God is working in the hearts of the youth, teens and adults that we come in contact with on a daily basis in Newark. In the spring, we saw about ten of our eighth graders graduate into high school. Two guys who have been coming to our programs since they were young children – we have hopes that they will be leaders in our senior high ministry in the fall.
The summer had great times for ministry, so let us share a few highlights. The end-of-school picnics were a lot of fun for all the kids. This year, we went to Lake Hopatcong for swimming and a cookout. We love to see the kids enjoy themselves and just be kids with no worries. Later, we took some of the children mini golfing as a reward for learning all of their memory verses. It always amazes us to see how the word of God works in the hearts of these young people.
Summer camp was another highlight for the kids as well. In July, we took five boys to upstate New York for a week of Inspire Sports Camp. Four of the guys went last year, and all of them gave their lives to Jesus. Since then, they have been coming to church and youth group on a regular basis. This summer was a good chance for them to renew their commitment to the Lord. One of the guys was new to camp, and he also rang the born again bell to show that he gave his life to the Lord. We look forward to continuing the discipleship process with all of these boys in the months to come.
We also decided to continue our weekly teen youth outreaches for Junior and Senior high school students on Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the summer. We were able to stay connected to the teens in hopes that in the fall, we can kick off a new teen outreach sponsored by Young Life Ministries. We also did other summer ministries like Word on the Mound baseball camp and vacation Bible club.
Thank you for your prayers and support!
Stephen Hoernig is a World Impact missionary in Newark, NJ.
