It was a good run...

As you read below to find out about the end of Project Hangout as we currently know it - please understand that a seed must die for other things to give birth. The lifestyle mentor philosophy lives on in the lives of those trained and many good things that Project Hangout started. Many will still continue - Like Nova-Do martial arts, coffee groups and www.FEEDtheMUSIC.net (Ryan's latest project).

Please continue to root Ryan and Jenn on by showing up to FEEDtheMUSIC and participating in the intergenerational music community that happens every month. Ryan currently has found a job working with emancipated foster youth ages 18-24.

The Story:

June, 2009

Dear Project Hangout Supporter,

From the inception of Project Hangout Ministries, we have been accountable to the stakeholders, including the donors and those we have ministered to. Under that responsibility, the Board members have maintained a code of integrity in managing the ministry. One key element has been transparency in all we do. We honor the Lord by doing so and avoid issues that may undermine our ministry or call our purposes into question. With that desire to be forthright as to the status of Project Hangout, I must regretfully announce that the Board and I have determined that Project Hangout Ministries will end operations on June 30, 2009. The reason for our decision is not unlike those currently faced by other non-profits and businesses. Since the economic downturn, the ministry has seen a drop in income (contributions) of over 40%. This has caused drastic reductions in expenditures, including a substantial cut (80%) in the salary of our Operations Director, Ryan Zeulner. Beginning last month Ryan’s work at Project Hangout was reduced to a part-time basis. Understandably, as a father and husband Ryan needs a full-time position and cannot continue at Project Hangout under this arrangement. Without someone like Ryan running the day-to-day operations, the ministry is unable to continue. It is due to this and the other effects of the economic downturn on our ministry that we must in good faith end the operation.

While we are saddened by the turn of events we are not discouraged. Over the span of eight years we have seen hundreds of kids learn of the love of Christ, dozens come to a saving knowledge of Jesus and many more turn from destructive behavior. We know that the successes at introducing the Word into the lives of these youth will not return void. It is His grace and love that has made all of this possible and it is in the same that we continue on.

To wind up the operations, we have determined that the ministry has a cash need of $8,500 for our remaining obligations. This includes back-pay owed to Ryan. I would ask you to prayerfully consider sending Project Hangout a generous gift so that we can properly meet every obligation as we close our books. If through the Lord’s provision there are any funds remaining after fulfilling these obligations, we will transfer the balance to Terra Nova Church in Irvine, California after June. This church is where Ryan is the part-time youth pastor and where he will continue his work in Lifestyle Mentoring. If necessary we will continue to receive donations after June 30th until all of the obligations are fulfilled.

I cannot begin to express my thanks for your commitment to serving the Kingdom through your gifts and sacrifices for Project Hangout. I am extremely humbled by your involvement and the impact we have had for God’s glory.

With Blessings,


Dale Hedges
Founder & President
dwhedges@projecthangout.com

Project Hangout Does Martial Arts

Nova-Do Martial Arts || The New Way of Life.

Meets every Wednesday from 4:30-6pm
Where: 7 Whatney, Irvine CA 92618
Range: All levels welcome
Age: All ages welcome
Cost: Try it out and get an info packet for more details
Sensei: German Hernandez
Why: Christ centered Martial arts to sharpen and focus your mind, body and soul.

I wanted to announce the martial art division of Project Hangout headed up by Sensei German Hernandez. It's called Nova-Do:: The new way of life // martial arts. We have taken out all the eastern philosophy and put Christ as the center of all we do. This is open to all so if you have ever been interested in learning karate - come learn with the best. German's credentials are to long to list but I can say that he did train the Govenator

First class ever of Nova-Do Martial Arts

FEEDtheMUSIC

We are currently beginning our revolutionary concert line called FEEDtheMUSIC. The details are anything but boring as our first concert is May 14th from 7-9 featuring the PawnShop kings.

Check out our dedicated site: www.FEEDtheMUSIC.net and spread the word.

The good news is that we have it going on every month. Join us every 2nd Thursday of the month. But you knew that... because you checked out the website.

Night of Champoins

April 24, 2009
Kingsfield Church in Laguna Niguel
Cost: FREE
FREE IN-N-OUT
6:30 - 10:00 PM

What is Next?

A lot of people have been wanting to know what is up next for Project Hangout. Not only is it the year of the small church, but we have some transformational things stirring about. I can't go into to much detail, but I'll draw you a picture:

Diagrams Made Easy

The church has to be the living body that it was created to be. Thus it has to REACH out into the community. Christ sent out the 70 in pairs of two. Sounds familiar, yet undone most of the time. Let's work together to change that.

A Church has generations in it as a strength. Wisdom cannot be faked and so it must be passed down. We have "boxed" ministries into age groups for good reasons, yet it is crippling our future generations. Let's build intergenerational ministries together!

Please learn about my friend

Please learn about a most remarkable young man. His story is moving. You will love him and the God that he serves.

Click below:
Clayton McDonald

Dodgeball Tournament Review

The first Hot Dog and Chocolate Dodgeball Tournament has come and gone. With 16 teams in rotation we had a great day. In the end the frontrunners, The Pretty Girls, ended going undefeated and walked away with some clout.

But it wasn't about winning. The tournament was a celebration of the relationships that were created prior to the tournament. The teams came together and their leaders lead them because of a desire to be together and experience something that cannot be done alone. With a handful of churches and Olive Crest coming together there was even more uniting that happened that day. It was a community event where everyone was blessed to be there. The people that had the greatest time (in my opinion) were the 10 plus referees that volunteered to supervise the epic battles. Next time we would love for you to join us. Thanks you for everyone who came out that day. For those who made this happen, the Kingdom of God will never forget!

From a Fan:
Hi Ryan, thanks to you and your team for a great Dodgeball day! Our
four teams had an awesome time. Please know that from our end, your
labor of love was well worth the effort you invested. I've had many
kids ask when we can dodge it up again! There was a lot of good pride
with our 2nd place team and our 1st place for t-shirts. We felt so
welcomed and a part of the Proj-Hang Family. What' up for next year...
Cider and tacos? Yoohoo and Hot Pockets??? Please keep us in mind if
there's anything else you and PH is up to that any of our kids could
join in.

You blessed us muchly, Frank

Frank Fried
Olive Crest Chaplain

The Sage Pt. 2

After working on Project Hangout for about a year and a half I have discovered a number of ministry principles that are true to everyone’s spiritual life. One principle I’ve found is that longevity is spurred on by experience. Seems easy enough and yet in the real world how do we expect twenty somethings to continue in ministry if they are inexperienced in ministry. They are full of energy and have the time, but we all know that can fade quickly when things get tough...

That is where the Sage comes in.

The key to a healthy spiritual life is being connected with your vertical relationships. Those older than you and those younger than you (and of course God). Those older hold wisdom and experience - enough for someone younger to draw strength from in order to carry on. This kind of relationship is beneficial for both involved as we all need to give in order to receive. Wisdom is passed down ensuring successful development of those new to ministry to help them form those in their teenage years. Its a trickledown system that cannot be cut off if we expect positive results.

I’ve found that teenagers that have: (1) mentors and (2) pour into those younger than themselves, have a greater chance of making it through college. This is a natural conclusion as those that live and breathe their faith by walking with others older than them can glean the necessary tools to forge through life’s constant rough terrain.

My conclusion is that if we want young adults and college age students to live missional lives with high school students and junior high students we must first find those that can be their backbone of support. We need wisdom first and that can only be found through the tested, not the untested.

More to insights to come...

-- Let's build up the Church to be mobilize everyone within it to reach everyone not yet apart of it!

Hot Dog and Chocolate Dodgeball Tournament

All Info on the dodgeball tournament (except for the rules, you have to email me) can be found HERE

To "pre-register" your team (or "sign-up") please email me at rz@projecthangout.com and let me know the team captain and who else is on your team. Also include info like what group you are from, the ages/gender of the team and a team name if it has been set.

We do have needs for volunteers. Here are some areas we could use your help:

Set-up
Time/Rank officers
Refs
Security
tear down team
and any kind of prize or food donations!

The Sage

How does a boy without a father grow up to be a man? How does he learn to make the hard decisions he is going to have to make in life; the ones only a man can teach? - Sylar, Heroes, (NBC)

I've been asking myself the same questions. Good thing God gave us other men. I find the heart behind God is that great men take interest in those around them. Selfish men worry only worry about themselves.

The role of the "Sage," is laid out as the most important role a man could play at the end of his life in the book by John Eldredge, The Way of the Wild Heart.
"The Sage draws us to God. He offers a gift of presence, the richness of a soul that has lived long with God."

A few pages later John gets vulnerable and tells us a personal encounter with a Sage:
"And while this old saint's counsel was immensely helpful to me, there was something more given during our two hours that even still I find hard to describe. To sit with a man who has walked with God some seventy-plus years, to be in the presence of a father, to have the eyes of a wise and gracious man fixed upon you, to have his heart willingly offer you affirmation and counsel - that is a sort of food the soul of a man craves. All my years of loneliness and fatherlessness came into stark contrast. I could have wept."

A Sage offers hope and a way.

The church needs to get connected again. Connected to each other. The aging and the young need to cross paths.

We need to be intergenerational.

God designed us to feed off each other.

I heard of a study (I'm looking for the source and my notes) concerning similarities of teens and the elderly. Both showed the same characteristics of feeling depressed, isolated and unwanted. Why? Because one needs the other. I am not suggesting every teenager and elderly person need to hang out. Bingo and Hip-Hop have very little in common. What I am suggesting is a chain. The sage needs to meet and be with those who are in their 40's and 50's. This age range needs to connect with the young married/career and those need to meet with the life stage just below them - college. Young adults and college are the most natural fit for hanging out with high school students (even their schedules lend to this idea).

There can be cross over in every life stage but the point is that we are blessed to be a blessing and that means that we are in the lives of others to help show them the way as well as to soak up the wisdom that is available to us.

More on this. I am just scratching the surface and so is Project Hangout as we seek to reunite the church with each other and reach the unreached together.

Dodgeball Promo Video

dodgeball tournament promo from Project Hangout on Vimeo.

For all the information click "Dodgeball Tournament" in the right hand side column under "tagged phrases." For a listing of all the rules please email Ryan and he will send you a .pdf
We also have flyers that we can mail out to you (please include your address in the email).

The Oak In My Front Yard

A few years ago for Arbor day a mushroomed haired fifth grader wrote a poem that was published in the local newspaper. The poem titled “The Oak In My Front Yard,” penned in a cafeteria lunchroom, caught some attention for the yearly observance because of its elevation of nature. But like most poems, the real meaning wasn’t that obvious.

“The oak in my front yard
has seen more years than I
I look up at the old and withered tree,
and it tells me
stories of when it was young and strong.
Those stories tell what the earth
was like a 100 years ago.

All trees have stories
So stop cutting them down
and listen in,
to the history of our world.”

Yes you could say that the deeper meaning can be found in John 19 where Jesus says that if man remains silent the rocks will cry out to praise God. Which is true, but this came from a fifth grade boy that had little understanding of this passage. Where his heart was coming from was an eternal longing that all little boys and girls are given by God. Its the longing to look up to someone older, to learn from and feed off of. This 100 year old tree was not the oak in his front yard, it was the wisdom of his elders that he longed for. This boy was hitting on this idea of the Oaks of Righteousness found in Isaiah 61.

“ They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.”

This is a people being transformed by the Salvation of Jesus that go out and set things right by bringing structure and order. They build into their surroundings, not abandon it. For generations we have left the youth to fend for themselves, excusing ourselves from the table and bowing out from engaging the youth. With that we took our wisdom, our failures (stories of redemption built in with warnings) and our support with us. Leaving this generation of youth to fend for themselves without defense, wisdom or any kind of context on how to live. This fifth grader with his poem knew the value of wisdom that could only be found in others. The responsibility to initiate lays upon the adults. We can be a backbone for students struggling through life. God has made the church intergenerational by design. It doesn’t work unless we our reaching out to others and walking with them through life because that is the true meaning of discipleship. You can help someone blossom and it can start today.

Top 10

Teams are Training: Dodgeball Tourney Feb 21st

The Hot Dog and Chocolate Dodgeball Tournament is a little over a month away. Teams are gathering. Practices have begun. Leaders are meeting with kids with to work on strategies. The ministry has begun! The leaders of the pack - those slated to be number one - is the momentum building team that calls themselves "The Pretty Girls" (name subject to change). Though we hear that Calvary Church is building a monster of a team. If you are interested in participating in our tournament or volunteering please email us at: RZ@Projecthangout.com.

Tournament info in earlier posts. Click on "Dodgeball Tournament" on the RHS column for all the information.

The Deut. 6 Challenge: Bandanas

Project Hangout is looking to take the Deut. 6 passage literally and see that kids are putting scriptures on their heads and wrists. One way to do that is through a Project Hangout bandana (kids wear them on their heads and wrists). The front of the logo displays our ministry name, but the back has the "Salvation" message written out in story form with accompaning verses.

You can help us by purchasing a pair of bandanas for $15. We'll send you one and then give another to a student in our ministry. By purchasing the bandanas you are spreading the Word of God as well as the name of Project Hangout. You get a reminder of the ministry and the student gets a gift validating that people do care. Not to mention its the latest fashion!

you can send us $15 by using paypal. Send increments of $15 to RZ@projecthangout.com

Thanks to sevone.org for their biblestudy bandanas!