Youth Ministry Academy

Hola everyone! November is upon us (by the way, can you believe it is November already?) and so is Social Justice month at the Youth Ministry Academy. First off, have you been listening to Youth Ministry Academy Radio lately? We’ve been slowly releasing excerpts from an interview we did with Jamie Gates (Director of the Center for Justice & Reconciliation at Point Loma Nazarene University) and Jon Middendorf (Senior Pastor of Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene) on Social Justice and it is fantastic! Wanna know why the term “social justice” may be inadequate? Check out the first episode we released earlier this month! You definitely want to subscribe to the podcast in order to have each episode sent to you right away! You can do so here.

In coordination with Social Justice month (or maybe we should just call it “Justice Month”), we have been releasing 30 ways to become aware of injustice on our Twitter and Facebook pages… it’s something we call “30 Days of Justice.” Here is a recap of week one:

• Day 1: Sponsor a child with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. Only 82 cents a day! http://cs.ncm.org
  • One of the easiest and most beneficial ways to get involved with bringing justice is to sponsor a child. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries has an excellent child sponsorship program that will connect you with a child who so desperately needs their physical needs met. You can sponsor a child for only $25 a month, or 82 cents a day. If you’re looking for the ideal starting place for justice, look no further than Child Sponsorship.
• Day 2: Buy foods that are “Fair Trade Certified.” More info here: http://www.transfairusa.org/
  • What is “fair trade certified?” Well, it is a label that guarantees consumers that strict economic, social and environmental criteria were met in the production and trade of an agricultural product. This label is placed on coffee, fruit, sugar, rice, and more. Buy purchasing foods with the Fair Trade label, you are helping support fair labor and production practices. Whenever possible, please buy Fair Trade.
• Day 3: Make yourself aware of the latest stats on global poverty. Check out the United Nations Development Programme http://bit.ly/UNPoverty
  • If you follow that link, you will find information on the current state of global poverty. For example, did you know that over 80 percent of Africans are small-holder farmers
    though very few have access to fertilizer and quality seeds? Learn what the United Nations Development Programme is doing to work with African governments to help support and subsidize small farmers.
• Day 4: Check out the great things that are going on at Blood:Water Mission! http://bit.ly/14bHVI
  • Blood:Water Mission is a quality organization that works to build clean drinking water wells throughout Africa. Did you know that $1 provides one year of clean water for an African? It is quite incredible how many lives can be changed if we only live generous lives.
• Day 5: Educate yourself on justice issues including globalization, economics, and poverty. Book recommendations: http://bit.ly/zq3aI
  • This list provided by Hearts and Minds Books (an AWESOME bookstore located in Dallastown, PA) is a great resource for those wishing to learn more about these justice issues. All of the books in the list are highly recommended!!
• Day 6: IJM secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of oppression. Student resources: http://bit.ly/bK1
  • International Justice Mission exists to bring innocents out of slavery and other forms of oppression. IJM has some excellent resources for youth in particular. Please support this fine organization!
• Day 7: Prepare a “Beans and Rice” lunch for your church. Promote awareness of hunger and the luxury of food variety we have. Take donations.
  • This is an idea first featured in October’s article from NCM right here on the YMA Blog. This is a great idea for your youth to take charge and make your church aware of justice issues and make a real difference as well!
    
• Day 8: Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Resources here: http://bit.ly/3a7v5k
  • Finally, Sunday November 8 was the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Many Christians live through injustice daily brought about solely due to their faith and belief. Although the day of prayer is now over, please continue to pray for those who suffer due to their faith. There are great resources on the website above.

That’s it for out first week of justice. Keep checking our Twitter and Facebook fan pages throughout the month for more ways to bring about justice!

This entry was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 1:41 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.