Always ahead of us, God mysteriously orchestrates His plans. Rarely do I know how my present situation will converge with His future plans. But when I do see His plans converge--most often it seems through relationships--I stand back, astonished! That happened at Missions Center of Houston this month. It’s a classic example of Reach Out’s 40th Year theme-- Look Back..Live Forward !

The Past Connections

Jeff and Cheryl Chadwick and I met over a decade ago in Richmond, VA. Jeff was serving as the Senior Associate Pastor at Winn’s Baptist Church where I led a Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry Forum (JFYM). Jeff bought in and implemented JFYM. We became friends. Fast forward to 2016, when, in an amazing confluence of events, the Lord led Jeff and Cheryl to Mission Centers of Houston in Texas. From day one Jeff started looking for someone who had a vision for reaching and discipling teenagers--someone to implement JFYM.

Enter Noe and Vanessa Ortiz . They met, fell in love, and married after meeting as summer missionaries at the Missions Center. Several years and six kids later, Jeff met them. Now they and their family serve as missionaries with Mission Centers of Houston, leading the youth ministry outreach to hundreds of young people in the community. Through God leading Jeff and Cheryl, and Noe and Vanessa--four vibrant leaders--a convergence has happened to make Mission Centers of Houston a viable force for the Gospel in inner city Houston.

The Present Convergence On August 10 youth leaders converged at The Mission Center for Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry training.  Jonathan Adams and I--friends and ministry partners for years--led the training. Recently he moved to Houston to become a pastor and mission’s innovator at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, not far from The Mission Center. The new friendship Jonathan and Jeff began at the Forum created another significant ministry partnership--one more relational convergence!

During the day people’s stories emerged. Ali --who lost her way after her Mom died and later encountered Christ…J.B.--who last month shared the gospel with 12,000 prisoners and 1,200 received Jesus. C.B.--the pastor of the same church for 26 years while working a full time job. Dan--a Rice Ph.D. student, who gives his free time to Mission Centers of Houston, and Dora--whose entire family was ripped apart by alcohol, but now ALL of the family loves and follows Jesus.

The Future Continuation

Spending the day after the training with the Mission Centers of Houston Team , strategizing about their future plans, it’s clear--they are dreaming Jesus-Focused dreams! Where do they want to go from here? Cheryl Chadwick summarized it well...

Barry St. Clair blessed our staff with the Jesus Focused Youth Ministry training. Not only did we learn this amazing method of discipling our youth, but the training served as a revival for all of us individually and collectively. The day after the training, Barry met with our staff to decide how to intentionally implement JFYM into our existing mission work. This critical meeting cemented our vision and plan for more intentional discipleship at our centers. The JFYM training and Barry’s expert input were monumental in that they enabled us to have a more strategic plan of Kingdom investment to our next generation . –Cheryl Chadwick

You, too, are part of God’s convergence in Houston and around the world. Your prayers and gifts cooperate with God’s plan to make His miraculous convergences happen. Thank you!

As we send this monthly update, the floods in Houston rage. Our hearts go out to all of our friends there, and we pray for protection and deliverance from the devastation. (Psalm 32:7)

Jesus is Lord,