A Youth Pastor Shares His Story About How Sexual Sin Ruined His Life, Family and Ministry BY ANONYMOUS “We need to talk.” These were the four most frightening words anyone could say to me. The questions would fly through my mind: “What did they know?” “Did one of the girls tell?” “Were they suspicious?” I…

BY LARRY ACOSTA, MARY ARIAS, AND CLAUDIA RAMOS The issue of teen sexuality in our Latino community has been one that is both culturally and spiritually difficult to deal with as church leaders. Our teens need positive role models who will talk honestly with them about sex, but often times this openness clashes with our…

BY MAX TORRES Early on in ministry, I remember sitting in meetings and watching effective leaders writing in their detailed, page-per-day calendars. I wish somebody would have asked me, “So how do you schedule your days?” I wasted so much time! Effective planning requires know how, a good planning device and discipline. There are a…

BY JEFFREY DE LEON Cómo puedo programar para ganar? Existen ciertos ingredientes que debemos considerar para que nuestras reuniones juveniles sean mas dinámicas y efectivas. Quiero sugerirte algunas ideas que pueden ayudarte a desarrollar una reunion juvenil dinámica. Permite que los jovenes tengan un tiempo RELACIONAL. Esto siempre se quede dar antes de la reunion,…

BY SONNY ARGUINZONI, JR. Nearing the twenty-first century, we are faced with the harsh reality that although our world is advancing in many ways, it is also experiencing a steady decline in social values. It is important as a single youth leader to stay in touch with those values and teach them, as well as…

BY NICK AND SANDRA GARZA “Avion mami, avion!” “Is Daddy on that plane?” “Are we going to get him at the airport today?” This repetition of my son’s words, as told by my wife, reminded me about a son’s need to spend time with his daddy. This was especially sobering in light of the amount…

Recently I was refreshed by the message of a Sprite commercial. It said, “Image is nothing, thirst is everything – obey your thirst.” For me, the refreshing part of the commercial was that the marketing company was actually challenging the value of “image consciousness.” This is key in that for too long, image consciousness has…

BY MAX TORRES In the society we live in today, we always seem to be human doings instead of human beings. So what’s the answer to this dilemma, you might ask? Get another gadget! YOU NEED A COMPUTER! Think of what you could do: – Type your sermon notes – Create flyers – Maintain an…

BY LARRY ACOSTA THE HISPANIC MINISTRY CENTER HOSTS THE NATIONAL HISPANIC YOUTH WORKERS SUMMIT Leadership seems to be the buzz word of the 90’s. Ministries and organizations seem to rise and fall based on leadership. We at the Hispanic Ministry Center believe that one of the most significant investments that we can make is in…

BY RUBEN ORTIZ Hispanic Youth Ministry Getting a bunch of Hispanic youth workers together (outside of a wedding or funeral) is almost an impossible task. But when we finally managed to get it done here in the city of brotherly love, some great things happened. The Hispanic Youth Ministry Challenge was held on October 11,…