Final Project Mayfm One

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
In my endeavor to develop a community-based youth ministry I have learned distressing information about the youth of our country. Small and large cities across the United States have been plagued with a barrage of problems that youth face.   My attentiveness to this problem came out of personal struggles that I faced in my hometown of Athens Tennessee.   I have lived through the regrettable experience of a drug addiction, while my home church covered its eyes in shame and confusion.   It was not until I came into a relationship with the Lord that I was able to go back to my church and community and begin to educate the people of each institution.   It was to my amazement that many of the people who stood on the sidelines and watched me almost throw my life away, fell into the same pattern of self destruct.   Many of those people were not the recipients of the same measure of grace that God had bestowed on me.   I was disturbed because Athens was not equipped to help people with the kind of problems that I experienced.   Most of the young people who suffered drug addictions had to go as far as Louisiana in order to get help.   Because of this, many never received the help he/she wanted or needed.   My interest in finding a resolve to the predicament that confront many of today’s youth grew as I saw the problems continue to grow without any positive ending.   My interest is primarily to help the Black male youth to find out who he is as well as to answer the call
of God.   Many people view the problems of youth as a family issue; while some see it as a matter for the school systems, social welfare agencies, or the local law enforcement to correct.   I see the dilemma of today’s youth as a spiritual matter which demands the cooperation of the family, church, school, and government working collectively.
Problem Statement
  The purpose of this study is to establish the youth most especially the Black male youth as a vital part of American society...