Word of Life Nigeria News Journal 2020

S W L E N RNA

U O J 20 20

CONTENT

Table of Vision & Mission Brief History The Team Ministries Camps Evangelism Leadership Development Training Local Church Ministries Fulani Ministries Blogposts Resources Volunteer With Us Partner With Us

VISION The evangelization and discipleship of youth through various means consistent with the Holy Scriptures to help build and strengthen the Church of Jesus Christ.

MISSION

Creating faith-deďŹ ning experience, giving youths, students and families opportunities to encounter God and grow in their Spiritual walk.

The story of Word of Life starts with the vision of Jack Wyrtzen, who believed, “It is the responsibility of every generation to reach their generation for Christ.”

Jack founded Word of Life Fellowship in 1940 as an outgrowth of a Bible Study. Over the next 75 years, Word of Life added camps, conference centers, Bible institutes, and church youth ministries spanning 70 countries. Over 1400+ missionaries continue to reach the next generation for Christ.

WORD OF LIFE NIGERIA Word of Life Nigeria began in November 2000 through the desire of Peter and Bette Verkaik to reach the Fulani people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Since that time several exciting things have been happening in this country and ministry.

This opened doors for the Word of Life Bible clubs, Open Air and Discipleship Training Center and Leadership Development Training.

aboutus

WORD OF LIFE INTERNATIONAL

In the first 5 years of the Ministry, more than 50,000 young people accepted Christ as their Savior. From 2000 until date, Word of Life Nigeria grew from a ministry to the Fulani people to Youth of Nigeria and West Africa through open-air evangelistic outreaches, Bible Clubs in many churches, Discipleship Training, Gospel Production, Leadership Development, Coaching, Camps and Volunteering ministry.

The Lord has blessed and is continuing to preserve this ministry for His honor and glory.

The

TEAM

STEPHEn & eglah BAHAGO Director, Word of Life Fellowship

elisha & PATIENCE ATAMA

Missionaries, Kaduna State, Nigeria

nanret shadrach General Secretary

victor & dorcas ephraim Missionaries, Kaduna State, Nigeria

SAMUEL & tabitha DODO Missionaries, Sulejah Nigeria

JESSE & faith agal

NUHU & kubili GAINA

Missionaries, Jos-Plateau State, Nigeria

ishmael jesse

Missionaries, Jos-Plateau State, Nigeria

Missionary, Jos-Plateau State, Nigeria

henrietta & gabriel ELEKPA

NDOTTI & Buddi hodi abbagaji

ayuba job addra

ali & Sayejo Gorjo

Finance OďŹƒcer

Missionary, Suleja- Niger State, Nigeria

Missionaries, Niger Republic

Missionaries. Niger Republic

associate staff

Jerry john

Missionary, Jos-Plateau State, Nigeria

tijANI & MARGARET GARBA

Missionaries, Jos-Plateau State, Nigeria

Stephen Zechariah Matthew Gyang Joseph Gyuku Nehemiah Umaru Janari Garere Sunday Aweng

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The

TEAM Camps

Life-changing, faith-growing and

GOSPEL-ADVANCING

camp week

When you are looking for a thrill of a lifetime, Word of Life Camp is the place to be! We run camps for pre-teens, teens and youth.

Through COUNSELORS that model the life of CHRIST, campers are able to learn about God and discover how they can daily grow their faith as they create lifetime memories.

We also provide consultation for your team.

We can provide a coach that will take you through a step by step process of planning and executing camps eectively.

KGS 2017 DIVERGENT 2018 OUTBREAK 2019

evangelism

We train youth ministry/ fellowship leaders; church evangelism, outreach team or committee; mission organization and ministries to reach the youth with the Gospel.

Our purpose is the worldwide evangelization and discipleship of youths to build and strengthen the church of Jesus Christ, as such we partner with churches and organizations, equip youth ministry leaders and volunteers with necessary tools to reach the youth of the world.

Our passion is to take the truth of

GOD’S WORD to the youth of the world.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Gain practical skills for your ministry and calling.

We provide and give opportunities for individuals who want to do internship with us from the seminaries for practical skills in ministry.

And through this, we train and develop leaders in churches with the right skills for the calling and ministry how to help and work with children, teens, young adults, pastors, leaders and youth pastors.

GAIN

PRACTICAL SKILLS

LOCAL church MINISTRIES

START A YOUTH MINISTRY IN YOUR

CHURCH We are a youth organization dedicated to helping the local church evangelize and disciple students.

We provide Bible-based curriculum for all ages, Gospel events, leadership training, and one-on-one coaching with youth ministry coaches.

Our passion is to help churches throughout the country have dynamic children and student ministries

Share the

Gospel with the FULANIS

The Fulani ministry of Word of Life Nigeria is with the sole aim if sharing the gospel of Christ Jesus with the Fulanis (Nomad) and to TRAIN INDIGENOUS individuals to be reliable leaders who in turn can reach others for the Kingdom of God. Our team in Niger Republic, Ali Gorjo and Ndotti Hoddi started a vital training program on Youth Child & Indigenous Leadership Training, Missions Engagement, Gender Programs and Home-Schooling Program to teach the Fulani kids how to read and write in English.

They have witnessed and trained over 412 persons in the past years.

Many have come to know Jesus Christ through this ministry.

Fulani MINISTRIES

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THE IMPACT AND BENEFITS OF YOUTH MINISTRY EDUCATORS IN URBAN CONTEXTS - Rev. James Francis

Today, there is a short supply of men and women who positively impact the lives of others. Most leadership is centered on selfaccomplishments and name-making. The world, our communities, and even the church is in short supply of leaders who are selfless and sacrificing. The youth ministry educator is privileged to impact young lives and benefit the youth in a variety of significant ways. Youth educators are implicit leaders in their functions and responsibilities.

This grace is from God and is not restricted to a few but for all men and women who are called of God to lead and impact the lives of others.

The Christian youth is inundated with entertainment options filled with vices, crime, violence, and practices that ruin their minds and sap their energy. Thus, the need for youth educators is crucial: to walk alongside as coaches, mentors, or counselors; and to help plan, develop, and implement survival strategies so that young men and women can thrive in the world.

Who is a Youth Ministry Educator?

The educator, according to Spencer Johnston, is a man or woman, a boy or girl, who presents the information, assesses, revisits, and assesses the same information until they are satisfied with the learning that has taken place. In contrast, a teacher is a person who helps others to acquire knowledge, competence, or values. Informally, anyone can take on the role of a teacher, but an educator is a specialized role. The youth minister is called to this specialized form of ministry in the church or youth group with which he or she works.

What qualities Should He or She Bring to that youth group?

The youth ministry educator needs to have the following qualities and experiences: 1. He or she must be born again, having encountered the risen Savior firsthand, and be passionate about modeling a Christ-like lifestyle in relationships, worship, discipleship, mission, and outreach.

2. As a disciple, he or she must develop a disciple-multiplication pathway.

3. As an educator, he or she must have a vision and plan with clear goals for the group.

4. He or she must prioritize spiritual formation as a life attainment.

5. He or she must evaluate activities by being SMART in his or her approach.

What are the benefits so such educator to the church or group?

The Christian youth ministry educator affects lives in many ways. He or she becomes: 1. The prime influencer of beliefs, values, and behavior in the community.

2. The teacher of subsequent generations who will continue to obey the Lord God. 3. An intercessor and global Christian.

4. A rallying point of holistic living for the total youth.

The Christian educator, like Jesus, should grow holistically – physically, intellectually, spiritually, and socially. Every aspect of the youth is important. As the educator ministers to the youth, they should expect that the youth will replicate their ministry in the lives of others.

PRACTICAL MENTORING IN A TYPICAL YOUTH GROUP - Dr. Nathan Chiroma

Mentoring has become a “buzz-word” in the business world but the practice of developing another person for specific purposes of skill development or leadership has been around since the beginning of civilization, evident throughout Scripture – especially in the lives of Paul and Timothy. Youth mentoring has been an active social intervention associated with a wide range of beneficial outcomes for young people. Especially through supportive relationships with nonparental adults can have a powerful and positive influence on the course of young people's lives.

Youth mentoring is defined as 'a process by which a more experienced, trusted guide forms a relationship with a young person to offer support, guidance and encouragement, to assist young people to realize their potential as they transition into adulthood' (Anderson, 90). Whereas a 'youth mentoring program' is defined as: 'formalized arrangements where a third party matches a mentor and mentee (or group of mentees), who together work through a planned, structured program over a sustained period' (Dubois, 67). A typical mentoring in a youth group just like other mentoring relationship is composed of four phases – preparing, negotiating, enabling, and coming to closure”(Zachary, 29).

These sequential phases build on each other and vary in length. In each phase, there are specific steps and strategies that lead to mentoring excellence. These phases are momentous to establish the entry prerequisites that are to be met, the phases help to initiate contact with your mentee, exchange background information before you talk for the first time, take time to get to know each other and determine the personal expectations of the mentoring relationship. The relationship should be defined from the beginning as mutually beneficial. Each participant has committed to the relationship by choice. Each should openly share his or her goals for the relationship and work collaboratively to help achieve them. The four phases could be summarized as follows: Preparing, the discovery phase, when you find out if mentorship is right for you; negotiating: the business phase, when the mentor help the mentee set learning goals; enabling growth: the work phase, when the mentor support and provide feedback to the mentee; coming to closure: the assessment stage, where the mentor assess the value of the mentoring relationship and move forward.

Other three important qualities to begin a typical mentoring relationship in a typical youth group are availability, faithfulness, and teachable. Many young people would want to be mentored, from time to time wanting to learn how to develop their own leadership gifts; however as the mentoring process begins it may become clear they have not made the mentoring a priority in their schedules, as they are often unavailable to meet regularly. The consistent meeting together is important for deep mentoring to take place, otherwise the mentor will be reduced to the role of counselor or consultant – which may provide meaningful perspective, but not enable effective mentoring. The teachability of a potential mentee is gauge through offering of “challenges”. Often at the stage the mentor would ask the mentee to perform some small task – read a chapter in a book, call the mentor with a desired learning subject, etc. In these initial

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PRACTICAL SPIRITUAL RITES OF PASSAGE: ADOLESCENCE - Dr. Shantelle M. Weber

I grew up and later became a youth leader within an evangelical church that takes pride in its theological thrust in ministry. My growing experience and engagement with youth ministries in varying contexts today testifies that many youth visit church and experience personal conversion but struggle to grow and mature in their faith. This experience also confirms that youth leaders and parents in these contexts do not know how to deal with youth who face the societal challenges common to many youth growing up in a dynamic, globalized and digital society. This is true within both African and international youth ministry.

It is my assumption that youth ministry should create spaces in which God is discovered amidst the young person's search for self. Youth ministry within many of the contexts experienced above has not focused on helping youth think theologically because it has viewed these youth as consumers of theology rather than people who help construct religious discourse. This is because these contexts has not taken the spiritual formation of its youth seriously and here I include taking the identity and moral formation of these youth seriously. This includes taking the cultural backgrounds of the youth into consideration.

Saneta Maiko (2007:12- 65) [1] , a Kenyan theologian, describes adolescence in Africa as a time where youth are experiencing initiation rites and rituals that prepare them for adulthood. The end of this stage is marked by successfully completing the rituals and sense of confirmed self-esteem.

Maiko notes mid- adolescence (15- 17 years old) as the age at which young people are most likely making life-long decisions about God because they have the capacity for epistemologically understanding faith. Initiation is seen as a spiritual occasion in a young person's life as it symbolizes rebirth.

Circumcision rites are emphasized in adolescent years when the young person is usually between twelve and thirteen years old. During this time practical knowledge about culture and life- skills (cooking, hunting, etc.) are passed onto these youth. African cultural tradition also stresses the importance of orthodoxy and orthopraxy when referring to the spiritual formation of its youth (Maiko, 2006:11-12). Oral narratives like storytelling are prioritized in passing on the faith because investing in youth is imperative, as they are gifts from ancestors.

Powell, Griffin and Crawford (2013: 62)[2] recommend that Christian rituals and rites of passage be developed to assist them in this regard. Rituals helps young people understand who they are within the larger family and faith community because these rituals exhibit that their stories are intertwined with the Story of God. Rites of passage celebrate and acknowledge what they are experiencing at different stages of their spiritual growth process. Rituals to acknowledge their age transitions from childhood to youth; cultural milestones such as attaining a driver's license and spiritual milestones such as getting baptized or confirmed are all examples that could be considered.

Experiences enhancing spiritual formation such as worship, bible study, prayer, youth club, etc. can also be used at spiritual rituals and the value thereof should be explained and discussed with these youth. Many churches fail to include youth in communion for example. They too could be involved in administering this important mode of spiritual formation. Helping youth discover and use their spiritual gifts could be understood as a spiritual rite of passage because doing this includes them in the faith community. Once youth are encouraged to use these as they discover who God is and how they fit into his-story, they will begin to experience a growing faith and feel useful in the church and world today.

Journaling could also be helpful in helping youth reflect on their faith journey as a ritual (Powell, et al, 2013: 65). This reflective process aids them in their identity formation as well. Youth need to understand the value of dignity in others as they embark on a faith journey.

These rituals would help them understand the value of others and give them a sense of care for others. If this is instilled as part of identity formation, youth will not only respect themselves better but also respect the other better as they grow in God's sense of service – being able to live amidst the challenges; ambiguities and needs of others instead of comparing in a search for status and instead of only a few getting involved in God's mission.

CORE VALUES FOR YOUTH MINISTRIES TO THRIVE BY 2040 - Bobby Joachim

I Few months ago, the cooling system of my car had developed a fault and needed a fix, so off I went to do the needful.

Mr B claims to have been in the trade for over 20 years and with strong terms, recommended that the compressor and condenser be changed or else the car cooling system would stay that way. The total cost would definitely drill a hole in my pocket. Then an old friend came along who recommends Mr P who has also spent similar years to Mr B in the trade.

Long story short, Mr P gets the cooling system fixed without changing the compressor and condenser. He says it was a minor blockage that stopped the cooling system from optimal performance.

Besides the thrill of having the cooling system working, I was impressed with the constant reassurance and confidence that Mr P exhibited as he did his work. He had such a demeanor that assured you that he knew his onions.

With this experience, my mind initiated a fast forward click to 2040 and zeroed in on the work we do as youth ministers. 22 years from now sounds like a long time but come to think of it, will you be relevant if you stick with this youth ministry calling for the next 22 years?

From cell phones to curriculum, the changes the world has ever experienced is nothing compared to what has changed in the last 25 years. The world is evolving so fast that if you are not knowledgeable, you are edged out of relevance because knowledge remains the currency of power and relevance.

When we talk of relevance, kindly disabuse your mind from equating it with fame or popularity. That's not the thrust of this article. By relevance, we simply infer to the quality of value we would be adding to the people we primarily serve in youth ministry which are youths.

Reflecting on the lessons to glean from Mr B and Mr P, here are the core values you should appreciate going forward and never undermine them if your youth ministry will be relevant before and beyond 2040.

1. Value Failure: Instead of weeping and whining over your slip ups today, learn from every mistake/failure and decide not to make the same mistake.

Although, failure can cripple one from attempting again, look on the bright side of what you can learn from every mistake. Every problem/person you encounter in the line of learning is a potential doorway.

2. Value Honesty: In a world where the youths we serve are exposed to torrents of information on the internet, we mustn't feign pseudo knowledge to impress or intimidate.

When you are ignorant or uncertain about anything, don't attempt to save face.

Own up to your inadequacy so that someone can help you out but never feign expertise in matters beyond your present capacity. You can ask for some more time to research and revert on the matter.

3. Value Partnership/Teamwork: Besides the active and personal partnership with God to do His work on earth, we must remember that God places us in communities. What you don't have, someone else has and can do. Search out for those who are competent in fields you aren't and humbly partner with them or recommend your youths to them.

4. Value Mentoring: Back to the example of Mr B and Mr P. Mr B was sole proprietor and worker in his workshop. On the other hand, Mr P had apprentices who did what he could do and he only had to supervise. It works both ways.

First, look out for people (the precise word here is a mentor) who have subjected themselves to a training to become a kind of youth minister you should be.

Second, mentor someone to do ALL you have learnt/or learning to do in the youth ministry. A supporting Scripture for this value is 2 Timothy 2:2 NIV “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”

5. Value Reading: Stay abreast of new information that connects to your interests and the passions of your youth group. Today, any information is almost accessible on Google making you inexcusable. Learn all you can through books (eBooks too) and contextualize it to fit your youth ministry.

With these values in place, you can be sure to stay relevant in Youth Ministry come 2040. I intentionally didn't add any spiritual disciplines to these values because they are the immovable foundation for even attempting to be in Youth Ministry.

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DON'T QUIT BUT KNIT THE EXPERIENCES: LESSONS FOR YOUTH MINISTRY - Pastor Oscar Danladi

The few years I have worked alongside young people have been an opportunity to learn important lessons. My first year was difficult because of the direct impact most of the experiences had on me; failed programs, conflicting and stereotypical expectations, criticisms, the low value placed on youth ministry, etc. But these experiences, knit together, provided me with the unique opportunity to understand the world of the youth and to develop a framework that would make my work effective.

I have experienced what it means to work with youth both within the church and outside the church. One analogy that is fitting for my experience is to liken youth ministry to “running a marathon.” It is filled with long, tiring, complex, unique, humorous, joyful and painful experiences all mixed together to give a perfect blend. You can go from feeling like you are the most effective youth pastor one week to entertaining thoughts of running away the following week. You find yourself defending the youth in one instance and the next moment scolding them. I have noticed that many youth workers quit before long, feeling discouraged, joyless, and unsatisfied.

I will not quit. Instead, I try to watch against discouragement burning away my passion and love for the youth.

Every youth worker must listen to all the questions the youth are asking and try to answer all of them. Youths are asking questions that concern their faith; 'How does our understanding of faith, as Christians, integrate into daily reflections and living?' To effectively minister to the youths in this dispensation, we must incarnate the Christian faith; this is non-negotiable.

Young people need to know that the Christian faith is not illusionary but incarnational and can transform their everyday, ordinary lives. The church has all the biblical text, which is active and sharper than a double-edged sword, to achieve this but the youth worker must make the text come alive.

My years of experience have enabled me to develop a framework to train youth workers to make the biblical text come alive. I call this the character, competency, power, and influence framework. For example, the biblical stories of Joseph and Daniel show us how character and competency combine to confer power and enable an individual to come to a place where he/she can bring tremendous influence on individuals and nations.

Character is often emphasized at the detriment of competence, but character alone will not provide us with the right caliber of young people that will be able to constructively change the narrative of our dear nation.

The different elements are interwoven. There must be a fusion of character and competence that will eventually confer power and influence to achieve the desired effect.

The character-competent framework can be achieved through the development of contextualized, biblically grounded manuals and related resources for the training of youth, enabling them to make the connection between their faith, their life, their vocations and the problems around them, teaching them to be instruments of large-scale transformation. As youths are wholly equipped through character and competency building, three suggestions will come handy in providing them with the space for the expression of power and influence: (1) Creating a space for youths to reflect and make informed, reasoned and coherent contributions to the development process at different levels. (2) Harvesting their voices and perspectives in public spaces and never relegating youth engagements to the walls of youth fellowships, neglecting the decay around them. (3) Deploying youth energies, competencies, and passions to raise a transformational counter-cultural generation that will become a movement to reckon with.

THE NECESSITY OF CHRISTIAN COUNSELING IN YOUTH MINISTRY

- Pastor Cephas Bahago

FeYouth ministry exists to share the Gospel with young people in order to make them disciples of Jesus (Matt 28:19ff), leading them to maturity in Christ (Col 1:28); to help them discover their spiritual gifts and potentials so that they can use them to make an impact in and out of the Church (Eph 4:26ff; Matt 5:13-16). Youth ministry employs the tools of evangelism and discipleship to lead young people to maturity in Christ. It provides mentorship and counsel to aid youth in harnessing their gifts, to help them become influential leaders, and to help them navigate the various challenges of their generation.

Consequently, we can diagrammatically think of this as a bi-layered-triangle with evangelism and discipleship as the foundation of youth ministry and mentoring and counseling at the peak of the triangle. Counseling is at the peak – the place of “apparency” – because of the challenges that youth face. Moreover, while these daily challenges may not result from faith issues, they have the potential to affect faith. This sets the background for the need for Christian counseling among youth.

Dr. Ed Hindson defines Christian counseling as a revelation of the life and love of Jesus Christ in helping someone change for the better. That life, that love, comes alive through the use of the Bible, and in relying upon the Holy Spirit to advance the goals and challenges of counseling.

The ministry of counseling among youth is undoubtedly necessary. While counseling may not completely be a discipleship process, a significant part of discipleship and spiritual growth is found in counseling. Since the issues that cause a young person to seek counsel mostly have spiritual roots (like matters of purpose, worldview, calling, knowing the will of God, etc.), counseling has a key role to play in the spiritual development of the young person.

As a result, the developmental realities of youth mostly require counseling.

Adolescence and young adulthood come with soul-searching, coping, and maladjustment problems that usually require help from a second party. It is common among this group to find meaning-based problems like a search for identity, discovering God's will, career choices, etc. Other psychological problems such as depression, trauma for violent and distressing experiences, child abuse, etc. are also common in this group. Social issues like low self-esteem; navigating relationships with family members, peers, and the opposite sex; etc. are difficult to face alone. Other behavioral issues like experimentation with drugs, various forms of addictions, and matters of sexuality raise a common need for counseling among youths.

The contemporary society offers a variety of suggestions on how problems can be handled, some of which are largely against biblical principles; thus, the need for Christian counseling. An example is the response to same-sex attraction.

Popular opinion suggests that one with such feelings should simply live by them.

However, the Christian counselor can walk the youth through the biblical understanding of human sexuality and show how the youth can deal with such feelings as the Bible prescribes, viz., not acting on them.

Ministry Resources

Quiet Time Devotionals for all ages!

Bible Study Materials for all ages!

e Training Fifty One Cor Ministry For Student

PRESSURE POINT Topical studies for Teens

VERSE CARDS PACK

For more resources and materials for ministry, please go to: www.wolng.org/store

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Because we value our volunteers.”

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