Dear Friends,

What happens to energy and vision in the face of constant change?

We all know that shepherding people in challenging times takes extra strength. Somewhere, that energy needs to be replenished. Youth leaders in Europe have been caring for young people during a pandemic that has lasted much longer than they anticipated, and are still facing an uncertain future. What will give them the ability to keep going?

During October and November, the Josiah Venture team is responding to this need through an innovative event called “Recharge.” Since youth leaders are best renewed in the context of relationships, this experience is happening in over 85 locations across Central and Eastern Europe. Members of our team are gathering youth leaders together in their homes, churches, and at small retreats for one or two days full of sharing, encouraging, and equipping.

Often, disruption drives innovation, and this event is a great example of just that. It is both on-line and personal, with great video content coupled with hours of discussion and interaction. Personal shepherding helps the participants to apply what they learned into their setting. At the end of the event, each of the youth leaders will walk away with a clear plan for their ministry for the next 3-6 months—developed through interaction, listening, and prayer.

Recharge focuses on four key themes for the year ahead – Re-new your passion for youth work, Re-connect with youth people, Re-discover disciplemaking, and Re-vision your youth ministry. 

All together, Recharge will impact over 1400 youth leaders in 17 countries of Central and Eastern Europe. As you can imagine, just the challenge of getting this teaching and video material into 17 different languages has been a big one!

Here is what we are already hearing from youth leaders:

• “Now I know I'm not alone in this. As leaders, we deal with very similar situations. I'm so glad we were able to share with each other.”
• “God spoke to me and brought a solution to [a question of mine] that arose in the beginning. That was absolutely crucial for me to stay in the ministry.”
• “I loved being together with other brothers and sisters from my city and sharing ourselves, food, space, and ideas together.”
• “I learned to not give up and lose patience, both with myself and with others. Failure is an integral part of life. It's a great reminder that spoke to me.”

You are helping us renew the energy and vision of many precious youth leaders through your gifts and prayers. Thank you.