By Jesse Criss

As 2019 comes to a close I just wanted to thank all of you that regularly read and track with what goes on here at Fresh Ministry Consulting. 2019 was a crazy year in a lot of ways, not just with Fresh Ministry but also personally as I transitioned careers in the summer. However, in the middle of everything going on I was also able to meet and exceed many of my hopes and dreams for 2019.

This year through Fresh Ministry Consulting and your support I was able to…

• Publish “Student Leadership Movement” which had been 5 years in the making 
• Parter with YouthWorks and create “Engage, Equip, Empower Students Resource” for short term missions teams. 
• Publish “COACH: A Workbook To Turn Your Volunteer Leaders Into Coaches” 
• Do my first Skype teaching the Banff Pastors Conference 
• Partner with LeaderTreks on a number of blog projects
• Wrote 33 blogs here at Fresh Ministry include a number of blogs by outside guests 
• Coached 3 young pastors and leaders in their local ministry roles

All of the above was only possible because of an amazing group of people who for the last several years have either been directly involved in Fresh Ministry Consulting or have been champions from the sidelines. So a special thank you goes out to the following amazing people.

• CJ
• Sophia
• Sydney
• Michelle
• Brody
• Ben
• Kaylan
• Jonathan 
• Chris

An extra special thanks to 6 individuals who without there support none of this or what’s to come would have been possible.

• Jacob Eckeberger at YouthWorks
• Doug Franklin at LeaderTreks
• Randy Carter at Straight Talk Ministries 
• Chase and Anne Snyder at 228publishers
• Twyla the BEST WIFE in the world

As 2019 comes to a close there is much to celebrate but there is also much more to come.

• The Journey Devotional Series is well underway. The gospels are done and plans are in the works to get the rest of the New Testament done by Spring 2020. You can find them all at your local Amazon store. 
• The partnership between Fresh Ministry and LeaderTreks continues to grow and I’m excited about a few new projects starting up in 2020.
• The “Creative Spark Challenge” will continue for the month of January.
• I’m working on a plan to create a few new devotional style books and I’m hoping to finish my Top 10 Leadership Principles book that I started in the summer. 
• There are a few more exciting projects that I can’t talk about yet but I’m hoping it will all come together in 2020.

In June of 2019, I was frustrated and life seemed uncertain. I wasn’t sure what the next step would be and many of you rallied around me and my family in prayer and support. Six months later I’m still not sure the future is any clearer but I know one thing is true… there is joy in my heart, family in my life and a saviour who refuses to let go of me. Regardless of what happens in 2020 my hope and prayer are that this time next year I can say that those three things remain true.

Love and Blessings

If you would like to know more about this topic or learn how to implement this in your youth program feel free to contact me.