He got it for ya, G!

Background

The righteous are as bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1

Philippians 3:10

MATURE • MENTOR • MINISTER • MAINTAIN • INVESTING IN BLACK FUTURES THRU STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Whether or not you personally need this info, after goin' through it
would you please remember to PRAY for the YUBM and for us? Thanks!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity."
Jeremiah 29:11-14a NIV

Preface

Statement
of
Mission

Why This
Particular
Focus?

What's
It
About?

Who's
Involved
With It?

When
Did
It Start?

Where
Does It
Operate?

What
Does It
Have?

PREFACE

MUCH CLOSER THAN YA THINK

Many street-oriented young people and young adults are "out there" ---- searchin' for some kind of security, truth, love, justice, identity, self-worth, purpose, identity, meaning, salvation and satisfaction. While most of them are reluctant to get involved with the church, many have serious questions about God and want to know more about the Lord.

But while many Christians are concerned about them and at to reach them, they find themselves baffled as to how to go about it. As a result, street-aligned young people and young adults continue their searching, while believers often end up leaving both themselves and those they want to reach somewhat frustrated.

Is it really all that hard to win young people to Christ from this unique social context

We don't think so.

But there is a need to examine how we're doing it now and take a fresh look at how to make our strategies and efforts more effective.

STATEMENT of MISSION

YUBM \ ' yueb-oum \ pr.n.: an African American male youth-directed tribe
(and its attendant vibe), particularly in and around urban centers.

YUBM Ministries is intentionally focused on evangelizing, discipling and
empowering leadership amongst young urban Black males ( the YUBM ),
through building and maintaining intentional growth-oriented relationships;
particularly with those involved in and influenced by hip-hop / street culture.
YUBM Ministries also exists to enable the church more effectively reach out
to both the churched and the un-churched within this unique dynamic culture.

WHY THIS PARTICULAR FOCUS?

Although street-oriented Black youth and young adults are too often portrayed and perceived by many as adversarial and oppositional, faith and experience indicate otherwise. We're convinced the Lord Jesus got better things in mind for them. Here's a compelling and unique people group that's abounding with incredible promise and potential: in need of Christ's redemption and holdin' an unusually significant purpose in that redemption. Accordingly, we seek to prophetically advocate God's interests on their behalf -- to present their personality, their plight, their perspective and their potential to the saints of God. Many agree they are endangered -- their lives are statistically harder, shorter, meaner and poorer -- and from both a sociological and missiological standpoint they are a deliberately-hidden and relatively unreached people group. We want to see things change. Extreme situations demand extreme action.

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WHAT'S IT ABOUT?

It's about EMPOWERING BLACK URBAN LEADERSHIP through DISCIPLESHIP to do the work of empowering other also through the process of discipleship. 2 Timothy 2:2 Discipleship is defined as "the process of deliberately identifying with God's interests in other people" (Oswald Chambers). We seek to be nothing else but simply useful vessels for the Lord Jesus to engage, equip and empower others for the work of the ministry in the Black community -- particularly at the street level.

It's about WINNING the HIP-HOP / STREET-ORIENTED YUBM (Young Urban Black Male) to CHRIST. We seek to win to the Lord Jesus those marginalized by society and to be advocates for their interests before His Church. Proverbs 31:8-9 Here's a people group the church-at-large has found difficult to reach and as a result appears to be disinclined to get involved with. We seek to be faithful stewards of the gifts the Lord's entrusted to us for building rapport and friendships with street-oriented YUBM, and our response to the Lord's call on our lives must be to labor to seek the lost, the least, the lowly, the left out and the lonely within this unique group. Seeking to be real as we seek to be used by the Lord in the harvest He has planned from out of a population segment many seek to write off as too hard to reach. We employ prophetic street-style interaction, cultural research, creative writing, speaking, counseling, reverently relevant Bible teaching, humor, storytelling, rap, music and drama as we're given grace to fulfill the ministry He's given us and see Him "set the bomb / balm off."

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WHO'S INVOLVED WITH IT?

As an urban missiologist (specializing in reaching young people and young adults involved in hip-hop/street culture) and a musicianary (using the ministry of music as a means of sharing the Gospel), Hep's had the opportunity to minister with a good number of urban youth and young adult leaders, artists and specialists, as well as young people qualified to minister. This loose-knit alliance which is based in several cities can convene (when available) for specifically-tailored youth and young adult ministry needs. Hep finds himself called by the Lord Jesus to be "caught between 2 cultures" (African 'n European), and knows he's gotta be faithful in spite of what people may think, feel, say or do. Rev. Nat Obey (a Pastor in Virginia) characterized him as having been "born white but saved black" (that's to the Savior's credit). While he may be way too light-skinned for the color-conscious, the Lord Jesus has enabled Hep to be "dark-skinned enough" for those who can trust God's ability to choose and use the weak things of the world to shame the things that are strong ... and the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are. 1 Corinthians 1:27-28 We walk by faith and not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

He attends Great Commission Church in Willow Grove, PA (Pastors Larry Anderson, Kyle Canty and Hal Hopkins, Sr.) where he teaches in the Great Commission Institute and plays piano for the church's two choirs. Hep is a professor at the Center of Urban Theological Studies, teaching (at various times) Postmodern Urban Culture, Foundations of Christian Thought, Contemporary Adolescent Culture, and Youth Ministry, The Minor Prophets, The Gospel of Luke, The Gospel of John, New Testament Epistles, New Testament Studies, Contemporary Apologetics, Ethics and Introduction to Philosophy. He is also an adjunct professor of urban studies at the School for Social Change of Campolo College at Eastern University, teaching the Masters level courses Apologetics for the Urban Youth Context, Christ and the City and Urban Youth Culture.

For Hep's curriculum vitae, click here. (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)

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WHEN DID IT START?

After meeting Christ in 1971, Hep slowly began discovering that the Lord knows exactly what He wants each of us to do -- and it's the thing that He knows we'll enjoy doing the most. Psalm 16:11, Acts 22:10 He continues to be enrolled in a wide and challenging array of urban educational situations (learning since 1976), which have afforded him a number of incredible variety of experiences. He is indebted and grateful to the Lord and to His (and his) brothers and sisters who've stood by him, teaching Hep and helping open his eyes, ears, heart and hands to the awesome and often unsung things that the Lord's doing on "the other side."

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WHERE DOES IT OPERATE?

YUBM Ministries is based in Philadelphia, but has been given grace to really get around. After starting off in Paterson (NJ), it got to the cities of Newark and Camden; and then to New York City, Washington, D.C., Landover and Baltimore (MD), and even to Miami, FL and Grand Rapids, MI. Most of them have become regular destinations throughout the year. In short, we're ready and willing to go wherever the Lord Jesus leads and opens doors.

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WHAT DOES IT HAVE?

THE GOSPEL / THE STREET: Bridging the Gap Between the Church and Hip-Hop Culture. A seminar providing practical skills, strategies, ideas and insights for creatively and effectively invading, ministering, surviving and enjoying ministry to those involved in hip-hop culture. Extended training and mentoring in same. Youth- and young adults-targeted speaking and music ministries (meetings, retreats, conferences, camps). Street-targeted, street-themed Gospel tracts. Biblical Analyses of, Affinities with, Ministry Approaches to, and Apologetics for Youth / Hip-Hop / Street Culture. Original street-oriented music and rap. Contextualized Bible studies. The YUBM Ministries Web Site.

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