Youth Pastor Name: Dyral and Holly Hargrove

Youth Group Name: Image Student Ministry (ISM)

Church Name: North Cities UPC

Location: Garland, Texas

InsideOut: How many people do you have?

Dyral Hargrove: 110

IO: Average age?

DH: 16

IO: What do you think is THE coolest event you guys have put together for the Youth?

DH: We did an ISM version of Fear Factor. We had a bare footed race across a gravel parking lot; a Listerine Mouthwash gargling contest; we ate horse’s tongue, pickled pig’s feet, mystery Twinkies, and we drank milk mixed with cottage cheese and so many more things that are beyond belief! The winner received $100!!

IO: What do you do for outreach?

DH: We do various outreach efforts to help the community such as, feeding the needy, cleaning up neighborhoods, etc and we are in the process of developing bread runs. Also, occasionally we will drop the students off at malls to inform people about North Cities and ISM.

IO:What is your youth group’s claim to fame? (If you’re gonna brag on your youth group, you’re going to say…?)

DH: Image Student Ministries has multiple gifts, talents, and abilities which include song writing, singing, musical talents, web design, speaking, preaching, signing, poetry, rapping, video editing, video production, acting, and so much more. Our student ministry has a wide diversity of cultures which include students with African, Korean, Indian, Hispanic, Arabian, and European backgrounds. We have been blessed with a multicultural group of young people which is helping us make a global impact and reach out to our community as a whole. We believe that God has placed the numerous cultures in our group so we can be most effective in the end time revival that we are seeing unfold before our very eyes.

IO: What do you do to retain those that join your youth group? Bible Studies? Small groups?

DH: We have a mixture of Bible Studies and Small Groups. We believe that a good foundation is the only way to develop a solid Christian and a creditable person to our society. We tackle the much needed Biblical foundation in our weekly Bible studies. And in our small groups we strive to develop individuals in all areas of life.

IO: Is there a “hangout” for your youth outside of church?

DH: We just finished a new youth facility. We are in the process of developing a Friday night hang out, which includes a game room with game stations, air hockey and pool tables, and other organized games such as board games and card games like Phase10 and Uno.

IO: Do you guys do Crowd breakers or is that a thing of the past? If not, what has filled the place of crowd breakers?

DH: Occasionally we do Crowd Breakers at our youth services. However, we do have Crowd Breakers every week at Surround Sound, which is our version of small groups where young people discuss everyday issues and we figure out ways to overcome them using common sense and Biblical knowledge. Crowd Breakers help the students get comfortable speaking in the groups and around each other. We have found that if one’s opinion is respected and heard, in time the Crowd Breakers will also help unify the group.

IO: Do you meet on the same night as the midweek service for the whole church?  What day is that?

DH: We have a S.A.L.T. (Student Action Leadership Team) meeting every week during our Wednesday night midweek service. S.A.L.T. is our effort to help mold young people who feel a calling to the ministry at many different levels.

IO: Do you guys have a Youth Choir?

DH: Yes. North Cities Youth Choir (N.C.Y.C.) was developed in the latter part of 2006. N.C.Y.C. has ministered at many special services and retreats and has also been invited to minister at the 2009 European Youth Congress.

IO: What style of music does your Youth Group like? (Contemporary, Rock, Punk etc.?)

DH: With the diversity in our students, the preferred style of music is just about anything you can think of.

IO: If you could narrow it down to ONE song, what would be the Youth Group’s “Anthem” or favorite?

DH: TOBYMAC – Boomin’

IO: Do you have a worship band/What style do they play?

DH: Imagine is the name of our student worship band. Their style would compare to Hillsong, IBC Praise, and Kirk Franklin. Above all they strive to follow the presence of God every time they play.

IO: Is the emphasis in your youth services more outreach driven (pushing for young people to get the Holy Ghost?) Or more discipleship driven (ministering/developing/maintaining those already a part of your Youth Group?)

DH: Honestly, we have a good 50/50 mix. We believe discipleship is very important and we focus on that in our small groups, and we obviously believe outreach is among the top priorities and we focus on that in our Bible studies and outreach efforts. At Reflect we tend to focus on a good mix of the two and in return we have services that feed the needs of our solid members and our visitors.

IO: Do you have a prayer meeting for the Youth?

DH: We have prayer meetings 30 minutes before our youth services, church services, and small group meetings.

IO: How many youth staff members do you have?

DH: 12

IO: As a Youth Pastor, what is your vision for your Youth/Student Ministry-

DH: My desire and vision is to develop young adults to Reflect the Image of God. The purpose of everything we do whether fun, spiritual, or servant hood will reflect back to developing each other to be more like Christ. In this student ministry you will find various ministries, activities, and people that are here to help you in anyway possible.

Our Vision:
“Reaching the world for Jesus one person at a time.” Matthew 28:19-20

Our Mission:
“Developing young people to Reflect the Image of God”
“Creating biblical disciples in relational environments.” Acts 2:42-47

The youth staff and I have set a goal to grow to 300 young people in the next two years. I believe we have a feasible goal set, and we have a plan that we will work. We will do everything in our power by the grace of God to accomplish this goal. We are not here to rack up numbers that will look good on a stat sheet, and the way our plan of developing young people to reflect the image of God on an individual level is structured, we will not let one young person slip away without a well organized attempt on our part to disciple them to become more like Christ. This is our burden and passion.