Pictured are the youth and ministry leaders who gather each month for a free lunch to network, hear special speakers and find out what’s going on in the city. This past year, over $150,000 of free urban scholarship tickets to concerts and events were given out to the Denver YPN network. Hundreds of other camp scholarships were given out along with free rafting tickets, new clothing, office supplies, printers, computer bags, etc. If you’d like to help support one of these network lunches, it costs about $200 per month to host them.

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CityConnexx.org National Director Jim Galanaugh and new Assistant Director Kenn Knisley shared an exciting update on this years CityConnexx program in just its second summer of operation at the YPN annual Board meeting. Last summer three groups brought 44 students and adults to Denver to serve for a week. This summer over 300 participants will serve in Denver, Chicago and New York City.

Kenn Knisley, a recent graduate from Olivet Nazarene University, was introduced to the YPN Board at it’s annual meeting in May as the new CityConnexx Assistant Director to help promote and facilitate the groups coming to spend a week of service for urban missions trips. Kenn was Senior class President at ONU and a Resident Assistant for three years. Kenn brings a wealth of experience and passion for urban missions. He worked for two summers as City Host for Center for Student Missions. Kenn will be getting married to Diane Michel in July and both will be moving to live in Denver. We welcome Kenn and Diane to the YPN family.

The National Board of Directors for YouthPartnersNET met in Estes Park, CO for its annual business meeting May 9-11. YPN elected three new board members: Rev. Larry Brown, Rev. Larry Stevenson, and Mr. John Starr. The Board approved a plan to expand the new urban missions trip program of YPN called CityConnexx.org. President Dean Cowles gave his annual report on the strategies and highlights of the YPN mission and program outcomes. Compassion International continues to support YPN with another annual support grant.

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Google Now Offering Free Tools to Nonprofits

Google has announced a series of free online tools available to registered nonprofit organizations, including:

Checkout: collect and process online donations for free;
Google Grants: help boost outreach efforts by using free online advertising; and
Groups: create an online virtual workspace to better communicate and share files with staff, partners, or volunteers.
To learn more about Google’s tools for nonprofits, visit http://www.google.com/nonprofits/.

Also take a look at another free Google tool, Google Sites. This program enables you to create a company intranet, shared project workspace, or virtual classroom. To learn more about Google Sites visit http://sites.google.com/.

Dear Friend,

The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives invites you to participate in the Portraits of Compassion video story contest. This contest is designed to shine a light on the countless caring Americans who offer help and hope to their neighbors in need as part of President Bush’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative.

The mission of the Faith-Based and Community Initiative is to strengthen both faith-based and other community-based service organizations and to grow government’s collaboration with them to aid people in need. Over the past seven years, tens of thousands of partnerships have formed between government and dedicated nonprofits, extending service and hope to millions of needy individuals both at home and abroad. The Portraits of Compassion video story contest is a chance to honor this vital work and inspire others to service as well.

Eligible applicants include any domestic or international nonprofit organization that has partnered with a Federally-funded program since 2001 to serve the needy. Applications must include a “video story” of three minutes or less that can be uploaded on a free online video sharing service such as YouTube, Google Video, iTunes, or MySpace. All videos must be submitted as an Internet link by May 1, 2008. To learn more or to submit an application, visit http://www.hhs.gov/fbci/portraits/index.html.

Winning videos will be premiered during the White House National Conference on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in Washington, D.C., on June 26 and 27, 2008 and showcased nationally on the Conference website. This Conference is free and open to the public. Online registration for the Conference is available at www.fbci.gov by clicking on the “Washington DC” conference link at the top right corner.

We wish you the very best in this contest and extend heartfelt thanks for your faithful service.

Sincerely,

Jay Hein, Director

YPN Ministry Partner Network:

Here is an invitation for an all-day fundraising seminar with Mission
Increase Foundation in Portland, Seattle, Denver, Los Angeles, San
Francisco and Phoenix. (If you are in a nearby town and you can get
there, you can still attend).

The flier has the details and you can register online. It is $50 and
well worthwhile (get discount for 3 or more) because while you are there
you can apply for their grant program!!

YPN HIGHLY recommends this training. Several of our ministry partners
applied for their grant program after taking this seminar and raised
$20,000 at their annual banquets (from what they learned at the MIF
training) and received matching grants from MIF through their program -
for a total of $40,000+ in a single evening!!

They also conduct free workshops in each city that get you hooked into
their system which allows you to apply for grants as well.

Again, we strongly recommend getting involved with this organization.
Their training alone will change your fundraising efforts for the better
and they also have a grant program you may benefit from.

If you sign up for the all-day workshop, also send YPN an email to let
us know. If several of you go, we will receive a free fundraising
manual that our entire network would benefit from.

Blessings,

Dean Cowles
Shelley Wallen
YouthPartnersNET

Suzanne Dubois

Mission Increase Foundation
CO Giving & Training Officer
(303) 409-7613

My wife and I got audited by the IRS because we give too much money away. Somehow our higher than normal % of donations compared to our income kicked our tax return into their audit file. The IRS doesn’t believe we would give that much away which I guess is a good thing until it triggers their audit checks.

So this morning we’re having to get out all our contribution receipts and copy them and send them back. That’s not such a big deal and we have them all. However the new IRS rules has caused us some problems because now you have to have a yearly receipt from the charity on their letterhead, with address, Federal ID number and telephone number. Therefore we’re having to call some of our charities who didn’t have all that info on the receipt to send us another one.

So be sure your year end receipts have all this information so your donors don’t have to call you back to get another receipt with all that info. Here’s some more helpful information.

People give to charity for many heartfelt, altruistic reasons. But as evident by the surge in online gifts flowing through our site on December 31st, the tax benefits of giving do impact our decision to support charities. We shouldn’t take issue with donors who are motivated by the tax benefits of giving. In fact, many worthy charities are funded by donors are able to make larger gifts as a result of the tax deductions they later claim.

But before you prepare your tax return, you should know that the government is increasingly concerned with taxpayers inflating the value of their gifts. In recent years, new laws have been passed to curb those who abuse the spirit of such tax breaks. And the IRS continues to scrutinize claims for charitable deductions to make sure taxpayers are entitled to such claims.

To help you maximize the tax benefits of your 2007 charitable endeavors and avoid making a false claim, Charity Navigator offers the following tips.
Document All Cash Donations
If you want to claim a charitable deduction for a cash gift, then you must be prepared to verify your claim. In other words, you can no longer deduct the spare change dropped in a charity’s collection bucket without the proper documentation. If you are audited, the IRS will only accept one of the following to substantiate a monetary gift: a canceled check, credit card statement, bank statement or a written acknowledgement from the charity (showing the charity’s name, the date of the donation and the amount given).

Former gang members, addicts share life stories in revised My City My God
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (January 18, 2008)—International Bible Society, a division of
IBS-STL Global, will launch an updated, newly revised edition of the popular My City My God
(NIrV) New Testament Feb. 2, 2008 at the Reload Urban Youth Conference in Denver, with an
estimated 300 youth and youth leaders in attendance. The revised New Testament contains seven
all-new testimonies from teens and Christian youth workers in major cities (Chicago, Denver, Los
Angeles, New York), as well as a new introduction and notes.
International Bible Society collaborated with YouthPartnersNET and other ministries on the
revised New Testament. Teen testimonies in My City My God tell of growing up amid violence,
drug and alcohol abuse, and poverty, reflecting the grim realities of urban life for many:

• Nearly 43 percent of urban teens drop out of high school.1
• Three in 10 teen girls become pregnant by age 20. Teen moms are much more likely to
drop out of high school and raise their children in poverty. Their children are two times
more likely to be abused., their sons more likely to end up incarcerated, and their
daughters more likely to become teen mothers themselves.2
• Homicide and suicide are the second and third leading causes of death for teens ages 15
to 19. Nearly three-fourths of teen homicides stem from gang violence.3

“Too many bullets, not enough Bibles,” YouthPartnersNET President Dean Cowles said. “That’s
a crying shame, as kids and gangs shoot and kill each other. Survival is the name of the game in
the ’hood, and a $60 Bible is way down the list of necessities. And small-print, black-and-white
pocket versions given out at street fairs and homeless meals don’t get much attention from youth
who either can’t read, won’t, or just don’t.

“That’s why the My City My God urban New Testament is so unique and critically needed,”
Cowles added. “Because the cover and full-color testimonies grab the kids’ attention, they are
more likely to crack it open. Time and again when we’ve given these custom-designed urban
Scriptures to our youth, they immediately look over the pictures and then start to read the
testimonies. After their interest has been piqued, they start to read the words of Jesus and His
disciples. Then the stories in the gospel hit home.”

A wealthy businessman scheduled a personal retreat at a Benedictine monastery for reflection and renewal. The Mont senior appointed a monk to oversee his contemplation as well as his housing needs. After directing him to his cabin for the night the monk left the businessman with these parting words;

“If you need anything, anything at all, don’t hesitate to call and I will come and teach you how you can live without it!”

Below is a very important ruling for those ministries that raise under $25,000 per year. Please read and take note of what you need to do to maintain your Not for Profit tax-exempt status with the IRS. Be sure to pass this on to your networks of other small NFP.

Small nonprofits face new filing rules
01.15.2008 -

Effective this year, the IRS has established new filing requirements for small nonprofits, including penalties for groups that fail to comply.

In the past, small tax-exempt groups, defined by the IRS as those with $25,000 or less in annual gross receipts, did not have to complete an information filing, known as a Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Beginning in 2008, those groups must complete a new electronic Form 990-N, called an e-Postcard, by the 15th day of the fifth month after the close of their tax year.

Under the new rules, failure to file the e-Postcard for three consecutive years will result in the revocation of an organization’s tax-exempt status by the IRS.

The new filing calls for basic organizational information, such as the group’s legal name, address, website, employer identification number, and a statement of annual gross receipts.

Additional information about the form and required elements is available on an IRS website.

The system for electronic filing is still under development by the IRS.

The Nonprofit Advocacy Network, a project of the Alliance for Justice in Washington, D.C., will provide updates related to the release of the new form.

Faith-based organizations took a direct hit from Congress as it was announced that the very popular and effective Compassion Capitol Fund was not renewed. In the present political climate, faith and politics just don’t mix which is too bad for our many partners around the country.

For many years now I have been privileged to be a grant reviewer for this faith-based fund. It has given hundreds of grassroots organizations the opportunity to apply for government grants to increase the capacity of their organizations to reach more needy children, youth, and families. The following announcement came from the National Resource Center:

“Congress did not allocate funding for new Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) grant awards for 2008. Unfortunately, this means that there will be no funding announcements for the CCF Demonstration program, the CCF Targeted Capacity Building program, or the CCF Communities Empowering Youth program this year. Funding for future grant cycles will be determined, as always, by future congressional appropriations.”

USA (MNN) ― The statistics for the challenges facing urban youth are grim.

Consider these:

–Nearly 43 percent of urban teens drop out of high school.

–Three in 10 teen girls become pregnant by age 20. Teen moms are much more likely to drop out of high school and raise their children in poverty. Their children are two times more likely to be abused. their sons more likely to end up incarcerated, and their daughters more likely to become teen mothers themselves.

–Homicide and suicide are the second and third leading causes of death for teens ages 15 to 19. Nearly three-fourths of teen homicides stem from gang violence.

Can the Gospel change these numbers? Yes, but there are substantial obstacles to overcome in getting it into the hands and hearts of the targeted youth. YouthPartnersNet President Dean Cowles says the small-print, black-and-white pocket versions given out at street fairs and homeless meals don’t get much attention from youth who either can’t read, won’t, or just don’t.

That’s why International Bible Society-Send The Light is launching the second edition of their urban youth-targeted New Testament called My City, My God on Feb. 2. Nearly 476,000 copies of the original My City, My God New Testament, including English and Spanish versions, have been distributed since its 1998 release.

Aside from the cosmetic updates on the cover, the youth-themed edition includes testimonies from teens about how Christ has impacted their lives. IBS-STL’s Rich Blanco explains why they got involved. “We look at our role as a toolmaker. We have confidence that the Word of God has something to say to speak into every life situation. We just pray for the Lord to use it in many different situations.”

IBS-STL collaborated with YouthPartnersNet and other ministries targeting urban youth. It’s being released at the Reload Urban Youth Conference in Denver, Colorado to 300 youth ministry participants. Blaco says, “As we look at this Scripture piece, we look at it as a tool. We hope that it’s going to have impact in all three of those areas, hopefully ministering to the kids before they make some life-changing decisions, or while they’re in those difficult situations, or after.”

Thanks for the great article about Denver Street School and Coach Jim G as we call him. I’ve known Jim for many years and he’s the real deal. Thanks Chis and the Post for putting some positive stories and messages out there when there are so many bad and sad ones. Jim is true hero, shades of Coach Carter transforming lives. Lord knows for those of us who work with urban at risk kids, we need more guys like Pastor Jim on and off the court to keep our kids out of court. Let’s here it for more HOPE & HOOPS!

Dean Cowles, President
YouthPartnersNET.org

I’ve got some great news. In partnership with HeavenFest, a new summer Christian festival here on the front range, YPN was able to secure 5,000 free tickets valued at $150,000 for our urban ministry partners to be handed out this Saturday at the urban Reload conference which YPN is sponsoring and at our normal monthly YPN partners lunch next Tue.

Also, the new IBS “My City, My God” uban special YPN edition Bible will be launched this Saturday at the Denver Reload conference. We’re very excited about this new edition which features 7 testimonies from youth whose lives have been changed by Christ at some of our YPN ministry sites.

Denver Street School playing it straight
Basketball team provides motivation to stay in school, out of trouble
(Below is part of a front page article about our own Jim Galanaugh who has been the Basketball Coach for the Denver Street School, a YPN partner. For the full story and pictures go to www.denverpost.com/search/ci_8089069) We’re proud of you Jim for all you do For Him and Them)

By Chris Dempsey
The Denver Post

The basketball court sits in a church on West Alameda, tucked behind an Olive Garden restaurant.
Inside, balls hit the floor, not in any rhythmic way, just the scattered sound a half-dozen basketballs make when the dribblers are messing around practicing their moves.
“All right, everybody in!”
The sound comes from a middle-aged man in a powder blue Nuggets sweatshirt and wearing a baseball cap. He has a kind face, soft and trustworthy, yet it contains just enough rough edges to let you know life wasn’t always this happy and rewarding. He is the basketball coach. But more important, he is the life coach. The seven high school kids gathered in a huddle around him know him as Pastor Jim.
Five players are missing on this day, but that’s not unusual. Pastor Jim Galanaugh has many challenges at the Denver Street School, and, at times, one of those is getting everyone to basketball practice.
But that is among the least of the issues at a school where, for these students, basketball is a big part of the motivation to stay in school and get their life in order.
“I know every day is a challenge to get up and not do drugs and get to school and not get involved in the fights and the gangs,” Galanaugh said.

Have you ever booked a flight to the wrong airport? Well I did last month or better yet maybe God arranged it. Either way, the whole trip deeply impacted my life. I went from a plane to a Greyhound and it blew me away.

First of all I need to explain how and why I bought the wrong ticket. I was invited to speak at a mentoring banquet and to do some training for our partners, staff and board members in rural Johnson City, Tennessee. I’ve been there before and they invited me back. I’m alway trying to save YouthPartnersNET money so I pulled up Expedia to get the best price. Somehow in my mind I confused Johnson City with Knoxville, TN which are two hours apart.

When I called the director to pick me up, he informed me of my mistake but it was too late and would have cost a lot more to change it. No problem I thought, my bad, I’ll just take the Greyhound. So I got that ticket online and thought no more of it.

That is until I got to the bus station. It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden Greyhound and it’s a lot different. First of all it was near midnight when I finally got to the station. And it was full of folks obviously down on their luck. To be honest, I was kind of scared and felt really out of place.

There was a single mom with one infant strapped to her back, two other toddlers hanging on each arm and three large luggage bags in tow. She said in her southern drawl, “Thank you sir” as I helped her with her bags. The deteriorating station was full of other stranded passengers and homeless men looking for some “change for a cup of coffee”. I emptied my pockets within five minutes. I must have stood out like a sore thumb.

I’m sure you get the picture. I stood there, since there was no place to sit, for an hour just waiting. No Starbucks T-Mobile hot spot to plug in my computer to pass the time. No flat panel TV to distract me from this sea of humanity. All I could do (which is why I think God had something to do with this) was just stand, watch, and become overwhelmed with something like “compassion because they were like sheep without a shepherd”.

I wish I could tell you that I passed out blankets or hot coffee or even prayed with people. But I didn’t do anything except help with some bags and gave away my change. I was rather stunned and at a loss for words. All I could think was “What Would Jesus Ride?” I’m sure it would be the Greyhound or Metro Bus #15 along Colfax. I know where he’d be on that cold January 21st Martin Luther King night. (See my blog at www.youthpartnersnet.org for more MLK reflections). He’d be right here in the Bus Station like he was with the women at the well and countless other scenes when Jesus was “moved in his bowels with compassion” KJV.

My guts were stirred as well. I was reminded again to whom it is Jesus calls us. He calls us to reach out “to the least of these”. I was also reminded of a list I made several years ago. On that list are three things each of us needs to do each year.

We need to attend a baby dedication to remind us of new life and innocence. We need to attend a wedding to remind us of lasting love and renew our own vows. And we need to attend a funeral to remind us to live everyday to the fullest and our eternal destination. Here’s a new one. We need to ride the bus every now and then to remind us how most of our fellow brothers and sisters live out their daily lives.

What Would Jesus Ride? I’m pretty sure he’d take the bus, thank you very much.

Martin Luther King Holiday, January 21. I’ve had many memorable MLK Celebrations across the years. Two immediately come to mind. Most of you know our youngest son Solomon was born in Kenya and named after one of the male OR nurses who worked with Cheryl at Tenwek Mission Hospital in rural Kenya. When he was 10 Solomon came with me to a MLK celebration. I was there as an urban pastor and Director of Compassion’s USA Ministry. While the main speaker was sharing about how proud he was to be an “African American” Solomon turned to me and whispered, “Dad, I’m an african-american aren’t I?” After a moment of reflection I said, “Yes son I suppose you are.”

The other memorable event was not on the day Martin was born but rather the day he died.

I too was 10 years old in the summer of 1968. My dad was senior pastor of a large evangelical white church in a black neighborhood of Atlanta. He was fighting religious bigotry. His church didn’t want “those Negroes coming in” but Dad and Mom did. This was only one of the battles he faced while trying to lead this congregation out of racial segregation and religious slavery to old habits and hard hearts. I barely understood what all the fuss was about until that fateful afternoon in a Holiday Inn.

When my folks had had enough of this white evangelical pious southern segregation they often took us to Callaway Gardens and that Holiday Inn just to get away from the pressures. Us kids didn’t mind and loved it since it meant a big pool and buffet breakfasts. After one hot humid Georgia day at the pool I’ll never forget coming into our hotel room and watching Dad glued to the black and white TV. I could tell right away things weren’t quite right. Dad didn’t greet me and the picture was obviously a “breaking news” flash. Noticing that my Dad’s eyes were riveted to the TV, I sat quietly next to him only to notice tears rolling down his face. I didn’t quite get it right away. I didn’t remember seeing my dad cry up to that point.

I don’t recall understanding all that his tears meant. I only knew they were real and it made me sad, not for what was going on because I didn’t really know. I was just sad for my Dad that anything so serious on TV could bring him to tears.

Well of course it was the day Martin Luther King was shot and killed. I’ll never forget it. And I don’t want to either because a few months later we were moving to LA, away from the segregated south, where my Dad took another church that was more open to the liberating gospel and racial reconciliation. But once again my Dad’s generation was shocked and stunned as another bright pillar RFK was mowed down much too young during a victory celebration at the LA Hilton. Dad even drove us by the hospital where RFK lay with the streets full of grieving people. Most folks believe he would have won that general election and who knows the change in history that could have brought. Instead we had more of Vietnam and more of Watergate and all the “gates” that have transpired since.

I sound like I’m getting political don’t I? Well, there’s a reason. When you turn 50 as I’m about to do on July 20, 2008 exactly 39 years after Neil Armstrong proved that man is made for marvelous things, it’s time for me to “take one small step”.

My step is to remind myself and hopefully you that we need more visionaries and agents of change like Dr. King. And I was just about to tell you who I’m voting for this election but on second thought, if you really want to know, I can’t explain my reasons on a blog. It’s all much too complicated. So call me, let’s talk.

Dear Fundraising Planner:

Looking for a great way to raise thousands of dollars for your school, church or club? The EcoPhones Recycling Fundraiser pays up to $300 per item. There’s nothing to buy and nothing to sell. Simply ask parents, neighbors, co-workers and local businesses to donate and recycle their used consumer electronics:

Cell Phones
Ink Jet Printer Cartridges
DVD Movies & Videogames
Portable DVD Players
Laptop Computers
MP3 Players
X-Boxes, Sony Playstations, Wii
Digital Cameras & Digital Video Cameras (DVRs)
Digital Picture Frames
Portable Navigation & GPS Devices (Garmin, Magellan, Tom-Tom)
Earn cash for every item guaranteed! We even pay for damaged, non-working and non-listed models.

According to the Consumer Electronics Association the average U.S. household owns 25 consumer electronics devices. With more than 2 billion DVDs, 30 million digital cameras and 41 million MP3 players sold each year in the U.S. plus the more than 150 million used cell phones stockpiled in U.S. households the EcoPhones Recycling Fundraiser is much easier and more profitable than you may think. In addition, EcoPhones provides FREE customizable marketing materials and free shipping from anywhere in the U.S. including Alaska. Join the more than 22,000 schools, clubs, and churches just like yours that have raised much-needed funds for their organizations.

For more information, you may register online at http://www.cell-phone-inkjet-dvd-recycling-fundraiser.org or call (888) Eco-Phones / (888) 326-7466. We’ll send you a free Welcome Kit packet with color posters, a guide to running a successful recycling fundraiser, price lists, pre-paid shipping labels, and everything else you’ll need to get started.

Regards,

Jennifer Parra
Fundraising Associate
EcoPhones
Toll Free (888) 326-7466
Jennifer@cell-phone-inkjet-dvd-recycling-fundraiser.org
2636 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 215
Dallas, Texas 75229

I’ve always loved the phrase whether it’s coming from an NFL player in the Super Bowl or years ago when I had a tradition of taking each of my three young sons on a father/son special trip.

Well, those boys are much bigger now and we’re going back, this time as a family. But we won’t be going for the amusement parks, we’ll be going to watch a lot of soccer at the Disney College Showcase for top youth soccer players across the country. We may catch a day in one of the parks but mostly we’re just going to support and watch Isaac and spend time as family hanging out, sitting by the pool, along with my sister’s family and cousins.

Dec 26-31 will be a time to relax and rest after a very busy holiday season. Grant, our oldest is back from his first semester in college where he did very well in spite of spending countless hours on the soccer field and all that college dorm life, surfing until three am. (His room overlooks the ocean).

I hope and pray you have some time to be with family and friends both before, during, and after the holidays.