NY Immanuel Church, OTM to Reach Teens in the Bronx

To reach out to many teens in the Bronx, NY Immanuel Church is co-working with OTM to make its first teen program that targets the high school teens aging 16+. Immanuel will begin with a survey, asking the teens around which outreach program interests them most. The goal is to gather 30 teens regularly attending the provided program by the end of this year.

OTM representative, Amanda Garcia, suggested two strategies for Immanuel to reach out to the teens in the Bronx: First is to start a language class like Korean or Chinese for teens at least once a week. "Teens really like to learn new things like language and even instruments. It'll help them be more acquainted with the church and its members," she said.

Second is to hold a Teen Retreat in the holiday break: "Teens will have a holiday break after Christmas and before New Years," explained Amanda.  "It would be good to have a program during that time since they will be very free." 

The discussion also emphasized the importance to pray and focus on targeting older teens like 16+ first, who can help assist as they grow spiritually and eventually become a leader. "In order to contain the teens, since they have so much energy and passion, you will need people who can focus on it. That's why older teens are especially important." 

NY Immanuel Church ministers are excited ablout the collaboration with OTM on the upcoming Teens' program. "Many teens are suffering in that area out of malfunctioned families. We pray that the Gospel can give them true comfort and bring hope of new life."