WENDY CALDERON Wendy Andrea Calderón, a Colombian-American, is an exceptional and well respected leader in the metropolitan New York Christian community. She accepted the Lord during her freshman year at Brown University and entered full-time youth ministry upon graduation. Wendy is an ordained minister and serves as the Executive Director of Urban Youth Alliance. Urban…

BY DAN MONTEVERDE Youth today, especially the Hispanic youth we work with, love music. If we are not in agreement on this issue we will be hard pressed to agree on many other things other than the Lordship of Christ and his imminent return. If you want to know where a kid is socially, emotionally…

To hear Jaci Velasquez share her vision is to be given hope again. To hear her sing it, as in the case of her message of abstinence (on “I Promise”) is to be renewed and inspired to share it with someone else. That’s the way her ministry works, naturally, as she lives it out in…

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…