There are so many ministries at the Radford Worship Center and I would like to take some time and let you know a little about one of them, Crossroads Ministry. Crossroads is dedicated to recognizing and meeting the needs of incarcerated youth, adults and their families. We currently are operating within four facilities, providing bible studies, life skills classes, counseling, weekly services and our summer program “Planning for Success on the Outside”.
Most Juvenile Detention Centers have limited funds for programs. As a result there was a hole in the summer schedule during regular school hours at the local juvenile detention center. So they asked if we could fill that hole - a time slot of roughly 8:30 to 3:00 five days a week. We saw this as an excellent opportunity to help these teens grow in Christ. With that began our first year of conducting the “Planning for Success” summer program. This is one of the most exciting opportunities we’ve been given at Crossroads.
The summer program is a unique blend of class room and hands on activities designed to equip the teens with some of the life skills necessary to become successful in life. The really cool thing about the program is the whole thing is centered on Jesus! We invite grounded adults from all walks of life and professions to come and invest in the teens. Last year we had a former home ec teacher do cooking classes, a banker teach on finances, physical therapists taught proper exercise techniques, pastor Mike taught on a biblical view of sex, other ministers came to invest their time with studies, and a former gang member from Atlanta came to share his testimony of how Christ changed his life.
It does not take being around the young people long to realize how much investment it takes with this population to see a real change in their life. In many cases you find yourself having to re-parent them. Last year there were many times that I was reminded of a scripture in 1 Corinthians 4:15 “You may have countless Christian guardians, but you don't have many spiritual fathers. I became your father in the Christian life by telling you the Good News about Christ Jesus.”
The awesome thing about the whole summer is we get to see these young people begin to really embrace a relationship with Jesus Christ. Last year we had many come to Christ, and actually had the opportunity to hold a baptism service in the New River.
We always have opportunities for qualified individuals to come and be a part of what God is doing. Feel free to contact me if you’re interested in what opportunities we have for this year’s summer program. This year we will begin on July 6th.
Pastor Ted Farmer
Director Crossroads Ministry
540-230-3720
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