15,OOO PACK TUCSON ELECTRIC PARK – EVENT BENEFITTED FROM TEAM INCLUDING FAMILY LIFE RADIO, 25 LOCAL CHURCHES, 150 VOLUNTEERS, AND CHIC-FIL-A

And GLOBAL TRIBE partnered with Baja Christian Ministries - more than 18,000 Purple Books were distributed - MORE THAN 4,200 PEOPLE HAVE COMPLETED THEM WITH 500+ GROUPS STUDYING

(Brentwood,TN) – Thanks to your prayers and financial support, Global Tribe has had a banner year! REACH was launched, homes were built, orphans fed, widows supported, Purple Book distributed.  Thanks.

Newsboys and Global Tribe debuted the first ever Reach event Saturday night, November 8, in Tucson, AZ, where more than 15,000 people packed Tucson Electric Park, the home for spring training for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago White Sox. More than 600 people responded to the Gospel message from Newsboys front man Peter Furler and were counseled by church volunteers who also directed them to connect with a church in their area. On behalf of Newsboys, thank you for being part of Global Tribe. Our goal is to do 20 more reach events. Already, Family Life Radio, our partner station, has asked us to do another in Tucson AZ fall 2009, plus one in Albuquerque NM and Lansing MI.

The fans came early, standing in line to enter starting at at 8:00 a.m. with gates opening at 5:00 p.m. Reach is designed specifically to have no admission cost, eliminating all barriers for people to attend. This made it possible to bring friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers who might not otherwise attend church.  Family Life Radio and Churches in the community were energized by Newsboys providing such a night of ministry, inspiring their partnership in the night to impact their community.

The heart of REACH is to be a resource for local churches to impact their communities with the message of Christ at a time when young adults are leaving the church in large numbers.

Here is why REACH is important.

According to a LifeWay Research report in USA Today “Protestant churches are losing young adults in ‘sobering’ numbers, a survey finds. Seven in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30 — both evangelical and mainline — who went to church regularly in high school said they quit attending by age 23, according to the survey by LifeWay Research. And 34% of those said they had not returned, even sporadically, by age 30. That means about one in four Protestant young people have left the church.”

Raising the urgency to impact young generations was the Fox News report this week. “Ads proclaiming, ‘Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake,’ will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday.”  REACH provides reason to believe, and on that cool night in Tucson, 600 did just that to the thunderous applause of thousands.

The event was specifically designed to invite attendees to respond to a message by Newsboys front man Peter Furler.  The local church volunteers interacted with the people who responded for prayer and counseling as well as to assist them with assimilation into a local fellowship for continued growth and relationship.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

“Having 14,000 people at the Reach event was great, but the most exciting aspect was watching hundreds get out of their seats and respond to the Gospel,” said Newsboys lead singer Peter Furler. “Equally gratifying was all the churches in the community coming together for one night to impact their city.  This is the heart of REACH, and is where we hope to see our contribution in the foreseeable future.”

“The idea of REACH, a ministry of Global Tribe, is to present a clear and compelling Gospel message in the international platform of newsboys in a partnership with local radio and churches,” says Global Tribe Director Robert Michaels. “The design is to not allow a ticket price to be an obstacle for anyone to attend.  Each REACH event is supported by Global Tribe ministry partners, making it possible for us to open the doors to all who would come.   We are already in the early stages of planning more events.”

Dr. Randy Carlson, President of Family Life Radio, said of the event: “As a result of the effort of 100’s of volunteers and staff, Reach Tucson has set a Family Life Radio record – it’s the largest event in our ministry history and fulfillment of our Community Transformation strategy.

What a great night for our city and for all who came.  I know that many lives, young and old alike will be forever changed through this outreach. It was more than a concert, it was a REACH into our city to touch the lives of many looking for answers and hope in the midst of confusion and uncertainty.  Thank you Newsboys Reach team for coming and blessing our city, we look forward to hosting you again soon!” Pastor Bob Sawvelle, Tucson Area Christian Fellowship.