The Coming Season: Part IV
Over the past few months, we have sought to inform you, our investors, supporters and friends, of how the Lord is making way for the next season of Youth-Reach. We have outlined the strategy and the timeline, and last month we had my successor, David Williams, introduce himself and his family to all of you. David will serve as the Executive Director over all of the Youth-Reach campuses, but right here in Houston the Lord has raised up a man that has paid his dues, earned respect, and proven himself faithful to the degree that the Board of Directors prayerfully and unanimously voted for him to lead our Houston campus. Here is the testimony of Xavier Bright….
Captured by the Call
By: Xavier Bright, Director of Youth-Reach Houston
When Lauren and I got married in 2012 we knew that we would work with youth one day. Lauren had a clear vision being that she graduated from Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri with her Bachelor’s in Behavior Health, with the goal of becoming a Social Worker. I, on the other hand, saw myself more in a volunteer role, not vocationally. We sat at the dining room table in our little two-bedroom apartment and discussed what this call would look like. The apartment was “filled” with two dogs, a floral-patterned love seat that looked like it came out of “That 70s Show,” a 32” flat-screened TV, and a few DVDs sprawled out across our living room carpet. The Lord had begun stirring Youth-Reach into our hearts before we had even realized this place existed. The beauty in the details is that even in the midst of our nearly empty apartment, God had filled our hearts with purpose.
Fast forward to 2015, and Lauren and I began walking in that purpose here at Youth-Reach. There was a burden and a burning desire in me that for many years I did not realize was present. Lauren and I learned over time as we grew in Christ that there was a merger of desire, in “what pleases us” had become “what pleases Him.” So that is what we did faithfully from February 2015 through November 2021. We got to see many of our Youth-Reach Houston sons transform from death to life, to go from merely existing to walking in their God-given purpose. We were excited and overwhelmed that we were able to be a part of such an amazing ministry. Our “job” was to minister to young men who needed help navigating through the murky waters of life, all the while leading them to the other side where the cross of Christ resides. Though we were fulfilled, the weight of the work was heavy, but the Lord preserved us through it all because we had been captured by the call.
Lauren and I realized that this calling is a God-initiated burden He placed in our heart, mind, and spirit to be driven into this particular area of Kingdom service. Anyone who has served at Youth-Reach in any sort of capacity understands that this place is filled with spiritual warfare and challenges that could derail anyone who is not grounded in their faith. Being captured by the call is what God has used to remind Lauren and I, Curt and Shelley Williams, and many others that we are empowered for what we are doing, that He will provide and give everything that is needed for what He requires to be done. So when Curt came to me in July of 2021, asking me to pray about becoming the Director of Youth-Reach Houston, Lauren and I did not take the question lightly. As we were wading through the difficulty of this process, Lauren received clarity on the “yes” days before I did, and I informed Curt of my decision on November 20th of 2021. I assumed the position of Director of Youth-Reach Houston on March 1st, 2022. The “yes” was a hard one because we were relinquishing the illusion of control while refusing to choose convenience over conviction. The Lord has provided in the midst of hardship, and we are being renewed daily for the sake of the Lord preparing us for a lifetime of saying “yes” to this amazing ministry.
The support and relationships that have been built over the years has been a humbling experience. From the volunteers who come to serve in various capacities like providing meals, helping with service projects on our 26-acre campus, or spending time with our guys playing board games, to the faithful donors who give $2 a month to those who give $1200, it is greatly appreciated. We are humbled each month seeing that our needs as a ministry are met. The devotion and faithful provision that is being shown, through the community that is being built, is the reason why God is being glorified and the Gospel is being proclaimed and prevailing at Youth-Reach Houston.
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
This scripture screams “Captured by the Call” to me. In so many words the apostle Paul is communicating that whatever we are called to do, God gives supernatural resilience for His mission in and through us. God has been gracious throughout this journey to Lauren, Deuce, Xavi, Kaiah, and me. This is not for the faint of heart so we are still pressing and believing that the Lord will continue to do amazing things in the life of Youth-Reach Houston, Youth-Reach Gulf Coast, Youth-Reach Costa Rica, and other places in the future, as we continue to serve the next generation and many generations to come.
