Across South Africa, local churches have been coming together to talk about how they can best help the children in their communities. Despite theological differences, so many agree that our children are facing severe challenges that require Jesus…in the form of loving, quality discipleship. Many churches have even gone through training so they can do a week of strategic outreach to children in their communities, and we are so excited about the results.
Recently Hand of Hope, Joyce Meyer Ministries World Missions partnered with Reaching a Generation to launch an initiative called Community Wide Outreaches. What I witnessed at one of the outreaches this past week was something truly special: around 30,000 children were reached with the Gospel message of Jesus Christ! Approximately 20,000 more are expected to be impacted this week. These Community Wide Outreaches will continue to spread rapidly across the country to communities far and wide.
At the outreaches, each child hears about their value in Christ, how to make good choices under pressure and what it means to serve only one master. They also receive age-appropriate materials that introduce them to the fundamentals of the Christian faith. After the week of outreach, a follow-up strategy session is held to introduce long-term discipleship programs to all those children, including initiatives such as “children’s clubs,” the “national school chaplaincy program” and others.
Our goal is to better equip children to flourish in walking through life with Jesus, and also to better equip the Church to reach out and raise up the next generation so they can be all that God has called them to be. We couldn’t reach out and support such great initiatives unless you gave us the capacity to—so thank you so much for your partnership and prayers.
-By Brad Senekal, African Outreach Director
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Joyce Meyer is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. A New York Times bestselling author, her books have helped millions of people find hope and restoration through Jesus Christ. Through Joyce Meyer Ministries, she teaches on a number of topics with a particular focus on the mind, mouth, moods and attitudes. Her candid communication style allows her to share openly and practically about her experiences so others can apply what she has learned to their lives.
Joyce hosts a TV and radio show, Enjoying Everyday Life, which broadcasts worldwide to a potential audience of 4.5 billion people. She has authored 100 books, which have been translated into more than 100 languages. More than 12 million of her books have been distributed free of charge around the world, and each year millions of copies are sold.
Joyce conducts close to a dozen domestic and international conferences every year, teaching people to enjoy their everyday lives. For 30 years, her annual women's conference has attracted more than 200,000 women from all over the world to St. Louis for specifically themed teachings by her and guest speakers.
Through her teachings, God has provided opportunities to meet the needs of the suffering and bring the Gospel in a practical way. Joyce's passion to help hurting people every day is foundational to the vision of Hand of Hope, the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. These outreaches around the globe include feeding programs, medical care, homes for orphans, and programs combatting human trafficking. In her hometown of St. Louis, Joyce and Dave, her husband, founded the St. Louis Dream Center (SLDC) in 2000. The SLDC serves the inner city through hands-on programs targeted at reaching the lost and hurting with the love of Christ.
Over the years, God has provided Joyce with many opportunities to share her testimony and the life-changing message of the Gospel. Having suffered sexual abuse throughout her childhood, as well as just dealing with the struggles of everyday life, Joyce discovered the freedom to live victoriously by applying God's Word to her life and in turn desires to help others do the same.
Joyce is and continues to be an incredible testimony of the dynamic, redeeming work of Jesus Christ.