2020 President's Report

2020 President's Report

President’s Report 2020

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Word of Life

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Who We Are

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What We Do

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Summarized Financials

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Thank You

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Leadership

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Word of Life Experience your faith

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in Heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

At Word of Life, we love to help young people experience their faith... to begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and to grow in their daily walk with Him. With God’s blessing and through the involvement and investment of your friendship, the worldwide ministries of Word of Life are expanding and moving forward... reaching youth with the Gospel of Christ. This report gives you a glimpse of God’s grace revealed through you during 2020. I know you rejoice with us and are encouraged with all that He has done. To God be all the glory! Thank you for your faithful prayers and for investing in young lives. God is using you to make a difference all over the world!

1 C H R O N I C L E S 2 9 : 1 1 - 1 2

Don Lough, Jr. President & CEO

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Who We Are Word of Life creates faith-defining experiences that give students and families the opportunity to meet Jesus Christ and to grow in their spiritual walk. For more than 80 years Word of Life has focused on...

Scripture We are committed to the Scriptures as the source and foundation for ministry.

Evangelism We are committed to fulfilling the Great Commission by boldly proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and challenging people to respond.

Discipleship We are committed to the intentional process of teaching and influencing others to become more like Jesus Christ.

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What We Do

Youth and Family Camps Opens doors for youth and families to develop their relationship with Jesus Christ and with each other. Youth Ministries Provides resources, curriculum and training that equip local churches to maximize the impact of their ministries and to help students grow in their faith. Bible Institutes Gives students a foundation of biblical knowledge and a vision for the future with two-year accredited postsecondary biblical studies programs. International Ministries Sends short-term and long-term missionaries around the world to share the love of Christ and the Good News of the Gospel.

Youth We are committed to reaching youth whose culture constantly changes with biblical truth that never changes.

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Launch YOUR FAITH

WOL.IS/CAMPS

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But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of Heaven.”

MA T T H EW 1 9 : 1 4

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Ministry Impact *

4,683

Total Campers

Dedication Decisions

3,344

Salvation Decisions

539

Young People Who Received a Scholarship to Attend Camp

458

* The 2020 summer camping ministry was limited to five weeks at the Florida Youth Camp only, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Because of a generous scholarship, many young people were able to come to camp last summer: Natural beauty, outdoor adventures, exciting activities and life-changing biblical teaching all combined at Word of Life gives youth and families an unforgettable experience.

• I have accepted God’s calling on my life to go into full-time ministry. Hopefully one day I can impact the life of a camper the same way you impacted mine. – Jacob • Thank you for letting me come to camp this year. My favorite part of camp is the rallies because we get to praise and learn about God. – Alayna • You have allowed me to deepen my faith and form relationships. Thank you. – Emma

• Thank you for allowing me to go to this awesome camp. I have been enjoying the games and activities. Most importantly, I have been learning how to live by faith as a young Christian. – William • I lived my life in sin before I came here, and I did not fully understand the meaning of Jesus dying for me. My eyes were opened this week, and I want to live for Jesus. – Matthew

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Grow YOUR FAITH

youthministry.wol.org

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But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 P E T E R 3 : 1 8

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Our passion in Word of Life Youth Ministries: • Gospel Witness – every student everywhere hearing the Gospel from a friend. • Spiritual Growth – every student everywhere growing in their walk with Christ.

Ministry Impact

Countries represented at the Fall Virtual Leadership Conference

34

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Number of Field Staff

Cost to provide one year of curriculum and devotions to an international youth group

People who attended the Fall Virtual Leadership Conference

$250

600

Youth Ministry Coaches who participated in twice monthly training with youth leaders

Countries represented at the Winter Apologetics Virtual Conference

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28

People who attended the Winter Apologetics Virtual Conference

Churches represented at the Fall Virtual Leadership Conference

90

2,000 +

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REMIX Lessons Launched During the pandemic, lessons were condensed into a 10-minute video. Lesson outlines and small group discussion questions were developed to make virtual youth group possible. Gospel Advancing Youth Ministry Training Launched Meetings were launched over Zoom twice a month connecting a trainer and a handful of other likeminded youth leaders. Group2Group – International Youth Ministry Sponsorship Launched A new initiate, Group2Group was begun to help a United States youth ministry sponsor an international youth ministry. Online Leader and Youth Training Launched Virtual Fall and Winter conferences were held for both adults and students. Youth Ministry Internship This is a two-year internship for graduates of the Word of Life Bible Institute sophomore year who are interested in serving in a Youth Ministry in a local church setting.

Empowered to Share the Gospel I was a little intimidated by joining a Gospel Advancing group. Not only was there a time commitment but also it felt daunting to have accountability with other Christian leaders about my own witness for Christ. As we encouraged one another by sharing our victories and failures, I realized I wasn’t a whole lot different than the others. More importantly, I truly needed this group. Having this regular accountability and following some of the principles we learned have empowered me to be more intentional in my prayer life and in sharing the Gospel with unbelievers than I think I’ve ever been. I have a long way to go, but I’ve come to really love and appreciate my Gospel Advancing group. I’m so thankful I accepted the invitation to join. – John, Youth Pastor in Virginia

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Deepen YOUR FAITH

wordoflife.edu

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This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

J O S H U A 1 : 8

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Ministry Impact

Scholarships Awarded

$2,797,754

Students at Campuses in New York and Florida

530

People who heard the Gospel as a result of Student Ministries

84,524

People ministered to as a result of Student Ministries

96,793

Salvations as a result of Student Ministries

2,333

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The Bible Institute is a collegiate-level program offering intensive biblical studies, discipleship, community and hands-on ministry designed to help students discover God’s plan for their life.

The Impact of Studying the Word of God I was granted the privilege this year to come study the Word of God here at Word of Life but could not afford to do it on my own. These days and especially over the past year, every penny counts, and I was so grateful to hear that I had received a scholarship. I didn’t realize just how far this year would take me. Some of my favorite things that I have done while being here is my service and ministry assignments. I never knew I could have so much fun working in a kitchen. The staff has been amazing and really care about us. That’s not typically something you see every day. My ministry assignment has also been a huge blessing to me. I was put on a prayer team, and I quickly realized that my prayer life was lacking. Being on this team was a great way to help me get back into prayer and truly get lost in it. My time at Word of Life has been well spent. I am thankful for God giving me the chance to come to Word of Life and for His blessings in financial assistance. I could never thank Him enough for His provision in my life and my time here at Word of Life. – Hunter

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Share YOUR FAITH

wol.is/missions

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And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.”

MA R K 1 6 : 1 5

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Ministry Impact

International Ministries missionaries have a passion for the nations and work to make sustainable impact through providing short- term and long- term ministry in more than 80 countries.

International Locations

82

International Missionaries

1,534

International Bible Institute Locations Discipleship Training Center Locations Cross Cultural Interns around the World Cross Cultural Internship Field Locations People who heard the Gospel at an event/virtual event

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18

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49

873,141

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Thankful for the Opportunity to Serve It was 2005 and I was widowed and retired from teaching in a Christian school. I had a desire to continue serving my Lord, and He opened the door for me to serve in the Word of Life English discipleship school (SYME) in Korea. It was one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling things I had ever done! It was such a joy to pour myself into the wonderful students He sent to us. After that, I was eager to do it again! Since then I have been privileged to serve as a teacher in Japan, Taiwan, Nicaragua, and Poland. In the spring of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, I was challenged to stretch my learning curve by teaching a Bible class through Zoom for the school in Poland. I am so thankful to have been blessed to teach and gain wonderful young friends on three continents. – Marilyn, Launch Program Life Change in Italy By the grace of God, what we would never have thought finally happened. For about two months Rosella has participated in the online meetings of our church. She was looking for God; she needed to know God’s love for her, and God made her understand how much He loves her for her. Recently, she asked God for the forgiveness of her sins and is born again. One of the first things Rosella did was call her family members with whom she did not have a good relationship to ask for forgiveness. – Franco Deriu, Coordinator, Word of Life Italy

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Word of Life Summarized Financials* * Excludes extraordinary contributions for buildings and equipment.

Gifts and Revenues Total Support and Revenue – $38,939,409

Program Revenue 8,855,638

Unrestricted Contributions 6,016,843

Restricted Contributions 23,898,773

Interest and Other Revenue 168,155

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Expenditures Total Expenses – $37,802,987

Youth and Family Camps 3,262,028

Administration and Fundraising 3,039,788

International Ministries 17,105,463

Youth Ministries 3,192,744

Bible Institutes 10,840,112

Other Expenses 362,852

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Thank You

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The worldwide ministries of Word of Life are made possible because of the generous gifts of friends who are committed to helping reach young people with the only message that truly brings

life change. Thank you!

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Word of Life Leadership

Don Lough, Jr. President & CEO

John Nelson Executive Vice President of Stewardship

Roger Peace, Jr. Executive Vice President of Bible Institutes and Camps

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2020 Directors Mr. Donald H. Lough, Jr. / President Mr. B. John Nelson / Vice President/Treasurer Lt. Col. Walter R. Price, Ret. / Secretary

Dr. John S. Barnett Mr. Mark R. Berardelli Dr. Harry J. Bollback Mr. Andrew C. Brown Mr. Bob G. Brown

Mr. Donald D. Kelso Mr. Alex W. Konya Mr. Chad J. Lubke Dr. Ronald D. Moore Rev. Philip A. Moser II Mr. Roger L. Peace, Jr. Mr. Jonathan H. Price Mr. Brian M. Smoker Mr. Kristopher M. Stout Capt. Dane C. Swanson, USN, Ret. Mr. Ronald D. Wyrtzen

Mr. Roger L. Burdick Mr. Robert C. Doll, Jr. Mr. Andres N. Fernandez Paz

Mr. Cory J. Hansen Mr. Robert L. Horst Mr. Joseph J. Hunt

Kris Stout Executive Vice President of International and Youth Ministries

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