What Is Youth Herald Is All About ? (Tessa)
About a year and a half ago, I realized that many Christian youth today are—contrary to popular thought—studying amazing things in their Bibles, growing in exponential ways, and doing big things for God. We rarely hear about it simply because they don’t usually share what they are doing. I believe that Christian youth today actually want to share what they are doing, but don’t know how. And that is what Youth’s Herald is for.
Youth’s Herald is a magazine with a two-fold mission: 1) to create a platform from which youth can share spiritual blessings with other youth; and 2) to demonstrate that witnessing for your faith is not as scary or hard as you might think!
The magazine is comprised of an update from the editor, a true story about dedicated young Christians, entries from youth on various topics, a selection from Ellen White, and an appropriate Bible verse. We work hard to keep our magazine relevant and inspiring, so any entries are screened and usually edited.
If you would like to subscribe to our magazine, please send your name and address here . The subscription is free of charge. Issues are rolling out every two months at this point, but within 6-12 months we would like to make it a monthly magazine.
Contribute!
If you are between the ages of eight and 20, you can participate by sending us a written account of a blessing or thought that Jesus has brought to you through something you read or experienced. It could be an object lesson, something you studied in your Bible, or even a personal testimony! Send your entry to: 3016 Snook Rd., Chewelah, WA 99109. Or email it to: youths_herald@rollinsclan.com.
If you are older than twenty but would still like to be involved, you can support us financially. Way back when I told my friend and would-be co-founder about my idea, we agreed that we would try to keep Youth’s Herald free for our subscribers as long as we could. Donations are hugely appreciated, and will ensure that Youth’s Herald will be free for years to come! Please send your donation to: Youth’s Herald c/o New Hearts 4 Christ, 6561 Spring Valley Rd., Newport, WA 99156.
And please pray for us! Sometimes I stop and say to myself, This is absolutely crazy. What in the world am I doing??? And then I am reminded that this is God’s project, not mine. He has proved faithful in working things out so many times, and I believe that He will continue to do so.
Youth’s Herald History (RaeAnne)
“Last fall, as I was riding in the car with Tessa, she was telling me that she came up with an idea of publishing a magazine for youth. As she described it, it sounded like a wonderful idea. I was ready to start working on it right then! As soon as we got her house and had eaten lunch, we started working on the magazine.
Before we could do much, we had to come up with what our mission and vision were, what different sections we wanted, what we should put on the back cover, and so on.
At first we called it “The Midnight Cry,” but we didn’t think that was quite right. Later, in a letter I wrote to a friend, I asked for some ideas for the name of our magazine. She gave me a ton of different names! We narrowed the list down to a few favorites and finally decided on the name Youth’s Herald. It captured our mission: for youth to share what the gospel means to them with other youth.
In February, Tessa and I started sending our magazines. We gave copies to the youth in the Chewelah and Inchelium, Washington churches. We told our friends about it, and Tessa talked about the magazine at a youth retreat.
A friend of ours became our marketer. Our subscriptions went from ten to eighty in three months! And so, Youth’s Herald continues to spread and get bigger and all of this is so exciting!“
(Tessa)
“It was the fall of 2018. Church had just ended, and my parents had invited some family friends over. RaeAnne was riding with me to my house, and I was talking her ears off about my new idea.
“You see? Young people who love Jesus and want to tell others about Him—”
“But are too shy or don’t know where to start?”
“Right! They’ll be able to start with something a little less intimidating.”
“You said that they’ll write about something they want to share?”
“And send it in. Then we can put in the magazine!”
We were excited. We created the magazine from scratch. The layout, the contributions, the printing—we put it all together. It was rough going. But we were met by almost overwhelming enthusiasm whenever we shared our idea—and it kept us moving forward.
One funny incident happened when we were first starting. We were sitting in RaeAnne’s living room, poring over my computer, with me typing and she making comments. I would be writing and writing and writing and then suddenly stop, groping for the right word. RaeAnne would start to say something, and I would tell her, “Stop—don’t—talk—to—me—I’m—trying—to—focus—” I would concentrate, and she would be silent, and then—perfect! I would come up with just the right word. I still haven’t learned how to write with her trying to talk to me. We laugh about it every time it happens.
A few months ago I sent a copy of Youth’s Herald to a sweet Christian friend of mine. She loved it! Already she has sent me five new addresses to mail it to. The joy of connecting with other spiritually minded youth is spreading outside Adventist circles! Our vision is for any young person who loves Jesus to be able to receive Youth’s Herald. That is also why the magazine is free. We didn’t want a lack of finances to come between an isolated teenage Christian and our magazine.
We created our own email, had our first staff Zoom meeting in May, created a staff application form, and are sending out our fourth issue soon. It’s been an exciting journey! God has worked out so many things in amazing ways. I give Him the glory for our magazine’s success!
I fully believe that God is using Youth’s Herald as part of His plan to reach the youth. He is leading us in ways that we would have never imagined a couple years ago—even a few months ago—and we are just trying to keep up and do our very best to fulfill our calling. You may not be the founder of a magazine, the director of a ministry, or the creator of a website. You might not even have exceptionally outstanding talents. But we are told that every person has a special purpose ordained by God. What does God want you to be doing? Pray and ask Him! Yes, sometimes God asks us to do big, hard things—but then, sometimes God asks us to do little, seemingly unimportant things. Who knows? Maybe the smile of encouragement you gave that person in the store will ultimately lead to them accepting Jesus.”
Quotes From Staff and Subscribers
“I really like [Youth’s Herald] because it is the kind of magazine that really makes you grow spiritually. I love all the object lessons and encouraging statements that it includes. I recommend YH to every youth who wants to read a magazine that is really worth reading.” — Jessica Landis (Staff Writer for Youth’s Herald)
“It is inspiring to see youth dream big and initiate a project to encourage a personal relationship with Jesus and practical spiritual growth. Everyone, young and old, who [has] seen this magazine in my home wants to know how they can get it too. They tell me it is so encouraging.” — Lisa Neuharth (Adult Advisor for Youth’s Herald)
“I appreciate how descriptive it is.” —Mikayla Kirkpatrick (Subscriber)
“When I first heard about Youth's Herald, I expected maybe one or two stories on a single sheet of paper. However, upon receiving my first copy of this magazine, I was pleasantly surprised! The articles are short enough to hold the interest of younger readers while informative enough to catch the interest of those older. The magazine is clearly organized, each page holding a new nugget of knowledge, and well made. It's important for young people to gain a passion for God's service early in their lives, and this magazine is clearly a leap in that direction.” — -Shiloh Howard (Subscriber)
“I like the honest, Christ-centered content, and that it's made for youth, by youth. It's a breath of fresh air and a big blessing.” — Hope Griffin (Contributor)
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Tessa Kimmel lives in beautiful northeastern Washington! She loves her Savior, Jesus, and is passionate about sharing Him with others. She likes to spend time in nature, ride her bike, and hand-craft cards. Her dream is to become an elementary teacher/missionary. Tessa is the editor of Youth’s Herald.
RaeAnne Rollins also lives in northeastern Washington. She loves spending time with her friends, writing letters, playing the piano, and babysitting. Her dream is to be a medical missionary. RaeAnne is the manager of Youth’s Herald.