his Leadership Team has helped lead. That has transformed both the youth leaders in the Arequipa area as well as
his own youth leaders. The momentum for the training builds each year. Last year they saw 100 youth leaders attend the Forum. Twenty
participants traveled fourteen hours by bus to attend. One pastor commented: The JFYM Forum has proven to be the catalyst for
significant growth in the discipleship of the youth here in Peru.
