August 2008 This summer marks the tenth anniversary of Outside the Box Ministries. We are praising God for what He has done through this team during a decade of great significance in youth ministry. I do not know whether the ten year mark surprises you, but for us it is an amazing benchmark, especially when considering the following statistics. I had a chance to do some calculations on a recent center seat flight from LA to Detroit (the kind where I wished I weighed about 125lbs instead of 225lbs). Nevertheless, enjoy the scope of the blessings and ministry that these stats reflect. In the past ten years, the Outside the Box Ministries team has produced and directed over……. 300 events in 300 locations at arenas, domes, convention centers, ballrooms, churches & amphitheaters in 1,500 general sessions with 22,500 creative segments, including 112,500 cues for lighting, graphics, video and stage, and has produced 450 videos & DVD’s to support and communicate the event objectives to the 1,230,000 students and youth workers in the seats. This took the staff through nearly 6,000,000 miles of air travel and all of the experiences that go along with them. Why are these numbing numbers important? Because they represent what it took to see nearly 25,000 first-time decisions for Christ and more life-changing decisions than any human being could count. However, our Father in Heaven knows each one. Through the power of His Holy Spirit, He will use these decisions to mature students in their relationships with Him. That is why Outside the Box Ministries does what it does. We feel that working ‘outside the box’ is a spiritual matter because Through time, God’s wisdom is not the wisdom of this world – it is outside the box of how the majority of the world thinks! In Scripture, God’s opportunities for ministry came on the road, in the desert and with unusual people – for us, they often come from outside the box of expected contacts and relationships! In the beginning, God’s creation came ferociously in ways that man will forever be trying to figure out – we expect our creativity to come from outside of the box of normal imagination. God’s love and mercy has carried mankind for centuries through tragedy and triumph – we will look for the overflow that comes from outside the box. The foretelling of His coming, His virgin birth, His compelling walk, His excruciating death, His miraculous resurrection, His astonishing transfiguration…..these all happened outside the box of what man typically would expect or could imagine. Why can’t we operate that way and watch where He will take us with great expectation? During the coming decade, my commitment to youth and youth workers through Outside the Box Ministries is to: stay the course, add to our expertise, multiply our funding, maximize our creativity and continue to make each individual in the room and each “kid in the seat” the most important person in the world. Thank you for your deep support of this ministry through your prayers and gifts. Without you this is impossible. In fact we need new financial support. Outside the Box must see a 20% increase in donations to meet next year’s budget. That translates to a $4,600 increase per month. Could you be a part of this? Call or email me anytime. 248.613.7649 or rolly@otbm.org In HIS care, Rolly Richert, President and Founder, Outside the Box Ministries