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Celebration of Purity caps 10 week STAR Interfaith Leadership Training Program
Five parents half a dozen youth and a dozen friends and relatives celebrated the successful completion of STAR Interfaith Leadership training by participating youths. The ten week leadership training program concluded with a Celebration of Purity on April 17th, 2013 at the Emergence Community Arts Collective in Northwest Washington, DC.
The purpose of STAR Interfaith Leadership training is to raise youth to be leaders who are confident in their decision to remain sexually abstinent before marriage. STAR Guide Francoise Ngue commented “What I like about the program is that God is for it. You cannot go wrong if it’s God's will. When you are not married you belong to God. When you are married you belong to your spouse. It goes with God's will. I like the ring exchange. When you wear it, it is a constant reminder that you cannot just go ahead. I wish you had more kids participating.” (Register Now). Youth learn about risk avoidance, goal setting, HIV prevention, and preparing for successful family life. Assertiveness techniques are modeled and practiced. Participants also get a basic understanding of spiritual growth, a deeper understanding of the Fall of Man, and insight into living a meaningful life.
One unique aspect of the program is that parents are invited to attend with their children. All of the parents participated at times, and some came virtually every week, offering a unique opportunity to deepen the parent child bond. Parents read a letter to their child at the celebration of purity. Lisa Cruel-Medley shared in her letter to 16 year old Alexis, “Always be a leader and not a follower. Peer pressure can be tough, but stay strong. “Teresa Price read to her sons Alan, age 18 and Amir, age 15, “I pray that you will focus on knowing yourselves and God and become the leaders that you were born to be, with good character. I pray that you continue your search for the truth and understand that through this message that we’ve had over the past 10 weeks to understand the holiness of sex and real relationships, and not what the secular world is teaching through film, music and advertising, etc.” Monica Utsey shared in her letter to Zion “I pray that you will find a good wife, and that your marriage will glorify God.” I want you to experience the joy of being excited about your first child as opposed to feeling sorrow that you have disappointed your parents.”
STAR Guide Francoise Ngue shared in her testimony; “[When] I was 19 years old I met the man of my dreams. I mean, he was just perfect, charming. And that’s the first time I was really, really tested. So I prayed. He gave me an ultimatum. Hey, we can’t be together if we don’t have sex. So, I’ll give you up by the end of the week if you don’t do that.” She prayed and opened her Bible and challenged God to “show me right here right now where you don’t want me to have sex with this man” She opened her bible to First Corinthians Chapter 1, versus 5 and 6. “I called that man and said ‘sex is supposed to be inside of marriage’. He said “well we can do that and get married later. I was wise enough to say, well, we cannot go sin first and go ask God’s blessing later, so let’s go ask God’s blessing first, and then it’s not going to be a sin.” She concluded with “What you have to do for God, do it well, with tears, because your blessing depends on it.”
The celebration concluded with the Urban Life Training pledge and a Ginger ale Toast. If you or your child would like to benefit from this program, you can register now for the next ten week session beginning on September 29th, 2013. Register now and save 20% off the regular.
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