Underground

It was thirteen years ago that a dear friend and mentor in my life, Lynn Loyd, came to me with an idea. He had noticed that a small church next to Fayetteville High School in Fayetteville, Ar. was sitting virtually empty during the week. His vision was one of filling the church with High School students for a Bible Study each week where the gospel might be presented and lives shaped for God's Kingdom.

A year later, God brought that dream to fruition and Underground was born. The Bible Study was student-led and over the coming months began to gain traction as news of Underground spread by word of mouth throughout Fayetteville High School. We called it Underground for two reasons. First, we were meeting in the basement of Immanuel Baptist Church, and, therefore, underground. Secondly, we adopted Hosea 10:12 (NIV) as our key verse. "Sow righteousness for yourselves,  reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you." The goal was for Christian students to continually put themselves in a position for God to "break up the unplowed ground" of their hearts and minds allowing Him to conform them more every week into the image of Jesus. 


After twelve years of impacting students for the gospel, Underground is ending. Fayetteville High School is closing its campus and Underground will be folded into a strong FCA program. Tomorrow I will leave for Fayetteville, Arkansas as I have been asked by the Youth Ministers of the area to speak at the final meeting of Underground. I cannot express the honor and privilege it is to participate in such an event. To know the lives that have been impacted by the ministry of student-to-student over a period of 12 years is just overwhelming. Many of those students have gone on to serve in ministry and as missionaries around the world. 


Please pray for me this Wednesday as I challenge the current students of Fayetteville High School toward continually "seeking the Lord until He comes and showers righteousness on them". Pray also as I meet Wednesday morning with a gathering of Northwest Arkansas Youth Ministers and speak to several hundred students at the NWA Youth Evangelism Rally Wednesday evening. Pray that God would prepare and soften students' hearts to the gospel and that many will come to faith in Christ. 


Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. Blessings.