The NYI Council recently met in the context of a retreat in order to play, pray, and plan for the future of Dallas NYI. I am encouraged to be a part of such a quality group of teen and adult leaders who are eager to be used by God to impact teens on our district and around the world!
At our fall meetings we reflected on our various events and ministries, but mostly we took time to discuss how we could invest in the lives of teens and create new opportunities to connect with God and each other. Here are a few important developments you will be hearing more about in the months to come...
PK Retreat March 5-7, 2010 (SNU)
We hope every teen PK (Pastor's Kid) on our district will attend this weekend hosted and sponsored by SNU. The cost will be around $25/person. We encourage every church to provide the funds for eligible students to attend. In addition the council is checking on the possibility of providing transportation to/from multiple district locations. We value our PKs and want to see all of them attend this retreat designed specifically with their needs and interests in mind.
Global Region Partnership - Carribbean
At Global NYI Convention in Orlando we learned that our sister region for the next four years would be the Carribbean. Our Regional NYI Council has encourgaed each district to consider partnering with our sister region in a variety of ways. The Dallas NYI Council has agreed to do whatever we can to connect with teens in the Carribbean. With that in mind we have decided to sponsor a student to come to our Regional Extravaganza at SNU in May. We are also researching projects/needs that we might assist with in the coming years. Ultimately, there is thought of a future mission trip to the region in order to serve and solidify our partnership with this world region. Our District NYI Missions Director, Tim Peal, will be leading our efforts to raise awareness as well as support and finances through offerings and donations during our upcoming district events.
YES Conference July 6-10, 2010 (SNU)
This event, held every two years, is designed for students who feel called to full-time Christian ministry and will be a powerful time of encouragement, challenge, and training for future ministers.
Third Wave January 4-9, 2011 (Bangkok, Thailand)
This global leadership event seeks to bring a handful of leaders from each region together for a week of worship, service, and leadership development on a global scale every four years. As your NYI President, I am honored to have been selected by the Regional NYI Council to lead this group from the South Central Region in 2011. Each district on our region will select one young adult (18-29) as a finalist for the trip by March 2010. Out of the eleven finalists the regional council will select (4) to attend Third Wave as representatives of our region. Each regionally selected participant will need to raise about $3000 to cover travel and trip related expenses. More info and applications will be made through the regional NYI website.
As you can see we have some incredible opportunties to reach and impact youth on our district and connect with teens around the world. Your NYI Council is excited about what God has in store for us as we serve Him together this year!
Investing in the lives of youth,
Justin Pickard
Dallas NYI Pres.
