Early Edition of Shine Your Light Wednesdays: Springfield 1

(This edition of Shine Your Light Wednesdays is coming to you a little early for next week, in the hopes of spreading the word, so that you can get involved, if you live in the Springfield area....)

There are approximately 38,000 teenagers in Greene and Christian Counties, Missouri, alone.  That is a lot of teenagers to reach.  They are our next generation of moms and dads, leaders, doctors, nurses, teachers, etc.  Springfield 1 is a string of events, organized by a group/team of churches to try to reach out to these teenagers the week of November 9-13.  Basically, the group is offering the schools in the Springfield area free assemblies to reach out to these teens and teach them about specific issues.....then on Friday night, the 13th, they are holding a huge Finale assembly at the fairgrounds.  Any student is welcome to attend; some of them might even win some awesome prizes!

Springfield 1 is actually partnering with a couple of different organizations to pull this off.  One of them is Real Encounter, which is a group that uses action sports to reach young people.  This group gets these students' attention and teaches them how they can make an impact on their world.  Springfield 1 is also partnering up with The Seven Project, which will provide the necessary resources, fully customizable, for the assemblies.  Administration of the schools can pick the 4-6 topics they want to be covered.  The following list is the topics they can choose from: 

 Abstinence

 Alcohol

 Anti-Violence

 Character

 Choices

 Dreams

 Drugs

 Peer Pressure

 Scholastic Achievement

 Self-Esteem

 Suicide

 Tobacco

Not only can churches get involved by volunteering or donating, but Springfield 1 encourages students to get involved.  They have actually provided a Student Action Plan, that can be downloaded and printed, to help students form a plan in reaching out to their fellow students, their own generation.  This is, in my opinion, a major way that teens could be reached for Christ today....being reached by their own peers.    They also have provided The Next Step, which is another downloadable sheet that will help them in deciding to become a campus missionary and ways they can impact their peers. 

Since Springfield 1 is seeking to provide these assemblies to the schools, free of charge, they need to raise $39,000.  That is a lot of money, but it can be done.  With your help, and the help of local churches, they can get this event off and running.  They are also asking for people who might donate items to be given away at the Finale on Nov.13.  If you are interested in being a donor, you can contact therefuge@jabc.net. 

If you want to volunteer for the huge finale on Friday night, Nov. 13, they could so use your help.  It's going to be a group collaborative to reach 38,000 teens in one place, in one night.  They need people to work security, to be parking lot attendants, to help students with important decisions, to unload and load up, to be ushers, to help with registration, etc.  If you feel God tugging at your heart, then come out and help!  It's only a couple hours of your life to give....and what an impact that couple of hours can make in the lives of thousands of teenagers.  If you want to volunteer, you can contact ken@secondbaptist.org.  After the event, these students will need discipleship, and the event coordinators also have a plan in place to follow-up with the students who come.

The Finale is on Friday, Nov. 13, from 7-8:30pm; doors open at 6pm.  If you know a teen/s, invite them to come.  If you are a school administrator/principal, this opportunity is open to you.  Find out more at Springfield 1!  This generation needs us to guide them and help them along.....they need the Light!  Get involved....and truly make a difference in their lives.

If you know of an opportunity, or if you would just spread the word about this one, please post up on your blog, and come back to sign Mr. Linky.  Don't forget to link back to Real Heart Prints....most of all, shine your light!