A monthly message from YouthPartnersNET President Dean Cowles.
For Him and Them by Dean Cowles
March 2006
Don't you love new beginnings? Like a new car, a new house, even a new baby! Well, this past month YouthPartnersNET was able to birth a new City Network in Chicago and you helped make it happen.
YPN has been partnering with LifeWay Church Resources the past several years in launching Urban Connexx which you've probably heard us talking about. This is a summer program where 2,000 high school students come to Chicago to spend a week of their summer "serving in the city" with our ministry partners. It's been our dream and vision to be able to hire a City Networker who could bring our partners together all year long to help create unity, fellowship, equipping and training.
Well, we found that unique and gifted Networker in JP Paulus who has been a long-time urban worker and administrator in Chicago's inner-city. He has over a decade of experience and relationships in Chicago. And he's moving into a new stage of his life, for he and his wife just had their first baby girl. So talk about "new beginnings", the timing was right for all of us.
Therefore on February 13th, I had the privilege to attend our first Chicago Urban Ministry Partners Network Lunch with 26 attending. Many of these folks have been part of our Urban Connexx summer project. Others have attended past YPN trainings and conferences in Chicago. Some came because JP was involved. All in all, we had a great time of dreaming, sharing ideas and resources, and forming essential bonds of friendship and fellowship that is so critical to the stability and longevity of those serving in the trenches. This group will meet monthly and as we've seen in other cities, amazing things happen when this gifted group put their hearts, minds, and contacts together. We're also planning an Executive Director Leadership Training in Chicago for April 25-26. We call it "Building Your Boat and Keeping It Afloat."
Our goal is to continue to establish similar City Networks across the country. We may have partners in your city or area that need this kind of network. It's not that hard to do. YPN provides the monthly lunch for about $10 each. One of our Chicago donors loves this idea and is taking care of the Chicago network lunch meetings for a year! If you'd like to give a special one-time or ongoing gift to provide lunches for the urban workers network meetings, just let us know. If you want to sponsor a city network like this couple has done, that would be awesome.
For Him and Them,
Dean Cowles
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