+ LEGACY
Pour Into The Next Generation Leader
Photo by Aaron Guzman
By Gary Henson
y wife Jenene and I love
to Shoulder is opening charter schools
impact on people’s lives and impacting
working with and hanging
that help children that nobody else wants
the culture. They’re focused on the indi-
out with ministry leaders
to educate. These kids are not only smart
vidual but also on shifting the city. That’s
and watching their minis-
but gaining confidence in their future.
a game worth playing and one we want
tries develop. Recently, I have discovered
College is now real for them because
to influence.
a new passion for our youth and God has
they’re getting the attention, education
touched my heart in a way that I would
and mentoring to see a different possibil-
that these young people are the next gen-
never have imagined.
ity for their future.
eration of leaders. It’s up to us to mentor
M
In the past when I thought about
I am also experiencing a new brand of
Maybe you’re like me and you missed
these young ministry leaders that are out
making a difference in the world I felt
students that are coming out of college-
there drawing the broken and captivated
somewhat unattached to our youth
with teaching credentials. They’re willing
into a brand new life of hope. They need
and didn’t much have much interest in
to take a pay cut in order to help kids
our wisdom and they need the mature
working with kids. It feels like I grew
that are stuck in a pretty tough family
believers to pour into them.
out of touch despite the fact that we
environment. There’s a lot of evidence
have five adult kids and five grandchil-
that God is moving on the hearts of
remnant. The leaders that will rise in
dren. But in one weekend, my world got
young leaders.
the next ten years will be the unlikely,
rocked, everything changed and I had a
Coach Roz, another one of our friends
My wife Jenene says, “God will use the
invisible ones that were once seen as
major breakthrough about the future
and he has an after school coaching min-
unloveable, throwaways, even former
and what's possible as we usher in a new
istry and works with kids in seven differ-
criminals. But Jesus will use the ones that
generation of young leaders. I now can
ent schools. He helps them get in touch
have either played in the enemies camp
see that future generations are going to
with Jesus by coaching and mentoring
or were put there by their family circum-
depend on us collaborating in unique
them on their character. It works.
stances. Whatever the story is, they’ll
ways to raise up a generation in a time such as this. After spending time with a bunch of
One of our other friends has a ministry for college kids that are stuck living a vicious lifestyle of sex, drugs and alco-
become the overcomers with incredible culture-changing testimonies.” We have a huge opportunity and we
kids that are living in a single parent
hol. The theme of this ministry is to give
believe now is the time to act. We encour-
environment I began to see opportuni-
them the lounge experience without the
age you to see how you can mentor or
ties that I was blind to in the past. Life
drugs and alcohol. This ministry gives
coach and collaborate with these young
circumstances can create leaders or
the 18 and over group the fun communi-
leaders and “look for the gold in them” as
followers and we encourage leadership.
ty experience without peer pressure.
my wife would say. They are the future.
One of our ministry partners, Shoulder
ISSUE 4 + THE APPROACHABLE BRIDE
All of these leaders are making a huge
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2018