Prayer Laborers,
Courage Youth staff and learners are in the midst of South Africa's Festive Season which includes Seasonal Holidays--Day of Reconciliation, 16 Dec; Christmas, 25 Dec; Day of Goodwill, 26 Dec; New Year’s Day, 1 Jan--and summer vacation rolled into one, so we’ve given staff a month off from assembling prayer points and offer a few below from the perspective of the Management Committee.
Thank you, as always, for interceding on behalf of those involved in and affected by the Courage Youth Movement.
Zeke & Paul
PRAISE
For learner outcomes of the year:
Membership. 829 Courage Youth Members, those who signed the Courage Youth Pledge and participated in at least half of the daily Courage Youth meetings on campus. This represents about 11% of the learner population across eight schools.
Discipleship. 174 learners in Discovery Group Discipleship sessions, many of whom made decisions for Christ of one sort or another over the course of the year.
Teen Pregnancies. Courage Youth: 0. Across our schools: 24 reported.
For financial support:
Financial support has remained strong so far through the end of the year. That means we may be able to choicefully add back some of the school-wide initiatives and other activities curtailed as a result of the year-end funding drop-off last year.
For communication support:
Over the course of the year we’ve bolstered the communication team on both the USA and RSA sides. We hope you’ve noticed both the increase in quality and frequency with which we are passing on the significant stories of transformation among our learners.
PETITION
Retention
Please pray for staff and learners as they return to school mid-January. One of the outcomes
of our Annual Planning Meetings in South Africa in October was plans to improve our year-to-year retention of Members by contacts with them over the break and attractive launch-the-year activities upon their return.
Expansion
As a result of “constructive pruning” we are returning to six of the eight schools where we were involved last year. Early this year we will be launching the program at Bona Comprehensive School where we have been asked to come for some time. We will also be pilot testing a community center site that will address the needs of recently graduated learners.
Apprenticeship
To support these new sites, we have to recruit and train three new Life Coaches. We will be taking an apprenticeship approach to the training, assigning new Life Coaches to experienced Life Coach mentors who will be following a six month competency-based training plan.
Fund Raising
Based on the work of the Development Committee of the Board in the last half of 2023, we
are prepared to make our first competent approaches to corporations and other significant funders in South Africa. Please pray for South African Directors Khanyi Mlambo, Moeketsi Khoahli, and Chris Mokhachane who will be leading efforts on the ground.
Direction
Pray for our resolution--Board, Lead Team, Life Coaches and social worker--to operate
continually under the premise of Proverbs 16:9: The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9