In this very readable 144 page volume Brother Don provides valuable and life-changing information for those who are bound by addictions, those who have received help but may still be struggling, and great insights for those who need to intervene in the life of a loved one bound with various addictions.

This book could be used in several ways.

1. It could help reach those in need by being placed in doctors’ offices, provided to probation offices, distributed in jails, and so on, with your center contact information stamped on the inside.
2. It could be sold or given away at church services or other outreaches for those who either need help themselves or have a loved one needing to be delivered from addiction.
3. It could be used as a premium for donors as a token of your appreciation or for a gift of a certain size.

Many people, both addicts and their loved ones, need to hear the message of hope that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings. First Step presents this in a way that ministers to people at various stages of use and abuse as well as family members and lets them know that there is hope for all through Jesus Christ.

Connections Magazine –
Connections Online Magazine – You’re reading it now!

Training E-Newsletter – sign up at staff.teenchallengeusa.com
iTeenChallenge.org – Staff Training resources
Emerging Leaders Program  – staff.teenchallengeusa.com/elp
Training Courses: store.teenchallengeusa.com/training-resources.html

• PSNC Teacher Certification
• Principles of Biblical Counseling
• Committed to Freedom – Sexual abuse curriculum
• Living Free

New Director’s Conference – annually, see www.connect.tc
Teachers Training Conferences – 4-5 each year
National Conference – every other year (even numbered years)
Regional Conferences – every other year (odd numbered years)

Student Curriculum: (see http://teenchallengeusa.com/curriculum)

• GSNC
• PSNC
• Living Free

Public Relations resources though our store

Stay Sharp – Training and resources, see www.staysharp.us

Facebook –  www.facebook.com/teenchallenge

If you have questions on any of these materials please contact us at info@teenchallengeusa.com

These quarterly communications will offer the opportunity for us to stay in touch – with resources from the national office to you, and information on how to make them work for your center. With this first media update I’d like to start from the beginning, if you don’t mind, and gradually unfold resources, user guides and creative ideas in the coming issues.

Why Media?

Media is important because it carries the message. Whether the method used is a beating drum or HD television, packaging and delivering a concept to an audience has long been explored and valued.

Even Jesus used media. He didn’t exactly carry an iPad or upload to YouTube, but he did utilize the means available around 30 A.D. He would climb a hill and teach from the vantage point of a natural amphitheater, where rocks would reflect sound rather than absorb it, or row a boat a little way out on a lake, creating a stage, with his microphone consisting of soundwaves being naturally amplified over water. He knew the value of media and used it to his advantage.

We have the same goal; to deliver this same message Jesus preached – the message of hope and healing, salvation and redemption – to the listener. And it just happens to be that we live in an era where electronic media is at our fingertips.

A Bit of History

Nearly ten years ago, we built our first recording studio here at our local center in Minnesota, and began offering pre-recorded student testimonies to the local radio stations. We sensed God’s favor and timing on this venture as the doors flew open in front of us. Those were long, pressured work hours – as you are all so familiar with – but the excitement of the message going out on the airwaves and the sense of expectancy that God was up to something new and fresh carried us through those early difficulties. Within that first year, He repeatedly impressed on our hearts that we were like that story in the Old Testament where the lepers were outside the camp, having found bread, and being instructed that it would be a sin to keep it to ourselves.

It wasn’t long before we found that by adding Teen Challenge USA tags and contact information to the end of each testimony, the network doors began to open, and through continued prayer and God’s favor, The result: people across America are hearing via thousands of radio stations, and now television, that Jesus Christ is the answer to drug addiction and that Teen Challenge is the place to go for help if they or a loved one are addicted.

So much has happened in such a short time, that it is best summed up by simply encouraging you to step into the media waters. Working now as part of the TCUSA team, we are re-packaging nearly everything we produce – radio, television and other – and are placing it online for your use. You simply need to add your local phone number and email address to customize it for your center’s use.

We are continually uploading new media resources, building the stockpiles already online, and in the coming months we’ll be creating detailed user guides to accompany all of the resources. In the meantime, please contact me with any questions. I want you to know that we are committed to being of service to your local center to help facilitate customization and relationship- building with your local media sources. Here’s my contact information: lynette.scherber@mntc.org  612.238.6216

NRB Impact Award Nomination

The National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Awards Committee has announced that Teen Challenge USA is a finalist in the 2012 Media Awards.

Teen Challenge USA joins Focus on the Family, Hope for the Heart and Life Issues Institute as the four finalists in the Radio Impact Awards category. In all, the NRB has 16 categories for which it presents awards for, including in the areas of television, radio and the Internet.

The NRB 2012 Media Awards will be presented to the recipients at the Awards Reception on Tuesday, February 21, as part of the NRB 2012 Convention & Exposition at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Getting Started

It’s easy to get started. Here’s step ONE:

In order to gain access to the online materials, you’ll need to fill out LICENSEE information on page1 and 2 of the Media Permissions Form (find online @staff.teenchallengeusa.com/psas) and fax it to Lisa Bornert at: 417.581.2195. (This form was a generous donation by an IP attorney from a major firm. It legally protects both Teen Challenge and the students, and creates a paper trail of media use in the event that a student should decide no longer to circulate their story.)

Here is the media site:

Type into your web browser:      teenchallengeusa.com/donuts

username:      donuts

case-sensitive password:      (Lisa will email you when she receives the signed media permissions form)

In the coming issues we’ll be announcing new resources and network media partners, welcoming centers who are customizing media, and discovering creative ways to use the online resources. We’ll also give timeline guides and tips for customizing an Audio Christmas Card and offer a question/ answer column.

Teen Challenge programs across the country are reaping the benefits of promoting their local center through media. We invite you to join them.

One way to receive “free” print space involves writing Opinion Letters of Letters to the Editor. These need to be “news-worthy,” not just bragging about your ministry, to ensure that your local paper will want to run your letter. These letters or articles can be used as blog posts, or news items on your website. Some of the ideas will also work well in fundraising letters. Topics could include:

• A response to a current story in the news
• Announce or comment on any new study or report regarding drug abuse, (e.g. The new SAMHSA study released recently).
• Seasonal Issues:
• January is National Blood Month and National Soup Month. Share a story about studenst donating blood, or helping with a blood drive. For Soup Month share some recipes for soup for a crowd, but include regular family portion also.
• February is Heart Month. A story could be written about the “heart change” that takes place in our students; or about physical fitness efforts at your center.
• February 12-18, 2012 in Children of Alcoholics Week. This is a great opportunity for an article or letter about the hardships that student’s children have survived and the hope for a new life. Another angle would be from student’s points of view that had alcoholic parents and is working to break the cycle.
• March 20, the first day of Spring. This is a great time to talk about new hope. Just as a flower unfurls from a bulb buried in the dirt,  our students are reaching out to a new life.
• April is National Alcohol Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month
• August has National Thrift Shop Day and National Radio Day
• September is National Recovery Month.
• October is National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month and Red Ribbon Week October 23-31.
• November is Indian Heritage Month and Adoption Month.
• December is International Human Rights Day and National Disabilities Awareness Month.

I hope this give you ideas for writing and publicizing Teen Challenge.

We appreciate that. Rest assured that the Information Technology duo at the national office is passionate about wrangling IT stuff to help you do your work more efficiently and more effectively.

So what are we working on to make life easier for those of you on the frontlines of ministry?

Online Student Management
Tim Cloninger is immersed in developing myTeenChallenge.com, the new national student management system scheduled for release in August 2012. In the coming weeks, a select number of Teen Challenge staff will be testing an alpha release of the “student intake” module, giving him their suggestions on how to make it more powerful and easy to use.

Public Service Announcements (PSAs)
Among the things I’ve been asked to work on, I’m perhaps most excited about our PSAs, customizable radio-ready audio segments that share student success stories with those in your area, and point hurting people to your ministry. Some TC centers are working with their local radio stations, and TCUSA Media Chair Lynette Scherber, to make the most of these. We invite you to do so as well. Visit staff.TeenChallengeUSA.com/psas for details.

Emerging Leaders Program (ELP)
There are new ELP resources on the ELP website for download. Check them out by visiting staff.TeenChallengeUSA.com/elp

2012-2013 Teen Challenge Conferences
We’ve put the final touches on our fresh-off-the-presses conference website, which for two years will promote the new theme, “Connect.” Get more information about the 2012 National Conference, and the already-scheduled teacher training conferences and new directors conference, by visiting CONNECT.tc

Simplified GSNC/PSNC Order Forms
Have you ordered resources through our webstore recently? If not, you’ll find it super-easy to order GSNC and PSNC materials with the new online order forms. While you’re there, why not add a Teen Challenge baseball cap or T-shirt to your order? Visit store.teenchallengeusa.com

Want A Bird’s Eye View?
For a full list of websites that we either contribute to or maintain, check out TeenChallengeNetwork.com

Technology can make our lives easier, and our ministry more efficient. If you have any thoughts on how to improve any of our websites, or want to suggest new project ideas, please let us know.

And, as always, if you experience any problems with the Staff site, or any other Teen Challenge site, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We IT guys, along with the rest of the team at the national office, are here to serve you as you serve the Lord on the frontlines of ministry.

Joshua DuBois, White House Faith Based Director and Snow Peabody

Rev. Snow Peabody, Teen Challenge USA’s National Representative to Washington D.C., met with White House Faith-based Director Joshua DuBois in the Executive Offices of the White House on September 14th. Immediately after welcoming Rev. Peabody to his office, Director DuBois offered his condolences to Teen Challenge on the passing of our founder David Wilkerson. He was aware of Teen Challenge’s ministry and applauded all we have done over the past 53 years.

Rev. Peabody answered many questions about Teen Challenge during the 30 minute meeting. Director DuBois was interested in the high success rate Teen Challenge has and how we are helping people across the nation.

“Director DuBois recognized the good service Teen Challenge is offering the nation and highly respects the work we are doing,” Rev. Peabody reported to Dr. Jack Smart, Teen Challenge USA President.

“As a person of faith himself,” Peabody went on to explain, “DuBois knows that what we offer is a viable alternative for this generation and is very important.” Director DuBois has agreed to meet with Teen Challenge USA’s President Dr. Jack Smart in January 2012, to learn more about the work Teen Challenge is doing in drug prevention and addiction recovery.

Teen Challenge Joins Government Leaders at National Recovery Month Kick Off

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) launched the 22nd Annual National Recovery Month. “A Celebration of Hope, Help and Healing,” the 2011 theme, was announced at a National Press Club Media Event followed by a luncheon, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Representatives for Teen Challenge USA joined 150 other substance abuse and mental health specialists in Washington D.C. on September 8th and 9th.

Teen Challenge was represented at this national event by Rev. Snow Peabody, the National TC-USA Representative to Washington D.C.; Dr. Ron Brown, Executive Director of TC Southern California; and Mr. Henry Lozano, former White House Advisor to President George W. Bush and now Director of the Los Angeles County Teen Challenge Centers. ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske continues to applaud our efforts across the nation and expressed his pleasure that Teen Challenge participates in national events.

Lifeline Connection provides a strategic solution for rural communities by offering referrals to centers and ministry groups for the incarcerated and drug court referees. Starting with nonresidential ministry can lay a foundation for establishing residential Teen Challenge centers in underserved regions. In other words, Lifeline Connection can also be a strategy in opening new residential programs.

Jim and Amy Forakis

Tennessee Valley Teen Challenge started in 1997 as an outreach of Memphis Teen Challenge, and today has a 20-bed men’s facility that is debt free. They continue to reach 120 participants in five surrounding counties through Lifeline Connection groups facilitated by 40 volunteers. Director Jim Forakis and his wife Amy struggled the first year, wondering if the ministry would actually “get off the ground”. But when they began using the Living Free training and curriculum and following a Life-Plan of Recovery, their perseverance was rewarded and good things began to happen.

By beginning the nonresidential ministry of Lifeline Connection, Jim and Amy began to build a team and learned much about helping the addicted and their families. They gained ministry experience that prepared them for the challenges of building and maintaining a residential ministry. The success of their Lifeline Connection ministry enabled the community leaders and board members to see the need to offer residential care and recovery. As a result, support came in, and miracles began to happen. What began as a struggling outreach in 1997 grew to a strong ministry in 2007—one that offers care for both the addicted and their families, with a strong emphasis on both residential and ongoing nonresidential ministry.

Training volunteers for ministry is an exciting opportunity for our centers. So many want to be involved, and Teen Challenge’s reputation and effectiveness draw those with a heart for the hurting. Lifeline Connection provides a good

opportunity for many who are not yet qualified or willing to work in the Teen Challenge centers. The Living Free training will prepare volunteers to become facilitators and Core Team members. Center Directors can establish strong relationships with these volunteers, who will become valuable allies in extending the influence, reach, and reputation of Teen Challenge.

The director and his team can develop a master plan for their region and offer appropriate groups such as Stepping into Freedom, a Christ-centered 12 step program and Anger: Our Master or Our Servant. These curriculums may be offered in county corrections groups and as court-referred groups. Other groups are offered to families of the addicted and other hurting people in the community.

Call Jim and Amy Forakis at (731) 926-0417 for more information on their experiences or to schedule Lifeline Connection/Living Free seminars. Gene Woods at Teen Challenge Ranch of NW Arkansas is also available to conduct training. You can reach him at (479) 640-1187.

May we be willing to “step out of the box” and increase the impact through new programs, both residential and nonresidential, truly “affecting the culture” in America for the cause of Christ.

Peter exhorts us to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). The words “sober” and “vigilant” speak of being clear headed and guarded. Also, by virtue of our position as one of God’s children (John 1:12), Peter reminds us that we have an enemy that zeros in on us every day. In his attempt to destroy the credibility of our witness, the devil knows just the right thing to say to tempt us to go where we never thought we would go in either our emotions or our actions.

If we allow temptation to come to fruition, we lose more than a clean conscious before God. We lose a credible witness that will leave our words sounding empty, hollow, and irrelevant to those who listen.

We need our witness about Jesus in our life to ring true and have God’s power working through it so that those we minister to will see the love that God has for them. Paul reminds us to put on the full armor of God (Eph 6:11) and to fight the good fight (1 Tim 6:12). As his work and journey was coming to a close here on the earth, Paul was able to say “I have fought the good fight…I have kept the faith! (2 Tim 4:7). One reason this was possible is because of an earlier commitment Paul had made which he wrote to the Church in Corinth, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Cor 9:27).

By God’s grace, let us stay clear headed and vigilant about what the devil would tempt us with. He seeks to destroy our witness before those we minister to. By God’s grace let’s fight the good fight and keep the faith! As the Apostle John wrote, “Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward” (2 John 8, ESV). In other words, don’t disqualify yourself!