When I think about my team…I think about my family...
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and our team at the office... |
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I think about the team of leaders we will be spending time with while we are in Cuba this month.
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There are a variety of ways and contexts in which the word “team” impacts my life. What about you?
Paul gives us a glimpse of this team concept in Colossians 4. In this chapter, we discover the Apostle Paul introducing a variety of his team members to the Colossians. We find out about Tychicus, the reporter; Epaphras, the prayer warrior; Luke, the doctor; and Aristarchus, his prison-mate…just to name a few.
So…what do we discover in this “roll call” of team members…and what does it have to do with us? First, throughout Paul’s life and letters, we see an emphasis on the calling to love, serve, pray for, and be with one another. We see that Paul didn’t just preach the “one anothers,” he lived them. He was modeling the truth that God created us with community in mind. And second, we see an example of the truth that each believer on the “team” fulfills a unique and integral role (Think: I Corinthians 12!). Doctor, prayer warrior, reporter…they were each on the team utilizing their spiritual gifts, talents, experiences, and personalities for God’s purposes.
In Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry, we teach the importance of building the team. We remind youth leaders and pastors that Jesus modeled a team approach to ministry, as opposed to the “lone ranger” model. And, we train that when we do ministry Jesus’ way, it leads to multiplied results, as well as less anxiety, stress, and burnout among His followers.
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“The Leadership Team will succeed in direct proportion to seeking God for the right people and then continuing to pursue Him to know what to do with them.”
- JFYM, Barry St. Clair
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For the youth pastor, building the team looks like parents and small group leaders and student leaders coming together with the goal of reaching the younger generation in their context and culture.
For our Reach Out team, building the team often involves adding to our leadership in the US, as well as other countries around the world. Taking our cue from the Apostle Paul, we are excited to introduce you to several new people on our team…
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Igor Minenko
Ukraine Country Leader
for Reach Out
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Igor has been married to Alena for 27 years. They were both born in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and have been living in Uzhgorod, on the western border of the country, for the past 15 years. They have two children, Igor and Sashka. They attend the Messianic congregation in Uzhgorod, which they have been pastoring for the last 13 years. Igor and Alena began their partnership with Reach Out in 2005. Since that time, they have trained over 50 churches in Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry. They also publish books for youth ministry in their print shop. Igor and Alena love to travel to new places. They also enjoy spending time with youth at camps they help facilitate throughout the year.
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Juan Carlos Ferrer Vargas
New Cuba Regional Leader for Reach Out
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Juan Carlos is a dentist by profession. He is 27 years old and married to Eylen Montes de Oca. He is the volunteer Youth Pastor at Faith on the Rock Church in Manzanillo. This church has been a “Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry” church for the last 5 years. Last year, Juan became Reach Out’s Regional Leader for Southeast Cuba (the Granma region). As an Eagle Leader and Regional Leader, Juan has introduced 8 churches to JFYM, trained 69 youth leaders, and mentored 3 Eagle Leaders. It is incredible to watch God use Juan and his volunteer team to reach the younger generation in their church. Over the last several months, they have seen over 50 students reached with the gospel, with 35 of them currently involved in discipling relationships, and 15 were baptized. We are thankful to God that He has blessed our team with another young leader who is not only investing in new leaders in Granma, but also setting an example as a faithful visionary leader in his own church. |
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Ed Upton
Director of Development
for Reach Out
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Edward Upton currently lives in Ft. Worth, TX, but hails from Arkansas. He has been in full-time ministry for over a decade and brings a great pastoral energy to our development activities. The goal of his life is to build the Kingdom of God by helping to make disciples. Most recently he served at Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth as the Vice President for Institutional Advancement. He is married to Eleanor and has four children, Benjamin (12 years old), Ruth (10 years old), Harrison (8 years old), and Sarah (3 years old). Ed says: “I was compelled by the ministry vision of Reach Out and look forward to helping this ministry continue to grow by discovering and developing new revenue streams that will serve our mission in the years ahead."
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Eric Vaughan was born and raised in Kansas City, MO and currently resides in Leawood, KS. He has served in full-time ministry for over 30 years, with 14 being in the field of Student Ministry. Eric most recently served as an Executive Director for a non-profit business helping serve the vulnerable in Northwest Arkansas before transitioning to Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth as Associate Vice President for Development. Eric believes “The mission of JFYM deserves an energetic and focused approach to fundraising so that the gospel may be spoken and taught in new ways and languages all over the world to God’s glory.” Eric and his wife Pamela have been married for 32 years and have two daughters, Victoria (26) and Madison (20). Eric says “I’m excited to play this small role in seeing the gospel spread in such a dynamic way across the globe impacting this and the next generation for Christ.”
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Eric Vaughan
Consultant to Development
for Reach Out
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Kirk Motsenbocker
Newest Board Member
for Reach Out
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Kirk Motsenbocker resides in Flower Mound, TX with his wife Cheryl and 17-year-old daughter Ashlyn. Their 22-year-old son Zach will be graduating from Oklahoma University in May 2022. In his spare time, he enjoys lake activities with his family and friends as well as gardening. Kirk’s career has largely been in real estate, having spent over 20 years with one of the top multifamily developers in the U.S. He retired in 2020 and started focusing his efforts on giving back to organizations that he supports. Kirk is also on the board of One Heart, an organization that equips justice-involved youth with the skills, tools, and healthy relationships they need to navigate life successfully upon leaving the justice system. Kirk has a passion for partnering with organizations that provide a “hand–up” to those in need, and feels strongly that Reach Out is such an organization. He sums up his thoughts about Reach Out in this way: “I was drawn to Reach Out because of how simple and cost effective their business plan is to reach hundreds of thousands of young people and bring them to Christ, and in the process, mold them into servant leaders just like Jesus. I am very excited for the future of Reach Out and am proud to be part of this organization.”
In Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great, he writes:
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“Those who build great organizations
make sure they have the right people on the bus and the right people in the key seats…”
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We are thankful that God continues to bring Reach Out just the right people, to go in the right seats, at the right time, to accomplish His purposes through this organization.
What about you? What does your team look like? Who is in your community of faith, encouraging you, discipling you, being discipled by you?
Our hope and prayer is that this newsletter is just as much informative about Reach Out as it is encouraging for you to get connected and/or stay connected to team members that will help you become the fully devoted follower of Jesus that He created and called you to be.
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Thank you for financially and prayerfully supporting our team as we continue to equip and multiply leaders globally who influence the younger generation to follow Jesus.
Our February Praise+Prayer list is below, and we invite you to pray with us as we go into this next month with all that God has entrusted to Reach Out to do in our current countries and new countries to come.
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Randy Riggins, President
Reach Out Youth Solutions
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