"Jesus Really Loves You" | Transforming the Lives of Middle & High School Students One by One
One of the things we are passionate about at The Mission Cincinnati is being a church that builds bridges for the sake of Jesus between resources and needs in our community.
Our neighborhood of Evanston is called "The Educating Community." Why? Because we are home to a 5-star daycare, 3 elementary schools (Evanston Academy, Alliance Academy, and the Academy of World Languages), the top-ranked public high school in Ohio (Walnut Hills High School), and Xavier University. That's a lot of schools in one neighborhood! We would not be good stewards of the Gospel in our community if we were not making every effort to reach these students with the message and love of Christ!
To that end, our church partners with Urban Young Life, even helping to support local missionaries Jake & Emily Wenstrup as they serve to start new Young Life Chapters at Walnut Hills High school and Clark Montessori to reach middle and high school students with the love of Jesus. Here is how Jake describes what he and Emily's ministry has been like far:
"As a new Young Life Staff, I am continuously blown away by the relevancy of the Gospel and the kindness of God's presence admist the darkness of the lives of high school and middle school students. These past months, I have had the privilege to kick start both Young Life (ministry for high school students) and WyldLife (ministry for middle school students) at Walnut Hills and Clark Montessori. I am grateful for a team of 5 other leaders, including my wife, Emily, and a supportive parent base I have had the opportunity to coach cross country at Clark Montessori and tutor athletes at Walnut Hills High School.
God has brought a group of 25 junior high students and 15 high school students at our initial events for WyldLife and Young Life. Together, that equates to over 40 lives weekly that God has put in front of us to faithfully walk alongside. As we have done so, I am reminded of my own experiences as a teenager, longing for someone to step into my life and point me towards truth.
My heart broke hearing a 7th grade boy who shared: "I know who Jesus is and there are lots of people who say 'I love him' and 'he is my life,' but I just don't feel that way." What an honest picture of our youth as they seek to find life in following Jesus. Something I think we are often too afraid to say. Even hearing one 8th grade boy share after hearing a teaching about Jesus coming to Levi's party of tax collectors and sinners: "I only go to church twice a year, but I didn't know that God loved me all the time." God is at work in these schools, even one that sits at the heart of Evanston yet has been long disconnected.
We were witnesses to God moving at YoungLife Fall Weekend through the message of Jesus in our students from Walnut Hills and Clark. We got to hear YoungLife staff share about the God of the Universe coming near to us alongside 600 other students from Greater Cincinnati. What a fun time for the inner city of Cincinnati. Excited to watch what lies ahead!"
We are so excited about what Jake, Emily, and all the Urban Young Life leaders are up to as they share Jesus with students all across our city! Our partnership with Urban Young Life and Gospel impact in the lives of high school and middle school students is one of the many amazing ministries you can support by giving to The Mission Cincinnati this #GivingTuesday!
Want to learn more about our partnership with Urban Young Life? Live in Cincinnati and want to get involved in ministry to high school or middle schoolers? We'd love to talk with you and connect you to opportunities to serve! Reach out to us by emailing william@missioncincinnati.org.
Also, we'd love for you to join us in worship alongside others in this fellowship of missionaries every Sunday at 10 AM at the Evanston Rec Center (3204 Woodburn Ave. Cincinnati OH 45207).