Teen Challenge

Today was another special day, the fifth Sunday after Pentecost and the first official Sunday of summer. Our congregation was enriched by the presence of a group from MN Teen Challenge who, with the exception of Brad's welcome greeting and Darlene's introit, basically conducted the entire service.

Before the service many of us met for breakfast and a time of dialogue pertaining to church growth and visioning for our future. All members are invited to these breakfast meetings as we explore expectations and our role in the community.

Brad began our discussion with the maxim, "You can't have resurrection without death." Pam followed with a passage from I Corinthians 15:3-4 that affirms this principle of death and life, thus leading into two of our discussion questions today.

1. What needs to die in order for us to live?

2. What programs or ideas were effective in the past are now limiting the health & growth of the church?

Walt noted that growth challenges some of a small church's strengths, which kicked off a good discussion about who we are and what are the qualities that have attracted people here to our church family.

We also began to tackle a third question: How do we view and handle conflict? Conflict is inevitable in churches because of the differences amongst us. It was noted that discernment is important so that we know which differences are deal breakers and core issues, and which are simple peripheral.

All in all, the discussion was good, the insights many.

Teen Challenge

The service began with a video about the work of MN Teen Challenge, with an introduction to the needs in our culture which led to the founding of this organization. Substance abuse and drug addiction cripples tens of millions of lives, and impacts millions more. I was struck by the statistic that the Twin Cities is one of the most intoxicated in America. Adults of all ages come into the program in an effort to find a new hope and build for themselves a better life.

The group of men stood at the front to sing and share testimonies. The songs were moving, with the opening number being Jeremy Riddle's Sweetly Broken.

A young man named Peter shared his story, from Christian home to being locked up in prison. A man named John shared his story, and how his addictions resulted in "hurting everyone I knew." This was a very special time in the service leaving very few untouched.

Josh, the son of a pastor who ended up doing a year in prison in Portland, noted that the men who were with us today had a variety of different experiences but all shared this common denominator: "I fell hard and I need your prayers."

The group of men sang a number of songs, and shared other stories with us. Afterwards, we also shared a meal with them. Many more personal stories were passed along. Each has a story. Each has value. These are men, not throwaways. May God be praised.

Restoration & Transformation

Pastor Shannon opened with announcements that included a reminder that next week is Mother’s Day and there will be no Sunday School. Instead the men will be making a breakfast for all, to honor the mothers.

Our May 4 service was then turned over to the ministry of Teen Challenge Duluth.

Teen Challenge is an organization whose aim is to help drug addicts and others find liberation from their addictions through Jesus Christ. Founded fifty years ago in New York City by David Wilkerson, Teen Challenge has spread far and wide to wherever there is need.

The Teen Challenge center in Duluth houses forty men of all ages, united by their common need for restoration and transformation. Twenty of these men were with New Life Covenant today, and the other half at another church in this region. The men sang songs of God’s grace, and shared their personal stories.

What follows are a few of the testimonies which were shared with us today.

Dave was a business major, well educated who seemed to have good things going in his life. A 1983 skiing accident resulted in his requiring “oceans of pain medicine” for a short period of time. Afterward, he eventually became a heavy drinker. When his best friend, a former police officer, drank himself to death he likewise began a binge, starting down the same path as his friend. Recognizing the pattern in his own life that he had seen in his friend, he reached out to Teen Challenge, knowing that alone he was unable to turn things around.

Eric’s story began when he was young. At age ten Eric suffered from nightmares which kept him awake with fear. The demonic torment went on for two years until at age twelve he went to a Bible camp and accepted Christ in his heart. But over time, this influence diminished and in ninth grade he gradually became involved with drugs, including meth. The meth kept him from sleeping so that he could avoid the nightmares that had returned. His crimes caught up with him and in the end he had lost all to meth. With his arrest and probation violations, he turned to Teen Challenge for help. His future was transformed from hopeless to hopeful.

Michael shared how he began smoking pot and drinking in ninth grade. A combination of pride, depression and being alone characterized his life. After freaking out on LSD he was brought to Miller Dwan. He was given a choice between commitment to the hospital or submission to Teen Challenge. This proved to be the first step toward his personal liberation.

The choir sang a song about the prodigal son, concluding with the powerful affirmation, “I know there’s a place called grace.”

Jason’s story begins with being kicked out of school. His life consisted of drugs and drinking every day. He lived in an unclean room with rodents, maggots on the floor. His sixteen months at Teen Challenge have helped in his healing. Jason stated that the battle is for our minds.

Rob, age 22, said that his life essentially revolved around alcohol and partying until ten months ago when he entered Teen Challenge. He was broken, not knowing what to do with his life. He spoke with gratitude of God’s intervention in his financial affairs and shared how God spoke to him through the worship songs there. He likewise stated the role of the body of Christ in making this new life possible.

In truth, God’s amazing grace is amazing.