Dear special friend,

Josh just returned from an amazing outreach to one of the most closed nations on earth, and we cannot thank you enough for your prayers and support!

Within a few weeks, Josh will be writing with more details on the results of that trip and on how God worked in truly remarkable ways. As the Chief Executive Officer of Josh McDowell Ministries, Im writing today because another urgent matter has come up.

Even as I write, Josh is taking a few days to rest from this last trip, pray, and prepare for another major effort just around the corner---an outreach that will continue our focus on one of the toughest mission fields out there. This effort is particularly close to Joshs heart and he could really use your encouragement and prayers. Together, we can express to him a special show of support this month - let me explain this next outreach.

Just weeks from now, the 2005 Beyond Belief to Convictions tour will begin. Once again, Josh will be speaking to youth pastors, parents, and, most importantly, teenagers around the nation about how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Ministry to American teenagers may not sound like "one of the toughest mission fields out there." After all, these kids have access to all the Bibles and Christian books they want. They can stop by a church at any time. Many even come from Christian homes where they can ask their parents questions about Christ.

But on closer examination, reaching teenagers for Christ and helping them know why they believe what they believe is one of the most difficult challenges today. You see, these young people are not only the victims of a "tolerance above all else" culture; they are feeling the effects of a church in crisis.

We all know that the world is leading kids astray, but the church as a whole is hardly better! A stunning article in Christianity Today reads, "Evangelical Christians and born-again Christians get divorced just as often, if not a little more, than the general population -- a third of all evangelicals say that premarital sex is okay. And about 15 percent say that adultery is okay -- Several studies find that physical and sexual abuse in theologically conservative homes is about the same as elsewhere."

What a painful report. Is it any wonder that many young people aren't "buying"Christianity? They look at their lives or the lives of their friends and think that Christianity is no different from any other value system. It hasn't "worked" to fix their problems, so therefore it isn't it true. They have been radically affected by our liberal culture; for them, the only "truth" is what works for each person. There can be a thousand different "truths", and they can even contradict each other! But the real Truth is never communicated to them in the context of relationships.

That's why the Beyond Belief to Convictions Campaign is so important. Before our young people make decisions they will forever regret---before they have sex because it "feels right" or decide that Christianity is no more "true than any other religion" --they desperately need to know the reality and relevance of relationship with Jesus Christ! Will you help make that happen?

Again this fall, Josh will be visiting approximately 15 cities and speaking to an estimated 70,000 church leaders, parents, and young people. If the results are anything like last year's Beyond Belief tour, this should be an incredible time! Consider the following comments and statistics:

[The] event had a big impact on our students. All of our students enjoyed it One of our students describes the impact on her life since the event as amazing. Josh really spoke to her, and she rededicated her life to God after wandering for many years.
God is so awesome! I had the privilege to pray with 7 kids to receive Christ.
What you will most be interested in is the news that 7 of the 8 teens that attended with me that night rededicated their lives to Jesus! Never doubt the impact you have for Christ!
In the 2004/2005 campaign, more than 5,500 youth came forward to commit or recommit their lives to Christ.
Since the start of the Beyond Belief campaign, 35,000 small groups have begun conducting on-going courses. This is not a one-weekend event, but the start of new movements in churches across the world!

Wow! God is truly using these events to touch the hearts of young people and have a lasting impact on their families and churches. Kids are being challenged to make church more than a safe social club or time for sports or games, they are being motivated to dig into their Bibles, live out the Truth, and really know Jesus Christ!

Because of your involvement in ministry, we know that you too have a passion for seeing this happen for seeing your children, grandchildren, neighbors, reached for Christ and taught how to live in Truth. Josh and the rest of our team are out there serving and equipping local churcheshelping them raise a future generation of transformed, purpose-driven, mission focused followers of Christ who know why they believe what they believe and how to live out what they believe!

The possibilities of this campaign are obviously very exciting. However, , there is still one thing standing in the way of this years Beyond Belief to Convictions outreach: finances.

We praise God that finances have already come in to cover many costs of this years tour, costs like travel, equipment, venue rental, etc. But there is still a need of $250,000 to serve the Body of Christ across the nation. Would you be willing to help?

Anything the Lord puts on your heartperhaps $50, $250, $500, or even morewould be a tremendous help in reaching todays youth and training them up to be tomorrows godly leaders.

As I mentioned, this effort to reach young people is tremendously close to Joshs heart. Whether you can give right now, I was hoping that you might send him a word of encouragement or a special prayer as he prepares for this outreach.

Please prayerfully consider this opportunity to touch the lives of literally tens of thousands of young people, and use the enclosed envelope to send your gift and/or your note to Josh today. Keep in mind that the start of the tour is just weeks away and these funds are needed urgently, so your quick action would be much appreciated.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. May God bless you and your loved ones.

Gratefully yours in Christ,

David Hone
Chief Executive Officer

P.S. This effort to reach out to young people for Christ is so desperately needed. Even amongst todays Christian young people, recent studies have found that:

63% of our kids believe all religions pray to the same God
51% dont believe Christ literally rose from the dead
65% dont think the devil is real
91% dont believe there is an absolute truth.

If not corrected now, such beliefs could have a radically negative affect on the lives of these young people and on future generations in the church. Please prayerfully consider how you might help these kids find the Truth about Christ. Thank you again.