Lig Youth
LIG is an acronym for “Life in God – Lewe in God”. Eight years ago the Holy Spirit pointed out to us the desperate need of the young people of Kleinmond and surrounding areas, for the Father’s love. He promptly backed it up with scripture – Eph 4:18-19.
With no real clue what to do, yet armed with God-breathed passion for the young people and the knowledge that it was His will, we started out on this exiting journey, where we as the founders and leaders of LiG, changed just as much as the young people touched with God’s love.
We started out with 15 young people, but our hearts yearned for the opportunity to share the gospel with more young people. Our God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above what we can ask or think – and that is exactly what He did. Within a period of about a month, the numbers jumped from 15 to 150. We were gloriously in trouble – suddenly overwhelmed by the number of children as and still not sure how to serve them best.
‘…do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength.' ~ Neh 8:10
God is faithful and He provided us with a strategy, volunteers and resources to make a difference in their lives. We soon realized that our involvement in the children’s lives will have to be more than preaching the gospel if we want to see the truth thought actually manifest in their lives. We had to engage them spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally. This revelation was once again powerfully backed up by the Lord when our senior pastor, Dr. Allan Bagg, started teaching on whole life prosperity. So many people go unfulfilled through life, never knowing the fullness of what Jesus has accomplished on the cross.
‘…You (God) have kept your promise because you are righteous…’ Neh 9:8
This revelation lead us to establish an education initiative, with the aim of rectifying sub-standard literacy and numeracy skills, provide remedial tutoring and after school care, as well as to provide bursaries to top schools for promising candidates.
Based on the credits earned through the year, a group of young leaders is selected once a year to participate in a leadership development camp. Most of the leaders produced by these camps are also incorporated in the yearly Holiday Club. The Holiday Club provides an awesome training ground and excellent personal growth opportunities to the young leaders. They reach out to approximately 400 children per day in song, dance, games and of course, the Word. This is also a powerful way in which the leaders give back to the community they come from.
We also engage with the young people through various clubs, such as Horse riding, surfing and hiking.
However, LiG’s primary point of contact with the young people remains the Friday night workshops where children from age 8 and up are presented with life skill training from bible in a variety of age appropriate ways, which includes time for healthy socialization. This time is essential to establish and affirm relationships of trust with the young people, without which our ministry would be much more difficult. A lot of the change taking place in the lives of the young people is a result of patient one-on-one mentoring. The aim of the variety of activities is to attract as many children as possible through meeting them at their point on interest, which, if prayerfully and wisely managed, will give Jesus access to their point of need.
At this point LiG needs vehicles that are efficient and of suitable size to facilitate reaching out the young people in the many ways pointed out. We are also looking at property to establish a Youth Centre to serve as base of operations and to increase our effectiveness in the lives of the young people.
Vision
Young people of integrity, economically empowered and enabled to make morally sound decisions regarding their families, their own lives, the community where they live and the natural environment
Mission
* Restoring the youth’s hope in the possibility of a successful and fulfilling future;
* Utilizing the abundant and varied skills, talents and gifts of individuals and organizations to bring about behavioral change in the youth;
* Providing the youth with knowledge, tools and skills to make morally sound decisions;
* Building integrity and character;
* Building the youth’s capacity to participate in the economic development of the community;
* Fostering wholesome parent/child relationships;
* Encouraging participation by parents in the lives of their children;
* Fostering love and respect for the environment over which they are stewards
Goals
* Remedial intervention to rectify sub-standard academic performance;
* Initiating a sustainable scholarship program to provide greater opportunity for learners to develop and pursue their talents and gifts;
* Leadership development camps and events;
* Social and life skills training programs;
* Establishing a youth centre as an essential tool towards bringing about the envisaged positive behavioral change;
* Training youth mentors living in the community to assist the youth in dealing with life’s issues;
* Training youth leaders in a variety of outdoor activities to encourage and enable the young people to participate in wholesome extra mural activities;
* Providing specialized sports development opportunities;
* Introducing the youth to the concept of serving in the community;
* Promoting in the youth a love for the environment we live in by involving them in projects protecting and enhancing our environment
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