Graham's Ministry Launches New Youth Evangelism Training Project
by Allie Martin
August 21, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A well-known ministry has kicked off a new campaign to help young teenagers and pre-teens deepen their faith. The aim of the campaign is to help Christian youth nationwide become better equipped when it comes to sharing their faith."Dare to Be a Daniel," or D2DB, is a ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) that targets children age 9 to 14 years old, offering these young believers a number of resources to help them learn how to express their faith and win souls for God. Primary among these resources is an evangelism training kit, which is based on the biblical story of Daniel and includes a study guide and an interactive CD-ROM.
Upon completion of the study guide, each child receives an ID card and opportunities to take part in more activities through a special Internet site. On the D2BD website, participants can access an online training manual with scripture memory verses and exercises, a message board where they can meet other young "Daniels" who are taking a stand for Christ in their own schools and neighborhoods, and other tools.
Preston Parrish, executive vice president with the BGEA, believes the Dare to Be a Daniel campaign will encourage kids to take a stand for Christ, even as the Old Testament prophet did from his youth and throughout his life.
"We draw from those principles in Daniel's life and encourage the participants in 'Dare to Be a Daniel' to develop those same principles in their own lives," Parrish explains. Through the training, he adds, the participants learn how "to live for Jesus Christ, and to be evangelists and witnesses for Him in their own settings."
The BGEA official feels young Christians today need a solid foundation in their faith in order to make an impact on their world for Christ, especially in secular humanist settings where faith is met with hostility. "We have laws restricting the proclamation of the gospel in our public schools," he observes, "but no one can really silence a kid who has Christ in his heart and the good news on his lips."
That is why the D2BD project is seeking "to raise up a generation of young evangelists in public schools across this nation," Parrish says, "as well as in Christian schools and private schools and home-school settings and in other settings." The purpose of the campaign is to equip these youth evangelists, he continues, "so the next generation can be captured for the gospel of Jesus Christ."
The Dare to Be a Daniel training program has been well received, Parrish notes, with more than 135,000 kits already having been distributed. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is also developing a 13-week Sunday school curriculum based on the youth evangelism program.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
