2023 Review ……..(first half)
The first half of this year has been so full of progress and events that it has been difficult to keep up. One thing we are well aware of at Visit is the need to keep track of our progress and communicate it to those who have invested their time, talents, prayers, and resources into this work. We don’t always hit the mark, but we continue to work on growing. With that being said, here is what we have seen so far this year.
By the Numbers
Here is a quick overview of a few important figures. Details will follow below.
3 teen centers launched this year
1 teen center working on launching now
10 church serious about launching a teen center in the near future
15 more churches who have expressed interest and are exploring the possibility
11 active teen centers that we support in a variety of ways
600 churches who have heard the message of Visit (in-person - not including social media ads, YouTube, etc.)
100,000 impressions on our social media ad campaign this year
7 conferences and special events where Visit has been represented
Centers Launched
This year we have already seen three teen centers launched, and have been involved in helping them launch in various ways.
Youth Venture Parkway Plaza
This year Foothills Church launched a new teen center inside the Parkway Plaza mall. This is a unique opportunity to reach the many young people who hang out there and increase the visibility of the YV teen centers. We were able to provide consulting feedback on the project at the outset.
Hangtime Teen Center
In February, Summit Point Church in Mira Mesa launched a teen center on the campus of their church. This was an exciting project because it provided a template that other churches can follow which makes launching a teen center far less expensive and for more accessible. We walked with them through every step of the project providing consulting, volunteer training, help with launch prep, and more.
Aftershock
East County Transitional Living Center relaunched a center that they had previously tried to launch, rebuilding from the ground up with new leadership and a new team of volunteers. We helped with training their leadership, providing volunteer training, and consulting with the director to help it get off the ground successfully.
New Centers Coming
In the past 6 months we have connected with many new churches. Some of these have simply heard the message and been encouraged in their efforts to reach young people. But many of them have expressed interest in exploring the idea of launching their own center. Some are very early in the process of discovering what the teen centers are, and may have many hurdles to overcome to launch, but others are very serious about launching and some have committed to the project. There are currently 26 churches who are exploring the idea.
St. Stephen’s Cathedral Church of God in Christ
One church who is actively moving forward with launching a center, is St. Stephen’s Cathedral. We have written a full article detailing this church and where they currently are in the process so be sure to check it out. We are currently working with them providing them with all the support they need to make their center a reality by the end of the year.
There are many other churches that are hopeful to move forward with a teen center in the near future, and we look forward to sharing more information once it is available. Keep them and us in prayer.
Mentoring Curriculum Rewrite and Redesign
A very important and exciting project which we are currently working on is updating the YV Mentoring Curriculum. This curriculum has been used for over 30 years to evangelize and disciple perhaps thousands of students. This update will increase its effectiveness for this generation, and set it up to be used for many more years. It will immediately be used in teen centers all over the country, and will be used in many future centers reaching perhaps thousands more young people. See our full article on this project for more.
Roundtable Gatherings
There are currently 11 teen centers operating across the country that we have helped launch and/or support in a variety of ways. We provide a variety of resources, consulting, one-on-one mentoring, and more.
One of the most exciting resources we offer are our Roundtable Gatherings. Several times a year we gather over Zoom with the directors of the centers to share, learn, grow, and support each other. At each meeting we discuss a different topic. Currently we are going through a series called (Re)Building, where we are talking about foundational issues to build (or rebuild as many of us are experiencing after COVID) a successful center. At every meeting we also have time to share our successes, failures, questions, and struggles to get input and support from the wide variety of centers represented. The ministry we undertake is very unique, and the support we receive from each other is invaluable.
Conferences & Events
We have also had the opportunity to be involved with several conferences and events this year where Visit has been represented and we have connected with churches.
New Year’s Prayer Event
We were given the opportunity to speak at a multi-church prayer event on January 1st where we shared the great need for churches to commit to reaching young people
Legacy Event
Foothills Church hosted an event to honor Mark and Dave Hoffman and Jeremy was given the honor of talking about the history of the YV Teen Centers and their impact on the young people of East County. During this time he was able to talk about the continuing work of Visit to spread the legacy of YV.
Next Gen Zoom Meeting
This was a gathering of pastors and youth pastors from all over the country organized by Gateway Seminary, where Jeremy was asked to speak about the crisis facing our youth and how teen centers can effectively help churches reach young people and meet their growing needs.
Regions Beyond Conference
Regions Beyond held their annual conference of their North American churches in Missoula, Montana and Jeremy was invited to be a workshop speaker. In his message he shared two challenges he believes God would give the church today regarding reaching young people and how teen centers can be a great tool to help churches meet those challenges. From this conference we have made several important connections and several teen centers may come from this in the future.
CSM Gatlinburg Conference
Charles Simpson Ministries held their annual conference in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in May. Last year Jeremy was introduced at a general session and was able to share the mission of Visit and pass out resources. This year he was able to connect with many more churches and further his relationship with others.
Future Quest Youth Conference
For the second year in a row, Visit Ministries was a sponsor of Future Quest and hosted the Youth Leader Luncheon on the last day. This year Jeremy was also given the opportunity to teach a workshop for youth leaders. We had a booth set up in the FQ lobby and made many connections. Already there are several churches interested in exploring the idea of launching centers from this event.
Gateway Conference
In September we will be attending the leadership conference at Gateway Church in Dallas, Texas. This conference brings thousand of church leaders together from all over the country. This year we will be attempting to make connections with pastors, and evaluate possible becoming an event sponsor for next year’s conference.
More to Come
This is not all we have accomplished this year, and there is even more on the way. We didn’t want to bog down this article any more than it already is with other details, ideas, and efforts we are working on, but there are a few that bear mentioning. There are several potential opportunities to connect with large networks of churches that God seems to be opening the door for us. We are currently working on exploring these opportunities and they may yield exciting results to share with you soon.
Also you may have heard us hint at a new initiative to further expand our work in San Diego. We believe God has given us a strategy to potentially plant a teen center in every major community in San Diego. We believe we may be able to plant more than 20 new centers right here in our county. We will be sharing more details, as they come available and how you can help this dream come to pass. Be praying and keep you ears open.
If you have made it to this point in this long article, it is clear that you have a big heart for what we are doing. We cannot tell you enough how grateful we are for you and your support.
You are making this all possible and we thank you.
