KEVIN
LAPIERRE
FUEL NETWORK LEADER
NYC, NEW YORK
KEVIN LAPIERRE
As the New York City Fuel Network embraces the winds of change, we are thrilled to present our newest leader, Kevin Lapierre. With a profound dedication to leadership development and kingdom work, Kevin steps into the role of Fuel Network Leader for New York, succeeding the remarkable work initiated by Tanisha Browne.
Kevin serves as a youth volunteer at the Christian Cultural Center, where he expresses his passion for reaching and discipling young people with the Gospel. He learned about UYWI through a friend in an advanced leadership program who encouraged him to sit in on a UYWI Certification Program class. He did just that and has been involved with UYWI ever since.
Kevin's unwavering enthusiasm for youth ministry drove him to successfully complete the certification program, ultimately paving his path to leadership within the New York Fuel Network.
Kevin's vision for the Fuel Network is rooted in a profound desire to help and provide support for youth ministers and workers across the city. He recognizes that these leaders operate in diverse contexts and different pockets of the city, each with unique challenges and opportunities. He is grateful to be a part of a group of leaders that may have differences among them but also have so many similarities—all working together to build something great for the Kingdom.
With humility and gratitude, Kevin embraces the chance to build upon the foundation laid by Tanisha and take the Fuel Network to new heights. We invite you to learn more about the mission and vision of the New Your Fuel Network below.
The work of our Fuel Network leaders, the training and development they receive to reach more youth with the Gospel is made possible by our Urban Ally community. As an Urban Ally, your generosity will directly fund essential programs, resources, and initiatives that equip youth workers to reach and disciple young hearts of New York.
Meet Tanisha Browne, another rising leader who spearheaded the UYWI Fuel Network based out of New York City.
A long time resident of Queens, Tanisha is passionate about bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ into all spheres, spaces, and sectors of her community; not just the sacred, i.e. the church, but the secular world outside its four walls.
Growing up in the church, Tanisha had many questions as a young person trying to navigate life in an urban context. Yet, she felt what was lacking in the church was a deeper level of authenticity. In her experience, adults were not “100% real with [her].” As a result, she had more questions than answers, causing her to question the divide between the sacred and the secular she observed in teaching and behavior.
God used this gap and planted a passion to bloom within her—a passion for mentorship and intentionally investing in the lives of youth in a way that removes the “church masks.” Opening space for honest and real conversations, it is from this passion that JQC, and eventually the UYWI Fuel Network in New York, were launched.
For this network, Tanisha’s vision is to have the church stand as a bridge between the sacred and secular in ways that form holistic partnerships between church, the business and political worlds, education, and other nonprofit organizations, in order to bring about comprehensive change into the borough of Queens.
This holistic change is rooted in unity and collaboration.
According to Tanisha, “Right now, there is an independent mindset within the community among churches and businesses that are vying for space to serve distinctly in the community.” Tanisha has a vision to foster and build collaborations that’ll have a much more profound impact and transformation throughout the city—by working together in cooperation not competition.
“Why do we feel we need to do everything alone?” Tanisha asks. “My approach is to build collaborations and partner with organizations that are already doing the work. Raising up, discipling, and supporting the work is an effective way that builds the kingdom and transforms our community.”
The outcome of such collaborations will warrant a deeper, more authentic impact on youth in Queens, who are in need of mentorship and healthy living options. This is a region that is facing issues such as teen pregnancy, high infant mortality rates, education, and of course, COVID-19 specific stressors that are leading to self-isolation and depressive behavior.
“Growing up I noticed in the church there is a divide between the sacred and the secular. I didn’t have people in the church who were 100% real with me and so I had many questions that I didn’t have answers for.”
Fuel Networks and leaders need your support so that
this next generation not only hears the Gospel but sees it lived out.
