THE AGAPE YOUTH RANCH VISION

By Gordon Lange, Founder/President AYM

A NEW LIFE ...

... A NEW LOVE!

JESUS CHRIST

WELCOME! My name is Gordon Lange. I am one of God's servants who has joined God where He is working through a vision He has graciously entrusted to me. The vision is to provide a "place" for young teens, who are headed onto a life-destructive path, to develop a better life - a life full of hope, confidence, purpose, and positive direction.

This "place" is AGAPE YOUTH RANCH -- a place that has already touched the hearts and lives of many faithful servants of Christ, who have come to help build this Ranch and to bring this vision into reality. We of AYM believe that the hearts and minds of our kids can be saved, not only spiritually through the saving grace of Jesus, but also learn to become productive members in our society.

Being a father and a police officer for 37-plus years, I have seen the need for more programs that are Christ-centered, not government controlled. Programs are sorely needed that will make a positive change in the lives of young teens who are on the edge of becoming involved with the Criminal Justice System. These "at-risk" teens may be runaways, rebellious, or they may be starting to experiment with drugs, sex, and/or gang activity. Programs are needed where parents may send their young teens when they feel they are loosing control, but do not want to give up and turn the teen over to government-run foster programs. The vision God laid on my heart is to start a youth ministry that will provide just such programs.

God was preparing my heart for this ministry during the years when my own daughter (14 years old at the time) was going through a rebellious period. She was depressed, but refused counseling. She was also deceptive and angry. She would threaten suicide, but then would convince the emergency counselors that she wasn't suicidal. I felt helpless, but not hopeless. After many months of fervent prayer and searching for help, I found a Christian school in Louisiana that dealt with children who had serious behavioral problems. My daughter's stay at the school was 12 months long. During that time, she accepted the Lord. However, one week after she was home again in her old environment, she became just as rebellious as before. Although my daughter chose her old path of rebellion after coming home, her experiences in the Christian school showed her fundamental principles to live by and saved her from her suicidal tendencies. And, I believe, it was a "first encounter" with God for my daughter that God will build upon during her lifetime.

During my prayer times, while wrestling with hundreds of questions of what had gone wrong - why, after a 12-month program, had my daughter fallen back into her previous lifestyle - God impressed upon me that the program lacked full circle. Family counseling was needed to reinforce the progress she had made at the Christian school, and to establish what changes her "new" life would require as she re-entered her former environment. That environment needed to offer fresh and positive family interactions, as well as guidance away from harmful or negative friendships and activities.

This is where the Agape Youth Ranch Program is different from many other programs across the nation. The AYM Ranch Program will be a one-year program for "at-risk" teens (ages 13 - 16), but after graduation from the program, the teens will then be placed in a home with a family who will exemplify Christian values, encourage the teen in his or her spiritual growth, and guide the teen in making wiser choices. The teen will remain with this family for a period of 3 to 6 months, during which time they will be easing back into their community, while being encouraged to establish healthy, positive relationships with their peers under the guidance of their foster family. During this time, the teen and his/her family would be receiving counseling to prepare them to continue in a direction that would reinforce and build upon the progress the teen has made.

Please keep in mind, there are no guarantees that any program will be successful, but it is certainly an avenue of hope. I will forever be thankful for the hope the Christian school my daughter attended provided for her and for me. Due to their efforts and love, my daughter met Jesus. Who better to work on her heart and in her life than Almighty God?

WHY A CHRISTIAN-BASED PROGRAM?

Daily, we can see that our society is deteriorating in moral values. The messages filtering into the minds of our children through television, movies, music, and even in our public schools very often speak against good moral values. The message of these times we live in promote materialism and self-centered / self-serving attitudes that have led to the breakdown of the family, which in turn, has left our children without the benefit of clearly defined roles, and thus, vulnerable to any and every harm imaginable.

The primary goal of Agape Youth Ministry is to re-educate our young teens; to instill good moral values; to provide guidance, and to help them structure a life worth living. The Bible speaks clearly to this goal in Romans 12:2 where it instructs, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Through the Agape Youth Ranch Program, the students will learn of the love of God by being taught Biblical principles and values. Opportunities will be provided for them to gain a new sense of confidence, responsibility, accountability, discipline, and sensitivity to others.

HOW WILL THE AGAPE YOUTH RANCH PROGRAM ACCOMPLISH ITS GOALS?

When one thinks of a ranch, they might envision animals - horses, dogs, chicken, etc., and they might think of grassy pastureland and a garden. Agape Youth Ranch will be just such a ranch. The teens will learn to care for and work with the horses. By nature, horses tend to be a fearful animal, but through gentle love, the horse gains trust for those who handle it. Many times, "at-risk" teens are also fearful. By walking through the training process with the horse, the teens will be taught and shown through that example how to overcome their fears and learn to trust others. Labrador or Golden Retriever dogs will also be used in a similar way to instill the true meaning of loyalty and unconditional love - a tangible example of the love Jesus has for them.

Through working with these animals, the teens will learn to accept responsibility and be encouraged to strive for excellence in their thought processes, attitudes, behaviors, and goals, so that they can dare to hope for the rich and full life Jesus taught, and laid down His life to provide for us all.

CONTINUING EDUCATION AT AGAPE YOUTH RANCH.

Our graduating teens will have the opportunity to continue their education at the Ranch, provided their parent(s)/guardian(s) consent, and that the teen has funding to carry them beyond the 12-month contract until their 18th year. This continued education will be focused in the areas of urban and foreign missionary work.