Engage is turning one! It is incredible how a new website is like a new baby. We had to learn how to crawl, then walk. There were a lot of tears and sleepless nights. But there was also a lot of growth. Since our official launch on August 4, 2015, the Lord has blessed us tremendously. Rather than asking you to give us something for our birthday, we want to do two things: first, we want to tell you about all the ways we look to grow in 2016-2017; and second, we want to ask you to give Engage to anyone you believe we can be a resource for.
In the last 12 months, many people have stumbled across Engage and we have never been formally introduced. We are a ministry focused on reaching our generation with the gospel and showing how we live life in our culture as growing believers in Christ. With the Lord’s help and the faithful encouragement from our readers, we have grown so much since day one.
Engage started by publishing three articles a week. We were limited because everyone on the team volunteered their time. But we quickly saw we needed at least one person working full-time to keep our ship on course. God answered that need in the form of Jordan Chamblee, who has taken over the role of Project Director. Jordan initially volunteered his time on top of being a video editor for American Family Studios. Since he has taken on the mantle, he has provided a great deal of leadership, vision, and execution for Engage. Much of the work you see is done by his hands.
While we are still only publishing three articles a week, we have expanded our content. Teddy James and I cohost the weekly Engage podcast. It’s everything Engage in audio form. Teddy James and I discuss how to see the life and everything in it through a biblical worldview in 13-minutes or less. You can listen live on American Family Radio on Saturdays at 5:30 pm Central or listen anytime by downloading the podcast on iTunes, Google, or anywhere you get your podcasts. We would love to hear your comments or listen to ideas you want us to discuss. Send us your comments or requests for future episodes by emailing Teddy and me at engagefaq@afa.net.
The number one question we had after we officially launching was if we had physical copies of Engage Magazine. Why would we call ourselves a magazine if we didn’t print one? We didn’t have one, but we called ourselves that because we had a vision of growing into it. We have now grown into it. Canada Burkhalter and Teddy James worked incredibly hard to take some of the top stories over the last year and publish a 32-page magazine. We are only printing a limited amount and they will arrive in our offices in September. If you want your copy, let us know at engagefaq@afa.net. We will send you one free of charge. Consider it our birthday gift to you.
In everything Engage does, we want to be a resource for you, our reader. But articles, and even podcasts have their limitations. We can’t immediately address your questions, and we can’t have an in-depth conversation with you. To answer that, we are developing an annual Engage Worldview Conference. The 2017 conference is Created to Reflect. It is more than a conference. We desire to see our generation equipped to engage the culture with Christ-likeness and a biblical worldview.
High school students, college students, and young adults from all over America will gather at Hope Church in Tupelo, MS on March 17th for an electrifying concert by Cam, Flame and many more. This will be followed on March 18th by engaging and well-known apologists Alex McFarland and Sean McDowell. Breakout sessions will be led by Engage authors, Kendra White and Teddy James. Every session will focus on giving you practical tips and small group opportunities to help you grow and engage in your biblical worldview while sharing truth and applying Scripture.
I would like to thank you for your faithfulness and support of Engage. We at Engage have a huge desire to our generation and the generations who follow us grow to know God and live for Him in a world with a desperate need for the gospel. We pray all we do at Engage would be inspired by God’s love for us.
Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank the Lord for making the seed of Engage grow. The answers to prayer, the wisdom from His Word, and His promises have not only sustained us, but helped sanctify us. Thank you Lord, for Your Spirit and Your Word in the expansion of Engage.
