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March 13, 2019

Zero to Sixty in ...?

Dear Friends,

How long does it take to go from zero to sixty?

In a fast car, you might manage it in a few seconds – if the sixty you are talking about is miles per hour. But, how long would it take to build a youth group of sixty young people in Central and Eastern Europe, if you started at zero?

It could take a very long time – if you ever manage it. The average size of an evangelical church in this region is just over 60 people, and the hard spiritual soil makes growth slow. Many churches are happy if 15 are attending youth meetings, and hope to just hold on to the young people from Christian homes.

The JV team is praying for a movement of God among the young people of this region and constantly looking for new ways to accelerate evangelism. One of our most promising evangelistic tools is a music ministry called Fusion.

Since there are no choirs, bands, drama or musical programs in the schools, young people who want to express their creative energy have few outlets. Fusion is a relational ministry that uses music to build a youth ministry that develops creativity – and centers on Christ.

Does it work? This Fall, Fusion was launched in Jihlava Czech, in a church of 70 with about 12 believing youth. Our Fusion team committed to drive to this church every week for 3 months to run the program and train the local team. First, they visited the schools, doing workshops in classes and music demonstrations to attract interested students. Then, they invited them to join a Fusion choir in the local church.

Over 80 showed up to the first practice to check it out. Within a few weeks, it stabilized to a solid group of 60. Today, 6 months later, the youth group is fully run by the local team, with 60 young people learning every week about what it means to have a relationship with Christ. In the space of just a couple of months, this church was transformed.

Currently, Fusion is in 9 countries, with 38 Fusion choirs that reach a total of 1,000 students every week. Most of these are unchurched youth who would never darken the door of a church if Fusion did not exist.

Thank you for helping us accelerate the movement of God,

Dave Patty President

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