“We saw a lot of youth wandering around the community, and the last place they wanted to be was home,” Jim recalls. “As we got to know them, their stories, and their homes, our hearts broke for them.”

Jim had been serving on staff at a local church, but as he continually received promotions, he realized that he was getting further removed from hands-on interaction with youth and their families. As Jim and Jodi prayed about their path forward, they felt a strong calling from the Lord. “It was almost an Abrahamic type calling to go, not to a land, but to the students,” Jim says.

Jim and Jodi resigned from their roles at the church and walked in faith to where the Lord was calling them. As they began to connect with youth workers in the community, Jim and Jodi connected with Navigators Henry and Jacque Bouma, and they were introduced to The Navigators I:58 ministry vision.

As Jim and Jodi heard the Boumas’ story, they became convinced that Navigators I:58 was how they would be able to reach the youth in their community long-term and joined staff in February 2020.

Building a Ministry to Youth in Grand Rapids

Over the years, Jim and Jodi have made lasting connections with local schools and students in their community. Intentionally opening their home as a safe, hospitable place where youth can feel like they are loved, cared for, and seen, Jim and Jodi and their three children have put into practice a Navigator I:58 value of whole-life discipleship, turning their backyard into a mission field.

Every Tuesday afternoon, Jim and Jodi host a time for snacks, playing basketball, and reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible with local elementary students.

As their group grew, they invited a local organization called Urban Transformation Ministries to provide leaders to help with discipleship. Now, Jim and Jodi continue to devote their Thursday evenings to equip leaders and disciple students through the organization’s high school Bible study program called Thursday Night Hype, and many of the students they had discipled in middle school are now a part of this high school program. Pursuing Life-to-Life® discipleship, Jim and Jodi regularly meet up with students, grabbing a milkshake, breakfast, or opening their home.

Reaching Families Through Kids

While spiritual generations are often thought of as older generations pouring into younger generations, the Bartels are seeing what could be called reverse generational impact as they make connections to families through the kids in their community.

One example is a 10 year old boy named Jay who has been coming regularly on Tuesday afternoons for backyard basketball and Bible study. As Jim poured into Jay’s life and helped him with his struggles with anger, Jay’s brother saw their love and care and began to connect with Jim and Jodi. Since then, Jay’s older brother has been coming to Thursday Night Hype and church with his brother to learn more about the love and care of Jesus.

While discipling students through real-life lessons on things like conflict resolution, forgiveness, purity, and anger management, Jim and Jodi have not only seen youth grow in their interest for faith, but they have also seen the parents of these students begin to express an interest in spiritual conversations, learning about the gospel, and even coming to church with them.

As the Bartels continue their ministry in their Grand Rapids neighborhood, pray for more opportunities to reach the youth and their families.

Discipleship Tip:

The Bartels’ ministry is unique in that through focusing on children and youth in Grand Rapids, they are in turn building relationships and reaching parents, siblings, and the community at large. Their story is proof that those who are young can be disciplemakers too, leading those around them closer to Christ! Look around to your community, family, and networks. Are there any ways that you can be engaging with a younger generation, building them up in their faith or introducing them to the Lord?

It was New Year’s Eve of 2016 when Navigator Craig Parker first stepped foot in the Suffolk County Jail in downtown Boston to help lead an inmate Bible study. The jail was about 300 yards from TD Garden, the arena where the Boston Celtics play. As he walked past the busy sports arena, he remembers hearing the distant sounds of another basketball game — the inmates playing within the caged jail next door.

Now, over seven years later, leading prison ministry initiatives has become one of the core passions of Craig’s life and ministry. This has included hosting an online micro church every Sunday on incarceration and injustice and launching the Boston Reentry Collaborative — a network of churches serving those affected by incarceration as they reenter society.

The Navigator City Director for Boston and part of the Navigators I:58 (Isaiah 58) Prison Ministry Network, Craig has seen firsthand how mentoring inmates can be transformative, having walked with men in the highs and lows of their journeys and personal walks with the Lord — both in and out of prison.

One of the men Craig meets with is Michael, a believer who spreads the gospel in prison as he serves his life sentence in MCI-Shirley, a state prison in Massachusetts.

A Passion for Discipleship in Prison

When Michael was 21-years-old, he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Incarcerated for the first time in his life, he felt hopeless and was planning to take his own life when another inmate invited him to attend a church service. In the service, the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” started to play, and it struck a chord in Michael’s heart.

“I started weeping bitterly,” Michael recounts. “It was at that point that God intervened in my life, and he filled me with a peace that I can’t explain. So my faith is something that literally saved my life.” 

That church service in December of 1991 started a faith journey for Michael that has carried him throughout his 32 years in prison. Today, Michael is a core leader of MCI-Shirley’s chapel community and discipleship groups. He has dedicated his life to sharing the gospel and discipling other inmates, often building relationships through the prison workout program he teaches called “Transforming the Temple.”

“I love meeting with these men one on one, where I can really spend time with them, disciple them, and build the things of God into their life,” Michael says. “God has used the fitness arena for me to reach guys I normally wouldn’t be able to reach.”

Michael originally met Craig a year and a half ago when Craig’s church was attending a chapel at MCI-Shirley. Since then, Michael and Craig interact weekly through phone calls, letters, and visits. While Michael never had someone disciple him at the beginning of his faith, Craig now diligently walks alongside him in mentorship, supplying him with spiritual encouragement and Navigator resources to help Michael disciple other inmates more effectively.

“I often wonder what I have to do to improve how I disciple these men,” Michael says, “so having the information I’m getting from The Navigators is helping me to become better in the ministry God has called me to do. I told Craig I want to be the first person in prison to be a Navigator.”

Having a man like Craig support and invest in him from the outside has had a meaningful impact on Michael’s life and ministry. “I’m really thankful that God placed Craig in my life,” he says. “He’s done tremendous work in my life, and he’s helped me grow in my walk with Christ and feel value again.”

How Outside Support Impacts Inmates

Michael is just one of over 1.8 million people who are incarcerated in the U.S. Though 90 percent of inmates will be released at some point in their lives, most are likely to return to prison if they lack a support system in the outside world.

“In our state alone, there are 13,000 people incarcerated, and about 2,000 of them are released into the Boston area every year,” Craig explains. “The question is, what kind of citizens do we want them to be — and how can we walk alongside them? Our vision is to mobilize more volunteers to walk alongside those who are incarcerated — to awaken, educate, and engage the church on a wider scale.”

Whether it’s something as small as writing letters to inmates or as large as committing to be a consistent mentor, Craig encourages churches to meet inmates while they are incarcerated and continue to support them as they reenter into society, connecting them to service providers as well as a community of believers.

Craig has lived this example through his mentorship of a man named Daniel, whom Craig met in prison and helped get into a Christian residential program for his parole called Place of Promise. “I’ve seen Daniel take pride in who he is and his work for the first time,” Craig explains. “This is a man who has been in prison for 31 years, and I’ve seen true transformation happening.”

For Michael, who has watched numerous inmates be released and return to prison over the years, the work Craig is doing isn’t just important — it’s vital in order for these men and women to successfully leave the prison system once and for all. “To know that there’s a community of people who love you and find value in you, who say, ‘We’re family, we’re here for you, we’re here with you,’ is so important,” he says.

How the Gospel Transforms Lives

For many, prison is a place that is entirely devoid of hope. “I’ve seen men who are absolutely broken at their worst,” Craig explains. “Their hope is completely stripped away from them.”

However, through men like Michael, prison can be a place where the light of the gospel can shine with brilliant clarity. “You’ve never heard the gospel proclaimed until you’ve heard it from someone like Michael,” Craig reflects, “who can say, ‘I was convicted of murder a long time ago. But that’s not who I am. And I want to tell you about God’s love and forgiveness and care.’ It puts the gospel in a whole different light for me.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

Through supportive believers like Craig and dedicated disciplemakers like Michael, the hope of the gospel is alive and making new hearts in the darkest of prison systems. Join us in praying for the prison ministry in Boston, that the Lord will continue to transform the lives of inmates and inspire believers to come alongside those who are incarcerated to fight with them for a better life.

Discipleship Tip:

Michael seeks opportunities to disciple the men that are already around him. Look around — who is currently in your circles that you can disciple? Think about how you can intentionally deepen your relationships or spark a conversation with someone new!

The glow of thousands of faces lights up the room, a powerful testament to the spread of the gospel from generation to generation. 

This was one of the many special moments from The Navigators 2023 National Staff Gathering.

Last month, over 1,300 Navigator staff came together in Irving, Texas. The theme of the weekend was Heartbeat: A Vital Movement of the Gospel, focusing on 2 Timothy 2:1-2: “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (NIV).

The gathering held five plenary sessions, which were designed to inspire, uplift, and challenge staff attendees to continue the work to which they’ve been called. Staff heard insights on the Lord’s vision for grace, necessary aspects of prayer, and how He works through each and every one of us to reach the nations and spread His mission.  

Staff members also enjoyed times of fun and laughter, along with encouraging ministry stories from new and old friends, breakouts to equip and multiply disciplemakers, precious times of prayer and worship, and motivational messages from fellow Navigators and international leaders. 

For many, the National Staff Gathering was a reminder of why they became Navigators — to be a part of a vital movement of the gospel by connecting, resourcing, and developing everyday disciplemakers. 

Though this conference looked back over the past four years since our last National Staff Gathering, we also took time to look forward to the work that is ahead of us as a ministry. You can partner with us as we continue this work for years to come! 

Pray that the Lord works through The Navigators to reach the unreached and create new disciplemakers. Come alongside us to spread the gospel and disciple those in your circles, from family members to coworkers to neighbors and beyond.

Whether you serve on staff or through your everyday life, we are excited to see how the Lord moves through this next season of ministry!

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV).

Discipleship Tip:  

Pull out your phone and find a photo of someone you’re discipling or have discipled. Pray for that person and reach out to offer them encouragement.

When we read the gospels and observe Jesus’ life and ministry we most often notice what he did for the crowds.

He taught them, fed them, healed them, and even John noted that if every work Jesus did while on this earth was written down, the world could not contain the books that would be written (John 21:25). There’s no question that Jesus had and still has a heart for the world! 

Because of that, it comes as a surprise to many that amidst all that Jesus did for the masses He spent approximately 85% of His time with just 12 men.

It wasn’t because of a lack of care for the masses that Jesus focused on the few…but rather quite the opposite!

Jesus focused on the few for the sake of the many! His method for reaching the world was through building deeply into a select few and teaching them to do the same.

Jesus loved everyone, helped many, but invested in just a few. If we hope to take the gospel to the ends of the earth His method must also become our method.

“Ask God to give you one.” The same challenge that Dawson Trotman gave to Les Spencer in 1933 that started The Navigators can be our starting point today.

Reverend Maurice Winley is a third-generation minister who serves as Associate Minister at the Soul Saving Station church in Harlem, NY. He has been active as a youth development specialist for over 25 years helping youth and families in Harlem and in cities throughout the U.S. such as Washington DC, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, San Diego, Chicago, New Jersey, and throughout the Greater Capital Region of New York.

Maurice’s passion for helping at-risk youth came from a vow he made as a young adult when he received a second chance that turned around his life forever. His turning point came at age 17, when he chose a path that would lead to either death or life in prison. But God gave him a second chance.

Maurice grew up in a Christian home. His goal during high school was to attend medical school to become a doctor and he received numerous academic scholarships to fulfill his dream. However, a series of life-changing incidents and circumstances changed the course of his life—leading him to enroll in “Street University” instead of accepting the scholarships and attending medical school.

This critical life choice led Maurice, at the age of 17, down the path to the State Department of Corrections. Maurice had been afforded an employment opportunity to manage two stores selling compact discs. But one day, during an attempted robbery at one of the stores, the assailant was killed and Maurice found himself facing a grand jury with a new charge that carried a sentence of twenty-five years to life.

On the day he appeared before the grand jury, his father prayed a simple prayer over him that God would judge his heart. With his father’s prayer fresh in his mind, Maurice stood before the judge. In his testimony to the grand jury, under heavy conviction recalling the impact of the words the victim’s mother spoke to him, Maurice expressed deep remorse for his actions and made a life-changing vow. “If you give me a second chance, I will dedicate my life to seeing that other young men do not come down this path!”

What happened next changed the trajectory of Maurice’s life. Miraculously, after his testimony the grand jury and the judge decided to throw out the case. Maurice’s surrender to God launched his call to impact vulnerable young men, particularly of African American and Latino descent, who were the most at risk to take that destructive path.

This moment of surrendering his life to God led him to becoming the man he is today, faithfully serving God and fulfilling his vow. Since then, walking by faith, God has opened many doors enabling him to help those in need of the gospel to find hope.

Fulfilling His Calling

Later down the road, Maurice met Andy Puleo the former New York City Director of The Navigators who intentionally mentored Maurice. The Navigators Life-to-Life^® discipleship model had a profound impact on him, his call, and his ministry. Maurice credits Puleo’s discipleship and influence on his ministry philosophy to his successes in ministry, youth, and community work. Puleo’s mentorship helped him crystalize the vision for the movement God had placed on his heart. The fruit of Puleo’s discipleship is further evidenced in Maurice’s recent launching of Living Redemption Youth Opportunity Hub.

The combination of Puleo’s discipling and mentoring, and the relationships he formed through The Navigators became a source of encouragement Maurice needed for the next stage of his ministry.

Maurice shares, “Puleo’s mentorship and my training with The Navigators through the emphasis on deep relationships and Life-to-Life discipleship, seeing discipleship as a leadership paradigm, are the footprints Puleo left on my heart.” Puleo modeled discipleship to Maurice, “The Navigators became an oasis in my wilderness of discovering, hearing, and responding to God’s call.” Being in this environment of grace enabled Maurice to continue the healing process in a healthy way, having his call affirmed as he continued to work through internal feelings of guilt and shame.

The Navigators I:58 ministry is part of Maurice’s team’s work today, as they intentionally disciple and mentor those youth who come through the doors daily at Living Redemption Youth Opportunity Hub, which is housed at the Soul Saving Station church where he was raised and rededicated his life to the Lord.

“Our Redeemer is opening doors through His mighty power in our personal testimonies—we work with youth, school systems, government, and ministries to help stop the cycle of brokenness. Our ministry focus is Life-to-Life discipleship for young people. We are there to give kids hope, speak truth into their lives, and walk alongside them as mentors and advocates.” Maurice shares.

But now, in the midst of the global pandemic where NYC became the COVID-19 epicenter—the normal, everyday needs of the Harlem community escalated—now many need emergency resources such as food, cleaning supplies, and encouragement.

Maurice shares how his team partnered with other parts of the community to provide food and supplies. “Our church and ministry has partnered with a local food pantry to help provide food and basic essentials to those in the community twice a week. The team serves an average of 1,000 people each week. Since we started, we have fed a total of 15,554 souls, and the need continues to grow.”

Coming out to serve in a high risk area, such as NYC is a risk their team is willing to take in order to reach those in need of hope. Beloved, who works for Living Redemption Youth Hub as a Credible Messenger shares, “My daughter is worried when I come in to serve, because of health issues, but I trust that God will protect me and will help me to do His work. We provide more than just food, we provide hope and love that God shows through acts of service.”

“We serve those who are in our youth program but also, kids and families,” shares Maurice “We deliver food and supplies to elderly folks who can’t leave their homes. This has expanded our outreach into the community to care for those who are most vulnerable.”

“In an effort to adapt and expand our ministry during COVID-19, we have developed our website to share information about when food supplies are offered, provide encouraging content and resources. Our plan is to continue partnering with those in our community to help not only with COVID-19 issues, but also continue helping at-risk youth to overcome the hurdles of growing up in harder times. Our prayer is to show them that they can succeed and they are not alone. “

God has called us to be disciplemakers, to make a way for those in need and be the catalyst that transforms lives by serving others as Christ loved us.

Watch a snapshot of serving others in Harlem:

BIO:
Rev. Maurice Winley is Founder and Executive Director of Living Redemption Youth Opportunity Hub, a community-based initiative launched in 2017 in Central and West Harlem funded through the Manhattan District Attorney’s Criminal Justice Initiative in affiliation with The City College of New York (CCNY) and is housed at the Soul Saving Station For Every Nation. Living Redemption Youth Opportunity Hub provides one-stop, comprehensive support for justice impacted youth and young adults, specifically African American and Latino males age 10-24 to prevent them from becoming involved in the criminal justice system. The Mission of Living Redemption Youth Opportunity Hub is Saving Lives and Healing Communities One Relationship at a Time. Maurice also serves on staff with Navigators I:58 in Harlem, NY.

The ability to move from face-to-face relationships to digital discipleship is based on a deep foundation of Life-to-Life^® disciplemaking that Henry and Jacqueline Bouma (Navigators I:58) have invested in their Grand Rapids neighborhood over many years. They authentically share life and Jesus, holding Bible studies and growing generations of disciples among young adults in their community.

“We have more than 40 young people who regularly participate in Bible study,” says Jacqueline. “We break into small groups, led by those we have discipled. We are always looking for those who have leadership potential.”

Investing in the next generation is key to creating disciplemakers who then invest in the next generation and on and on to grow more disciples. Henry says, “We invite those with potential to learn about their spiritual gifts and life abilities. They write a mission statement for their life and invest in young people, receiving training and mentoring along the way.”

Bible studies and discipleship training continue in this season of COVID-19 and physical distancing, with regular check-ins via text, conversations, and online video conferencing. “Initially there was a little hiccup in our connections,” says Henry, “until we got into the stride of using social media and virtual tools. Now there is as much opportunity for Life-to-Life discipleship as there was before the coronavirus pandemic.”

The high school leadership training continues twice a week. A recent meeting featured a guest speaker who encouraged the young leaders to be a voice for justice in their community. The concern for their community during this COVID-19 crisis includes both physical and spiritual needs, as Navigators inform and help their neighbors find local resources for food, educational services, and city programs.

The spiritual fruit of the investment in young leaders is seen in graduates who are now disciplemakers. J.P. and Mario have gone through the discipleship program and are now investing in Life-to-Life discipleship with the next generation in their community. As college students, they are now growing in their vision for how God can continue to transform lives!

“Ultimately, I want to return to Asia and be the director for the Christian mission school I attended,” says J.P., “but for now I am reaching out to students in America. I don’t have to figure out the next step of my plan—my job is to obey what God tells me to do today.”

Mario shares how he has grown. “Henry taught me how to spread the Word of God no matter where I am. He invested in me, studying the Bible with me, and teaching me how to pray. Now, I mentor someone else, pouring what I have learned into another person. I do not know what God has in store for me, but I know that He has been faithful, and His grace is why I am alive.”

Through a foundation of prayer, the Boumas humbly and faithfully pour the love of Christ into those they disciple. This prayerful stance is reinforced during the pandemic, as Henry and Jacqueline get up in the morning and ask God how He wants them to serve and who they should connect with each and every day.

Pray that God will show you how you can invest in the people living in your neighborhood, just as the Boumas. You too can make a difference! Pray for your neighbors, be observant about what they may need, pray for God to open a door for relationships.

One Easter Sunday, she decided to go to church. Her uncle had died a couple of years before and she was still feeling the loss. “I felt like God was calling to me during the service,” Theresa shared, “and at the end they invited people to come to a decision room if they wanted to talk to someone or pray. That is when I met Karen Warin [Navigators Workplace] and after we talked, I decided to pray and invite Christ into my heart. Then I was baptized a few weeks later.”

Since then Karen asked Theresa to meet with her weekly to read the Bible and pray together—living out Life-to-Life^® discipleship. Theresa lives across the street from the Juntos (Navigators I:58) ministry to children, so Karen introduced Theresa to the Navigators who work with kids in the neighborhood, and Theresa’s kids got involved.

Along with regular Bible study, Theresa has started doing a weekly prayer walk with Joy Dennis of Juntos. Theresa reflects, “This is all a new scene for me this past year—studying the Bible and praying. I was never very connected to my neighbors, now God has opened my eyes as I pray for them and get to know them. I’ve invited a neighbor to join us on the prayer walk, but she hasn’t yet.”

Theresa’s decision to follow Jesus and grow in her faith has had a positive impact on her kids. In addition to her kids participating in Juntos, they also love attending church and joining the prayer walks.

Praise God for the way Navigators are working together in Albuquerque and around the country to reach people for Christ and grow disciples. Pray for Theresa and her family, as they impact their community for Christ.

This topic is of great importance to us as believers, especially since the way we accomplish the Great Commission to make disciples can sometimes feel awkward or intimidating. In years past, the Church’s evangelism strategy focused more on a “reaping” mentality versus one of “sowing.” But the world is filled with millions of people who are on a spiritual journey. Many are not yet ready to attend church or make a decision to follow Christ, but they are open to relationships and to making small decisions that will move them closer to Christ.

I believe that if we redefine evangelism to mean leading each person we encounter a step closer to Jesus, we would approach outreach with more gentleness and confidence.

Several years ago, my wife, Pam, and I decided to pattern our lives in a way that would cause frequent and organic interactions with people in various stages of their faith journey. Rather than frequenting five different coffee shops, three grocery stores, and seven different restaurants, we brought focus to where we spent time. Now, we are “regulars” at a handful of places where we sow relationships through regular interaction. These small, casual interactions lead to real relationships through which we connect about meaningful matters of the heart.

We’ve also made a concerted effort to be “sowing” through acts of love and hospitality in our neighborhood. This has led to a number of fun relationships that are moving people toward Jesus!

1 Peter 2:12 commissions us to “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” Perhaps the best way to accomplish Peter’s command is to reach out to serve and connect with those in our community. As we naturally befriend those yet to know Jesus Christ, we draw others closer to Him.

What would it look like if our outreach was less agenda-driven and more characterized by love, patience, and confidence that the Spirit knows the right timing? Every encounter we have with another person, believer or not, has purpose. Through patient sowing, we can see people wooed ever closer to the Kingdom of God through the presence of Christ they experience through us.

He asked us a few questions about what we’d learned. There was a long pause.

And then he said:

“I know less about prayer today than I did when I was your age. I have prayed for over 60 years for several of my family members to come to faith and God has not answered those prayers, and I do not know why. Several times I’ve prayed for lesser things and God has provided above and beyond and immediately. All I know now, after all these years, is that prayer is communication, it’s talking to God. I don’t know how it works. I do know that God has asked me to do it, and I’ve always benefited when I’ve obeyed God. I have been changed by prayer, I am known by God and know God through prayer, but I don’t know how that happens.”

You could have heard a pin drop. I had expected mechanics, tips, and assurances. I hadn’t expected to hear longing and humility.

That night deeply impacted the way I model prayer to my kids and to students in our ministry over the years. I return so often to the notion that prayer is just talking to God and that we don’t get “better” at prayer, because every earnest prayer is warmly welcomed by God.

One praying activity that has been a foundation for many Christians as they have pressed into God’s presence over the centuries is attention to the promises He makes in the Scriptures. The list of men and women of faith who believed that God’s promises were for them is long and noteworthy. Some of the names you might recognize are Martin Luther, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, J. O. Fraser, D. L. Moody, Elisabeth Elliot, and the founder of The Navigators, Dawson Trotman.

God’s Word is filled with His promises to His people and to each of His followers who put their trust in Him. Peter speaks of the power and blessing the promises are to those of us in Christ:

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3,4)

Here are a few of the specific lifesaving truths from God that have carried my wife, Pam, and me through difficult seasons:

• I am your strength. (Psalm 18:1,2)
• I am with you and delight and rejoice in you. (Zephaniah 3:17)
• I walk with you through the challenges. (Isaiah 41:13)

To become a person of influence for God’s Kingdom we must first become people who know God and spend time with Him. And as we appeal to God for help, guidance, and protection, we learn more about Him and about ourselves. We can also remind Him of the promises He has made in His Word. As we walk with Him in prayer, we come to know Him more deeply, and the refreshing, abundant life He gives us overflows to others.