Support Youth 96:
Help reach teens with Christian values for life
Youth 96 staff members hope to put their magazine in every junior
high
and senior high school in the United
States. They invite you to join them and work together--by helping today's
teens--to shape tomorrow's families.
By Paul Monteith
 
ATLANTA--Rick Shallenberger (left) and Roger Lippross meet
Rebecca St.
James, a popular Christian music singer, at a
Christian convention in Georgia in February. Rebecca is featured in the
March-April Youth 96. Rebecca tells teens that Jesus is the
only hope for their generation and encourages them to live totally for God.
|
RICK
SHALLENBERGER--"Joseph W. Tkach believed the magazine would be more
effective in the Christian community if it were
not so closely tied to the church. This has proven to be true." [Photo by
Ron Grove]
| 
ROGER
LIPPROSS--"Our mission, as set by the late Herbert W. Armstrong
and Joseph W. Tkach, is to provide teens with
answers to their questions." [Photo by Ron Grove]
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ROLE MODELS--"We present
Christian role models teens can look up to. We
show them it's cool to be a Christian," said Rex
Pieper, Youth 96 art director.
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"Where have you guys been?" "Why haven't we heard about you before?" "This
is the best teen magazine on the market!"
These comments about Youth 96 were made by Christian youth workers at
a convention in Atlanta, Georgia, Feb. 10 to 12.
Roger Lippross, Youth 96 publisher, and Rick Shallenberger, Youth 96
editor, were at the convention to promote the magazine.
According to Rick, the National Network of Youth Ministries liked the magazine
so much they put a copy in each of their 8,000
hospitality packets.
Promotions like this are made possible by donations to the magazine's
outreach program.
Youth 96 makes a difference
The Youth staff believes deeply in the magazine's mission and ability
to help teenagers.
Rick let me read a letter from a teenager who had contemplated suicide.
The teen's mind was changed after reading an article
in the Youth magazine. It's letters like this that convince the staff the
magazine must continue. But to carry on, they need your help.
In March 1995, the late Joseph W. Tkach made the difficult decision that
the church could no longer fund the Youth magazine.
But he wanted it to continue because the magazine helped teens handle real-life
issues.
Going from a free magazine to one that is totally dependent on paid
subscriptions and support from their readers has been quite
a challenge for the Youth staff. Many magazines fail in the first six months.
With the support of members, through their prayers and
by purchasing subscriptions, Youth 96 has almost made it through its first
year--and staff members are extremely grateful. But help
is still needed.
The magazine has about 40,000 paid subscriptions and needs 30,000 more
to become solvent. Without church funds, Youth
96 needs your aid to survive and minister to young people.
Why be concerned for teens?
"The teens of today are the families of tomorrow," Roger said. "We
must invest in young people now, show them
that there is a better way to live and bring them to Jesus Christ."
Why be concerned for today's teens? Consider these facts: AIDS cases among
teens double every 14 months; one in four (about
15 million) children grow up without a father in the home; 57 percent of
teens have tried an illegal drug; 25 percent smoke marijuana
regularly; 8 percent are regular users of crack; eight out of 10 males and
seven out of 10 females have sex as a teen; 18 percent
of all girls under 18 get pregnant; 27 percent of all teens have tried to
commit suicide (third highest cause of teen death in the United
States).
"This is why it's important that members understand what we want to do,"
Roger continued. "The Youth magazine is an important
youth ministry. It is an extension of the church's mission, to provide young
people with Christ-centered education, as listed in the
church's mission statement."
A magazine in every school
Youth staff members feel a sense of urgency to share the gospel of
Jesus and his teachings with churched and
unchurched teenagers. They invite you to help share the magazine's positive,
uplifting message of hope.
With your help they hope to put a copy of the magazine in every junior
high and senior high school in the United States; and
they also hope to distribute Youth 96 at several youth conventions this year.
How can you help? Just purchase one subscription for $12.85. Each subscription
helps the magazine reach more teenagers.
"We feel so strongly in the message of Youth 96," Rick said, "that every
member would benefit from the magazine and discover
what issues teens face and the things they enjoy."
If you are already a subscriber, or if you don't want a copy for yourself,
you may wish to purchase an outreach subscription and
sponsor a teen who cannot afford the magazine, or sponsor your school library
where one magazine will benefit many teenagers.
You might even want to sponsor teenagers overseas for $17.85 a year. Monetary
exchange rates and international postage put
the cost of the magazine out of reach for many young people around the world.
All money received is used solely for the creation, production, distribution
and support of the Youth magazine.
By joining the Youth staff in their youth ministry you can shape the families
of tomorrow, help proclaim the life-transforming news
about Jesus Christ, and provide encouragement and hope through a Christ-centered
magazine that helps young people stand up
for Christian values.
For more information write to:
Youth 96
Box 92464
Pasadena,
California
91109
or call 1-800-625-5588
Fax: 1-818-304-8114
E-mail:
Youth96@aol.com
Copyright © Worldwide Church of
God,1996