For Him and Them by Dean Cowles, YPN President

A monthly message from YouthPartnersNET President Dean Cowles.

For Him and Them by Dean Cowles

July 2008

YPN & YOU!

Basketballs and Bibles! Matching and Multiplying Gifts! IBS, YPN & YOU! It's all happening because you have been faithful to give this month to bring the good news to those that need to hear about God's love. In addition, this month we also received a $10,000 grant from The Crowell Trust toward our Urban Bible Fund. Those kinds of gifts wouldn't happen without many faithful partners like you.

International Bible Society and The Crowell Trust have been significant YPN national partners for years now. This is a relationship that has helped give out over 30,000 urban youth Bibles to our network of ministry partners. Because you give, your gifts are multiplied through our partnerships. For example, IBS has given each ministry that attends our "Building Your Boat and Keeping It Afloat" Executive Director Leadership Training a $300 grant toward Bibles. What a wonderful blessing this has been for many. So far that has resulted in an additional $18,000 in Bible grants from IBS to our ministry partners and we just heard they extended it for another year!

Many of those Bibles will be given out over the next couple of months at basketball and summer day camps by suburban churches who are serving in the city through our CityConnexx program. Check out www.CityConnexx.org for photos, video clips and testimonies from the groups. Bring your church group next summer, it will change their lives!

I'm trying to keep this thank you letter short so you can also read about the additional grants we issued at the end of our fiscal year. Our July grant was issued to Cottage Grove Compassionate Ministries, one of our rural ministry partners doing great work in the Northwest. Pastor Cindy was featured in a national magazine this month. Cindy has been to our Executive Director training, received our urban Bibles along with several grants because you give. So pray for Cindy, her staff and thousands of others across the nation serving America's at risk kids this summer. Let us know if you’d like a copy of the article.

For Him and Them,

Dean Cowles
YouthPartnersNET President

Additional Fiscal Year End Grants:
Praise Deliverance Church
Houston, TX
Youth Retreat Conference 2008
Zuni Christian Mission School
Zuni, NM
Education Fund (from our Native American/Rich Mullins Fund)
East Central Ministries
Albuquerque, NM
Juntos Youth Program (from our Native American/Rich Mullins Fund)
Third Avenue Baptist Church
Flint, MI
Summer Safety Net Program (from our Summer Camp Fund)
Camp Deerpark
Westbrookville, NY
Camp Scholarship Fund (from our Summer Camp Fund)

Visit our Networking Page or Grants to Ministry Partners for more details and photos.

LIVE COMPASSION!

Your Donations at Work:

Cottage Grove Compassionate Ministries is located in a small, rural community in Oregon. Their mission is to provide positive experiences for youth and children that are high-risk for chronic homelessness and other factors that place barriers to success. Their year-round programs are committed to providing meals, activities, clothing, personal supplies and a place for their families to do laundry. One of the highlights for these kids is Summer Camp. The ability to go away to a camp that is filled with positive God-centered activity and people provides these children with a loving environment to hear about Jesus in a whole new context. Our grant will provide camp scholarships to those who would never be able to experience Christian camp otherwise. Each camper will receive spiritual direction that will strengthen him or her for the difficulties they face and the memories become a cherished gift. (Photo is of homeless girl that attended camp last summer)

Prayer Request:

Jazmin and her older brother Ian are homeless and lived in a squalid motel with their family of seven. Currently they are living out of town in a tent without running water or electricity. Both of them are excited to attend Summer Camp which will be an improvement in their living situation, even if for a short while. They will learn about Jesus for the first time. They will swim in a pool, learn how to do arts and crafts, go on hikes and participate in many group activities. Though the past several months have been extremely difficult for these siblings, at camp they will be surrounded by loving role models who will teach them about God’s love. Please pray for Jazmin and Ian. That they will experience God’s love and joy and this experience will help strengthen them for the difficulties that are ahead of them.

Please pray for these kids!

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