OUR PROGRAMS:
Weekly Saturday Connect:
This spirited weekly activity is designed to provide a fun and safe place where teens and young adults in the urban core can strengthen friendships with each other and build relationships with Jesus-loving ministry leaders and volunteers from the larger community. Activities include: pick-up basketball, volleyball, various other games, crafts and art instructions, cooking activities, and anything fun we can think of!!! A sit-down family meal and a short all-group Bible study/discussion are part of the lively gathering. Through guidance and oversight provided by ministry staff, core volunteers are connected with our amazing youth and encouraged to build deeper relationships outside of this weekly event.
As an outgrowth of this weekly ministry, we are then able to come alongside our youth in providing various practical life skills (see Life Skills section below). such as job readiness, financial soundness, car-buying, as well as encouraging spiritual, academic and interpersonal strength. Saturday Connect also serves as a recruiting ground for teens or young adults that may be interested in the next ministry activity: Family Night!
Meeting Location: The Wayne Miner Community Center, 1940 E. 11th street, KCMO
Time: 12-3pm Saturdays
Family Night / Home Church:
Each Thursday night a group of beloved teens and young adults gather for heaps of food, lively games, and to interact with our amazing God in different ways. We call it Family Night because we have become a deeply significant “second family” to each other.
This is a weekly co-ed gathering that provides space for:
Honest conversation about life’s highs and lows
Building trust and deep belonging
Having tons of fun and loads of laughter!!
Learning to follow our very present God in the middle of difficult life experiences and cultural pressures
Wrestling with the truth of who Jesus is and the reality of what it means to be his disciple
The experience of the Holy Spirit, encouraging each other to surrender to His near presence, to hear and respond to His intimate voice, and be comfortable in this setting
Solid focus on the richness of the Bible in very practical ways
Fostering expressions of worship
Developing healthy peer, multi-racial and multi-generational friendships
Growing in over-all racial health
Adventures, adventures, adventures… of all kinds meaningful and fun!!
This setting also provides a place for young leaders to fill super significant roles of leadership in guiding the content and format of the evening, as well as stretching their wings and leading the meeting itself!
Meeting Location: The Cacy home
Soldiers of God (guys)/Girl Time (girls):
We believe that our homes are the most powerful places of connection, relationship, and impact. The real value of in-home discipleship is the quality and quantity of shared life that comes from a shared home. Living together provides a very rich environment for growth. Christian couples and families become a living example of how to follow God in a family setting (warts and all!). These living arrangements may be full-time or part-time. Discipleship, educational support, and life skills all occur within each individual home at varying levels, and look different as every home and situation is beautifully unique.
In some situations, i58kc provides a safe place one can live when disruptions occur in life. In other situations, in-home discipleship simply provides the next step of growth in a young person’s life as they progress toward maturity and full adulthood. Invariably, these opportunities are an outgrowth of strong relationships built over time. At i58kc we purpose to develop young men and women who know Jesus deeply and are more adequately prepared for adult responsibilities, including for some, the joy of establishing their own healthy and stable family.
These are creative events that involve teen and young adult guys or gals who are already a part of the ministry and have an active relationship established with staff or volunteers. This group attends field trips designed to do the following:
provide new experiences that youth will not otherwise have
get our youth out of their “comfort zone”, overcome fears, broaden horizons, and accomplish new things
build camaraderie and loyalty among the participants
Mentors attend these events alongside of the youth, deepening their relationships through shared experiences, and creating memories and a history together of shared adventures!
In-home Discipleship:
Life Skills:
As youth approach adulthood, having practical lessons and guidance for needed life skills is imperative for future success and stability! And stability is at the core of most of our kids' desires for their future!! At i58kc, we endeavor to be present relationally so that we can help provide whatever learning environment is needed for our youth to be prepared to thrive in adult life. We teach these valuable skills not through the classroom, but individually as each need and opportunity arises.
As a result, we give heavy doses of guidance and lessons for:
all things pertaining to acquiring a driver's permit and license, vehicle purchasing, registration and insurance
job readiness, job opportunities, and encouragement for long-term job success
interpersonal skills
self-health skills
educational strength
good financial habits
