December 2011

Family Update Edition

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This past Fall season was the busiest we have had in five years of ministry.  The further distances meant longer hours on the road and in the air.  The increased amount of outreaches (to meet our new goals) meant really late nights and additional travel days for Joel and Ryan. 

Early in December, Joel spoke in New York and New Jersey.  But, thankfully, most of December was spent catching up on much needed family time. 

JOEL III

At almost 3 years old, Joel talks our ears off all day long.  His favorite game this Winter was running around the house in circles (going from room to room) while holding a football and shouting "I'm a football player, tackle me, tackle me!"  This sometimes results in falling and smashing his face or head against something as you can see in the video below.  Around Christmas time, He loved making 'manger scenes' with his toy people.  He would arrange them in a circle and put a small one in the middle and say "Mommy look! It's a manger scene!" Very cute.

Joel has had some intensive training from Daddy in Bible memorization and a Biblical doctrine Q & A that we call "The Penton Catechism."  Here's a great video of a training session.

JUDAH

Judah is making the transition from baby to toddler very well, and it is fun to watch.  He does not have many words for 15 months, but he is incredibly coordinated, and great on his feet. He still finds a way to turn everything into a game.  He loves rythmic grunting to music and flailing his arms singing and dancing.  He is very mellow and even-tempered, though he has an intense passion for eating. He is incredibly resilient and will often laugh when his brother tackles him to the floor or pushes him down.  He follows simple commands, points at things, and raises his arms when he wants to be held.  He loves to crawl up the stairs especially when someone chasing him.  He is a joy.

Thank you so much for being a part of our team.  Please continue to pray for us (see requests on right sidebar). God bless you guys!

Until next month,
Bethany

November 2011

Ottawa-Glandorf High School

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In November, I had the rare opportunity to attend a concert!  Ottawa-Glandorf is close to Joel's home town of Van Wert, OH, so we were able to get free babysitters for the night (Joel's parents!).  And the drive over was very short.  I loved being a 'spectator' and just taking it all in.  Joel and Ryan have really honed their concert performance and they do an awesome job.  The kids really have a blast and love Ryan's music!  They also listened closely to the gospel presentation.  I was encouraged and blessed to have this opportunity!

The Concert at Ottowa-Glandorf

Wisconsin

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Several Months ago, Ryan and Joel began planning a trip to Wisconsin Rapids, WI to do three straight days of assemblies and outreaches.  They were able to schedule and confirm all the school assemblies but the guys began hitting some major roadblocks when they tried to schedule the outreach concerts.  The first high school principal that Ryan approached about hosting a concert said no and then proceeded to contact all the other schools and encourage them to say no as well.  As the trip approached, it looked like the whole thing might fall through. Ryan found a way to secure venues for a couple concerts but they came together so last minute.  So, when the guys headed off for the long trip, they were a little pessimistic about the chances of successful outreaches.  To their surprise, students came out in force to both outreaches and packed out both venues.  The second concert drew nearly 400 students!  Joel told me that the students were very attentive during the Gospel.  Praise God for continuing to show us that He makes things happen - not us.

Concert at Assumption HS in Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Concert at Nekoosa HS in Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Message From Joel

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Teammates,

We are so excited about my new book, “Seven Lies Almost Every Teen Believes” that - get this - we are GIVING AWAY a copy to every student who attends one of our outreach concerts from now on. We expect to distribute between about 10,000 books this school year alone!

The book was carefully crafted to present a solid biblical worldview in plain “teen speak” to unchurched students. Since late August we have given away about 5,000 books and the feedback has been incredible. A Christian teacher who volunteered at an outreach had this to say the day after the event:

“One of my seniors, who I am pretty sure is not a Christian, told me today that he started looking at your book before bedtime and couldn't stop reading. He said he read more pages than he can ever remember reading outside of school. Other students made similar comments.”

We wish we could mail a copy to everyone who receives the Pentons' Progress but that would take more money than we have. So here is what we are doing: we will send a book to anyone who makes an online donation to our ministry this month at www.tinyurl.com/give2fca No gift is too small (or too large) and all donations are tax deductible.

As a recap, to GET YOUR COPY OF THE NEW BOOK, here's what you do:
1. Make a donation at www.tinyurl.com/give2fca (make sure to select Joel Penton in the drop down menu).
2. Receive your copy of "Seven Lies" (we get your address when you make your donation).
3. That's all!

Thanks so much for all your support!


God bless,
Joel

October 2011

Intense fall travel continued through October.  Joel gave a whopping 31 speeches across six states this past month alone!

Urbana High School

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Joel and Ryan teamed up with River of Life Church in Urbana, OH to reach the students of Urbana High School one Friday last month.  The day started with a morning school assembly where they invited students to attend a "5th Quarter" concert at the church after the football game that evening.  After school, Joel had the honor of addressing the Urbana football team as they mentally prepared for the game. Joel was also able to hang out on the sideline and watch as Urbana destroyed their opponent 51-6. (His speech to the team must have been really good!)  After the game more than 300 students walked over to the church for the concert where Ryan played and Joel shared the Gospel!  Please pray for the students of Urbana and River of Life Church who ministers to them.

Joel and the Urbana "Hill Climbers" Mascot



Anthony Wayne High School

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Toward the end of October, Joel and Ryan spent a day in Whitehouse, OH where they had two school assemblies and an evening concert.  For some reason nothing seemed to go as planned in the weeks leading up to the event. There wasn't an in-school Christian club to provide volunteers, the administration wouldn't allow promotional posters to be displayed throughout the school, and the auditorium was hosting the school play so the concert had to be held in the cafeteria. The daytime assemblies went well, but Joel and Ryan were both a little pessimistic about whether students would come back for the concert. To their complete surprise, the students came back in force!  They packed out the cafeteria to the point that there was standing room only!  Afterward Joel told me that the students seemed captivated by the gospel and it was possibly the best outreach so far this year!  

Ryan plays to a packed house in the Anthony Wayne HS Cafeteria

Message From Joel

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Teammates, 

We've been doing a lot of traveling this fall.  As I write this message, I realize that it's been three full weeks since I have spent consecutive nights in my own bed.  The next month looks like it will be just about as busy.

As always, I ask that you pray for our safety on the road as well as our families that remain at home.  This month I ask you especially to pray for our spiritual health.  Traveling, setting up, presenting, and tearing down make for very long days.  It is all too easy to let our personal daily Bible study and prayer get lost in the busyness.  Please pray that Ryan and I both would find the time and energy to tend to our own souls as we reach out to the souls of teens.  Pray that God would fill our hearts during our time with Him and that we would be able to minister to others out of that fullness.

We are so grateful for your prayers and support.

God bless,

Joel

September 2011

One Crazy Week!

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Joel and Ryan decided to see how far they could push themselves and still survive the week of September 12th.  They did twelve events in four days.  Oh...the events also were in two different states.  Yeah, they were pretty tired by the end of the week.



Concert at Southside HS

The week began when Joel picked Ryan up at 5:30am Monday morning. The two drove up to the Cleveland for assemblies and concerts at Berea HS and Midpark HS on Monday and Tuesday.  The response from both schools was incredible and more than 300 students attended each concert.


Concert at Berea HS

Concert at Midpark HS

At 10:30pm Tuesday night, Joel and Ryan pulled out of the Midpark HS parking lot to start the six hour journey to New York.  After just a few hours of sleep in a hotel, they headed to Southside HS in Elmira, NY for a morning assembly.  Joel and Ryan spent two days in Elmira also doing two assemblies and a concert each day. However, their hard work paid off and Joel told me it was obvious that there were almost all unchurched, non-Christians students who attended the New York concert - exactly who we are trying to reach!

The high point of the week was at the 12th and final event, the concert at Elmira Free Academy. Before Ryan's final song, our fog machines set off the school's fire alarms and everyone had to evacuate!  Joel and Ryan signed autographs for students in the parking lot while a team of firefighters with two massive firetrucks investigated the scene.

Joel and Ryan drove through the night and finally arrived back home at 6am.  When all was said and done, more than 1,100 students heard the Gospel that week. Praise Jesus! We are so thankful to be used by Him!

Message From Joel

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Teammates, 

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who support our ministry through prayer and/or financial support.


James 5:16 says that Christians prayers are "powerful and effective." As we boldly bring our requests to our Heavenly Father, we can trust that He is faithful to hear our prayers and respond. Please continue to lift us up to the Lord as we seek to honor Him in America's public schools.


We are keenly aware that our ministry would not be possible without so many people supporting us financially. If you are one of our financial partners please know that you are a very real part of our ministry. Your gifts enable us to go and so in a way, you go with us to take the Gospel to students.  If you are not a member of our financial support team and would like to learn more about partnering with us financially, please feel free to contact me directly and I can get you some more information - jpenton@fca.org

God bless,
Joel

August 2011

 The New School Year Begins!

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Due to some audio/visual equipment upgrades, "The Moose" (our van) will now be accompanied by "The Slug" (our new trailer).

It's hard to believe the summer is already gone and a new school year has begun.  The past four school years have been exciting for our ministry.  We have been blessed with the opportunity to proclaim the Gospel to tens of thousands of teens all across the country.  We have even seen many students take the step to trust in Christ. However, as we begin this 2011-2012 school year, I can honestly say that both the Penton's and the Holliday's are more excited than ever about the opportunities ahead.

We hit the ground running this August with nine school assemblies and four outreach concerts.  The attendance at the outreaches was significantly higher than in years past, a trend for which we praise God and pray will continue.

One of the outreaches this month was at Oak Hill High School in Southeast, OH.  The Oak Hill school system is pretty small with only about 400 high school students.  Amazingly, more than 300 students came back in the evening for the outreach concert!  And after Joel shared the Gospel, dozens of students indicated first time decisions for Christ!

Please join us in thanking God for his grace and praying for Jesus to be honored in all that we do.

Joel joins students in doing the "O" at Oak Hill HS

Message From Joel

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Teammates, 

I have an exciting announcement.  Our son Judah, who is not yet one year old, is going to be a big brother!  That's right, Bethany and I are expecting our third child!  I have no clue why the Lord has chosen to be so gracious to us but we are very thankful.

The baby is due in mid April.  Please pray for a healthy pregnancy.  Also pray for Bethany to have energy to care for our two children as she carries our third, often while I am on the road.


Thank you all for your continual prayers and support!

God bless,
Joel

July 2011

 Student Leadership Conferences

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photo by Sharon Elizabeth Photography

In July, Joel spoke at three student leadership conferences.  These summer conferences give Joel an opportunity to invest in the lives of students from many different high schools all at once. Those students then are able to take what they learn and impact their classmates back home. Joel is sure to let students know that he does most of his speaking for schools in hopes they will relay the message to their principals and potentially book future school assemblies where we can hold outreach events.  Please pray that these conferences would help expand our influence for Christ.

 Gearing Up

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Joel and Ryan have been very busy getting ready for the upcoming school year. A flurry of emails and postcards have been going out over the last several weeks to schools all over the country. We are also sending out a copy of Joel's first book, Stand Your Ground, to principals who are interested in learning more about Joel and his presentation.  Each year it is a step of faith to invest so much time and resources into our summer marketing campaign, trusting that schools will respond and fill our calendar. Please pray God will bless our efforts yet again with many opportunities to preach the Gospel to unchurched students.

Message From Joel

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Teammates, 

I am so excited to report that my second book is finished.  It is called "Seven Lies Almost Every Teen Believes" and the first batch is being printed now. The project took much more time and energy than anticipated but the end result is also much more than we had hoped for. We are praying that God will use the book to win students to Christ as well as help new Christians become grounded in their new walk with God. We will be sending out a more formal announcement about the release of the book soon with information about how we plan to use it and how you can get inexpensive copies for your church and people you know. If you can't wait until then, as of today, the book is available on Amazon.com HERE. Thank you all for your love and support!

God bless,

Joel

June 2011




2011 Ministry picture...Our families just keep growing! 

 Virginia

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Joel took his first trip to the Washington DC area in June.  He spoke at an overnight event in West Springfield, VA. The event was held for high school seniors the night of their graduation. The whole class was invited to stay the night at a local rec center in an attempt to deter destructive graduation celebrations. The seniors spent all night playing games, singing karaoke, swimming and just having a good time. At 4am, they gathered everyone together to hear Joel speak.  This made for a challenging speaking environment but Joel said he connected well with the slap happy crowd and got some great feedback from kids afterward.

 School Year Recap

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June is always a time for us to step back and celebrate all that God accomplished during the school year as well as plan ahead for next year.  We are very thankful that more that 10,000 students heard the Gospel during the 2010-2011 school year. This number has grown consistently over the last few years and we pray that the Lord will continue to give us opportunities to share the Good News with those who don't yet know him.

Joel and Ryan took several days in June to redefine and refocus the goals of our ministry.  We know we have come a long way since we began doing assemblies and outreaches but we still see potential for an even bigger impact if we continue to move forward. Please pray that we would use our limited time wisely this summer to prepare for a great 2011-2012 school year! 

Message From Joel

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Teammates,

I heard a pastor say that to effectively communicate the Gospel you need to do two seemingly contradictory things very well: contend and contextualize.

Contend: We need to be willing and able to fight for the truth of the Gospel without compromise.  The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 1:9, “As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” People will be offended. People might make fun. But we must consistently proclaim the truth without altering it in an attempt to make the Gospel more palatable. If we win people to a different Gospel, then we haven’t won them at all.

Contextualize: At the same time, we must communicate the Gospel in a winsome way that makes sense to our hearers. This means we need to be culturally relevant and relatable to our audience.  Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:22-23, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” Our vocabulary matters.  What we wear matters. As good missionaries in the world we must “become” the people we are trying to reach.

Doing both of these things simultaneously is hard. Please pray for us, that we will be faithful contenders and attractive contextualizers in public schools. We will pray for you to do the same in your world.

Joel