October 2022 "Month-in-Review"
A hole-in-one fundraising event.
Last month we had our second annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser where people within our community gathered to play golf and raise money for Forerunner Mentoring to see more boys fulfill their potential in the name of Jesus. Thanks to our community partners and sponsors, we were able to raise money to support the expansion of our programs, to serve more boys in Lake Highlands, equip more mentors, and support more families.
Our Families Ministry is in full swing.
In October, women and the mothers of the boys we serve gathered to make wreaths together, talk about their lives and motherhood in raising their sons, and grow in faith in God’s word.
The women at Forerunner are not just beneficiaries of a Ladies Night or Encounter Night. They each carry God-given potential in their motherhood and womanhood, and our Families Ministry is a place where that potential gets highlighted and our moms are loved on. Where every mother has a place at the table. Where family happens.
When I popped into the junior high today I was looking around, and the word that popped into my head to describe the feeling of the culture was “club”. I love that - because we know that the target audience of boys we serve are less likely to get to participate in club sports or other extracurricular clubs. And clubs are more than the activity themselves; they give kids a feeling of belonging. They get to be on the team, they get to make shared memories with peers, they get to build a network of community with positive role models, and they get to have fun. Forerunner is giving boys a club experience of brotherhood and fellowship in a unique way - and I think that’s something to celebrate. I have a vision of boys being excited to go to their spot after school; looking forward to that last bell so that they can catch up with their friends and hear a message that day that makes them feel a spark of enthusiasm about their potential. A place to belong, a coach to care for them, a mentor to do life with, and friends for the journey. This is why relationships change lives.
Forerunner is where brotherhood happens…
…where boys become men of God.
A campout to remember.
Every year we make an effort to give our boys opportunities to have outdoor experiences where they are brought outside of their normal, everyday element and placed in an environment where they learn life skills and are tested as men of God. We’re grateful to be able to partner continuously with our great friends, Camp FIrewalker, to allow our boys to learn skills like fishing, archery, setting up camp, and more. Every camping trip we get to take the boys on, they are met by men who mentor them through things they’ve maybe never done before, make space for life talks, and encourage them that they can overcome obstacles they face in life because they’re men of resilience.
Every camping trip (shoutout to Camp Firewalker again) comes with a morning breakfast with some of the best eggs and bacon you’ll ever have. Usually our boys run to the able to eat once they food is ready, but this time THEY were the ones go go second; they served their brothers and those who prepared the morning meal for them. These are boys becoming Men of God; Men of leadership, humility, and respect.
We got the boys together at the fire one night and shared the story of the prodigal son. Everyone has a deep hunger for a father and to receive his blessing. We have a Father who runs to us when we’re far off. He is looking to bless and not curse, to celebrate and not berate, to shower His sons with His love.
Hispanic Heritage Month.
September 15 - October 15 marked Hispanic Heritage Month, and we took the time to highlight men in our community to share their experience with mentoring and being mentored in their lives. To open up about how their culture has impacted their view on relationships, learning how to be and becoming a man of God, and how they pour out into the next generation of men in our community today.
Daniel De Jesus, a mentor, Forerunner supporter, and father, is Hispanic and carries a history of empowering boys in our programs and other kids to fulfill their potential in their relationships, their education, and their identity. Take some time to hear his story and how his culture and background propel him to empower the next generation today.
Meet our new Director of Programs.
Meet Andrew Reimer!
Andrew is our Director of Programs at Forerunner Mentoring. In short, Andrew is the one who leads in the development and oversight of the Forerunner Mentoring Programs so that we might see every young man in Lake Highlands growing up without a father figure at home fulfill their God-given potential. We’re excited to have him join our team!
Andrew is originally from Wichita, Ks, but moved to Dallas, by way of Denver, CO after the dynamic duo arrived (twins Max & Margot) to round out his family of 6 to be closer to family.
Andrew has 11+ years of social work experience and 5+ years of ministry experience. He joined the staff at Forerunner Mentoring in October 2022. Andrew is passionate about building relationships as a means to grow in discipleship, building community and growing personally. Andrew desires to see people step into their potential in all spheres of life and leverage the gifts, experiences and skills to develop themselves and those around them.
When not at work Andrew loves spending time with his family, reading, and spending time by a fire. His favorite Dallas spots to enjoy are Bonton Farms and the Dallas Arboretum. He also loves connecting with people over a beverage or meal.
Connect with Andrew at Reimer@forerunnermentoring.com.
Trunk-or-Treat 2022
More stories and glimpses from October.
The boys enjoying program.
Another mentor match in the books. Excited for these two to grow in manhood together and for their relationship to be strengthen.
Iden(Infin)ity stones.
One day after giving a lesson to the Junior High program, one of our coaches had the boys create “Reminder Rocks” for them to keep as a reminder to listen, follow and live according to the teachings of Jesus. They all chose a different trait and wrote them out and took them home so that they can start building and becoming the Man of God they were created to be. Whether it’s Responsibility, Humility, Integrity, Leadership or Respect, all of those traits will keep them solid as a rock and close to Jesus. It’s their identity.
A boy’s visual illustration of God as holy.
Mentors hanging with their mentee.
The boys during grow work.
The coaches helping the boys during grow work.
Adam McGough, Dallas City Council, District 10 stopped by our after-school program.
One of our new coaches, Trae, getting to know our forerunners.
Junior High field trip to the Dallas Museum of Art.
Books on books on books.
We all want to be a part of one. Caught up in an unfolding mystery, unknown outcome, yet tethered to a promise.
Our boys love reaching for books every day because they have that same desire: to get caught up in a great, unfolding story.
At Forerunner, their own stories are unfolding. Through coaches and mentors, they are tapping into a fulfilled potential in relationships, education, and identity.
Stories don’t always happen in a moment, but in a progression over years. Our boys are watching their stories unfold one day at a time. One day with their mentor at a time. One day being a man of God at a time.
Our high school men.
Remember high school? Carrying the load of questions like:
“Who am I?”
“What’s my purpose?”
“Does anyone believe in me?”
“Do I really have what it takes?”
Those questions become harder to fully and confidently answer if you’re navigating your life alone.
Every week young men in high school and those in our program gather around tables @thrivelakehighlands to talk about life with older men and father-figures in our community. Men who’ve faced those same questions our young men are facing.
Forerunner is not only a place for young men to fulfill their potential. It’s where they realize they don’t have to navigate life’s questions alone.
Story:
Was teaching one of our boys how to play pool tonight. Took him a little while to get the hang of the grip, how to hit it straight, and how to position his feet and eyesight. A lot of different movements coming together for a little guy.
After about 5 minutes of struggling, he dropped the cue and started walking away.
I stopped him, “Don’t quit. You’re getting the hang of it!”
He turned around, “I’m not quitting, I’m just going to play basketball.”
”So what is quitting then?”
“Quitting is when you stop doing something when it gets…”
He picked the cue back up.
“So I hold it here?”
Thank you for helping us be a place where boys fulfill their potential. Where they overcome obstacles they face through internal resilience and mentors who continue to show up, not letting them consider giving up to have the word.
Relationships Change Lives.