YWAM’s Foundational Values Youth With A Mission (YWAM) affirms the Bible as the authoritative word of God and, with the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, the absolute reference point for every aspect of life and ministry. Based upon God’s word, who He is, and His initiative of salvation, the following responses are strongly emphasized in YWAM...More
Lausanne Covenant (Not a YWAM Document but one that YWAM is a signatory to). It is a covenant that was formulated during an historic evangelistic congress in 1974. It was signed by Christian leaders from many nations.
The following are recollections, excerpts of letters and conversations with Newton Bohanan, Nez Perce, 32. Thank you, Newt for allowing us to tell your story. May it encourage many! Since his dramatic life and death experience Newton has already been a huge blessing to many by his enthusiasm and love for God. Volkhard Graf
I had heard some stories about him, but never met him in person. The descriptions I’d heard seemed to fit the stereotypical picture of a Native American male. He was known as a person who you’d have to be lucky to meet in a sober condition. [Read more…] about Stories of two Native American Men
Rod White Eagle Wilson, our National Coordinator for all Youth With A Mission bases in North America went to be with Jesus on Resurrection Day, April 12, 2009 after a courageous battle resulting from the effects of bleeding on the brain.
A memorial service for Rod was held at YWAM’s North American Leadership Conference (NALC 2009) in Estes Park, Colorado. It was a moving evening, led by one of Rod’s friends and ministry associates, Richard Twiss, Lakota, and attended by many other friends.
We want to thank you again for standing in prayer with Rod, his dear wife Alexis and their children and grandchildren!
A little over a year ago, we moved out of the building that had been graciously donated to us for ministry use for many years by local friends
DriveView
of YWAM. We have since had a sense that the Lord wanted to give us our own “domain” for ministry, and we have prayed and thought about this for quite a while. About two weeks ago we began to actively pursue finding a property in our area. We met with a local Realtor and looked at a variety of properties for sale in our area, both with buildings and without. One of them clearly stuck out.
This home is large enough to house staff and students for Discipleship Training Schools. It allows for the possibility of an ongoing sports-outreach to the community and other weekly events, such as Bible studies and youth meetings. It is in great shape and requires almost no renovation or changes to be usable to us. Here are some of the advantages of this property:
Location is only about 3 miles out of town, so it is both close, yet not in a zoned area, that would prohibit us from using it for ministry purposes.
The property is self-contained with its own septic and water supply. Not to mention the beautiful view.
The home sits on a 11.5 acre almost completely usable property, in other words, there is much room to expand for building cabins for more housing and a pole building for meeting/classroom/office space.
We have learned that the owner has already dropped the price to $ 350,000 from $ 395K. Comparisons with other properties clearly let let this one emerge as the one perfect for our purposes.
Will you join us in praying for the necessary funds to be raised?! We are praying right now, “Lord, if this is the one for us, reserve it for YWAM Native Ministries!” If you would like to invest in the future of Native people and the growth of God’s kingdom, consider a fully tax-deductible donation to our ministry. (Click here to visit our donation page.) Thank you.
After completing their Crossroads Discipleship Training School (CDTS), in 2008, the Mark and Michaela are now our newest staff members. They are veteran followers of Christ and have served him in Germany, Kenya and the United States.
A Mini-DTS consists of a 4 week course of interactive lectures, study, small groups and outreach, designed to lay a firm foundation in the students life for a fulfilling and fruitful Christian walk and to help prepare them to become involved in Christian leadership and worldwide missions. It would consist of:
Learning and growing together
A culturally sensitive presentation of YWAM values and Discipleship Training School (DTS) teachings, with lecture phase and outreach lasting no longer than 4 weeks for each Mini-DTS. Subjects focused on are:
“The greatest moments of Native History lie ahead of us if a great spiritual renewal and wakening should take place. The Native American has been a sleeping giant. He is awakening. The original Americans could become the evangelists who will help win America for Christ! Remember these forgotten people!” Dr. Billy Graham
“…we see God working in terms of Jewish culture to reach Jews, yet, refusing to impose Jewish customs on Gentiles. Instead non-Jews are to come to God and relate to Him in terms of their own cultural vehicles. We see the Bible endorsing, then, a doctrine we call biblical sociocultural adequacy in which each culture is taken seriously but none advocated exclusively as the only one acceptable to God.” Dr. Charles Kraft, Anthropology for Christian Witness, Orbis 1996
The next 10 to 20 years will bring Native cultural expressions to the body of Christ that will be a tremendous blessing to many. Richard Twiss
Biblical Christianity is never found apart from a culture. It is always part of a culture. The Christianity of the New Testament was a part of the Greco-Roman world of the 1st century. There is no such thing as plain Christianity. Christianity always expresses itself through a culture. It is unique in that it can be expressed equally well in any culture. Grunlan, Stephen A. and Marvin K. Mayers, Cultural Anthropology: A Christian Perspective. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1988, 244.
“The only way to drive out bad culture is to create good culture. We need to recognize that artistic talent is a gift from the Lord — and that developing those talents is the only way to create good culture.” C.S. Lewis as quoted at: http://www.breakpoint.org/script4.html
“We know that this nation entered into solemn treaties [with Indian tribes] which have been continuously violated for more than 250 years. It’s a disgrace. It’s an outrage. We must do everything in our power to keep those treaties. Otherwise, the word of the United States government is no good.” U.S. Senator John McCain, Presidential Candiate
“I have but one passion – it is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ.” Count Zinsendorf
“Without Christ, not one step; with Him, anywhere!” David Livingstone
“Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” Jim Elliot, Missionary to the Auca (Waodani)
“Lord, make me a crisis man. Let me not be a mile-post on a single road, but make me a fork that men must turn one way or another in facing Christ in me.” Jim Elliot
The development of strategies for world evangelization calls for imaginative pioneering methods. Under God, the result will be the rise of churches deeply rooted in Christ and closely related to their culture. Culture must always be tested and judged by Scripture. Because men and women are God’s creatures, some of their culture is rich in beauty and goodness. Because they are fallen, all of it is tainted with sin and some of it is demonic. The gospel does not presuppose the superiority of any culture to another, but evaluates all cultures according to its own criteria of truth and righteousness, and insists on moral absolutes in every culture. Missions have all too frequently exported with the gospel an alien culture and churches have sometimes been in bondage to culture rather than to Scripture. Christ’s evangelists must humbly seek to empty themselves of all but their personal authenticity in order to become the servants of others, and churches must seek to transform and enrich culture, all for the glory of God. (Mark 7:8,9,13; Gen. 4:21,22; I Cor. 9:19-23; Phil. 2:5-7; II Cor. 4:5) Point 10 of the Lausanne Covenant on EVANGELISM AND CULTURE
“Suffering, if it is accepted together, borne together, is joy.” Mother Teresa
Indigenous theologians Richard Twiss, Raymond Aldred, and Terry LeBlanc offer their perspectives on the interaction between Christian faith and Native American identity, and the relationships between religion, culture, and the gospel.
