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Friday, March 28, 1997

Street ministry holds youth gathering on last Friday night of the month

By MOLLY CRINER

San Angelo Standard-Times

SAN ANGELO, Texas - They may live in different corners of the city, but on the last Friday of every month, more than 200 kids gather for an exciting evening together.

It's called the Friday Night Thing.

"It's kind of a cross between American Gladiators and Billy Graham," said Kevin Reynolds, president of House of Faith, a street ministry that targets kids at risk to enter gangs and crime.

The month-end rally is a culmination of lessons presented to the children in Bible clubs that take place in their own neighborhoods each week, Reynolds said. House of Faith averages 350 to 400 youngsters attending the clubs, with the total number of kids reached estimated at 650, Reynolds said.

Bringing them together one Friday night a month serves several purposes, he said. Besides tying together all that month's Biblical concepts, the kids have a chance to recite Scripture they have learned, profess saving faith in Jesus Christ and develop a sense of community and belonging. Toward that end, the kids all received matching House of Faith T-shirts in December.

"It gives the kids a picture of the fact that their little groups (in their neighborhoods) aren't the only ones. There's a lot of other kids around town who want to learn about Jesus," Reynolds said.

Ask the kids why they come to House of Faith events, and their answers are a lot simpler.

"It's FUN!" said 12-year-old Luciano Chavez.

"He's fun," 13-year-old Mark Carrasco said of Reynolds. "He likes us. He wouldn't keep coming if he didn't like us."

For Friday Night Thing, the children are picked up in their own neighborhoods on borrowed church buses driven by volunteers, and brought to the gym of the Christian Church of San Angelo. There, they are treated to a medley of songs, games, contests, skits and stories. Anywhere from 30 to 40 adult and college student volunteers are on hand to help.

While the name of the game is fun for the children, for Reynolds and Rachel Beaver, vice president of House of Faith, the final intent is nothing but serious.

"It starts out wild, but we gradually bring it down" to a serious focus, Beaver said. She and Reynolds maintain that the end goal of everything they do is always to present the love of Jesus.

Thirteen-year-old Jacori Stokley seems to have gotten the message. She believes God loves her "cause the Bible says so and I believe it."

Brandi Torres sees the effect in her own neighborhood. "The kids come 'cause it's fun." the 15-year-old said. "Some of them used to be troublemakers, but they're not anymore."In assessing statistics collected by his department, Police Chief Russell Smith sees a change in the amount of juvenile crime activity in districts where House of Faith clubs are operating.

"I can't say that it's all that (House of Faith intervention), but these (numbers) show that we're now seeing less juvenile activity than before they started," Smith said.

For Reynolds and Beaver, Jesus' love for the children is all that matters. "I'm going to be out there ... telling them about Jesus," Reynolds said. "I'll rub greasy heads. I'll look at rotten teeth. That's the incarnation of God we teach about.

"Love with skin on."

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