God Is Moving at Katy Torch! Will You Pray?
Dear friends of Katy Torch,
There is good news to share!
Every Torch weekend, our volunteers walk through doors that are locked to the young men we serve. But those doors have never been locked to God. Again and again, we've watched His light break into places that feel very dark, and your prayers and gifts help make that possible.
🙌 What God did at Torch #13
Fifteen young men spent a weekend hearing, many for the first time, that they are loved, forgiven, and not alone.
When we asked what touched them most, they named two things:
The forgiveness service. Each young man wrote down what he was hiding behind and placed his "mask" in the God Box, laying it down at the feet of Jesus.
The music. Fifteen boys joined in the singing. If you've never heard a room of teenage boys in a juvenile facility sing their hearts out, it is something to behold!
And the weekend was only the beginning. Our mentors kept showing up every week for months afterward, walking alongside these young men as they learned to see themselves the way God sees them. That mentoring program has now finished, and we are so thankful for every mentor who said yes.
🔥 Torch #14: "Bringing Light into the Darkness"
Friday, October 30 to Sunday, November 1
Our next weekend is just days away, and the team is ready! William Hall and Eva Villarreal are leading 13 volunteers who have been training and praying together since August. Several of them are serving on Torch for the very first time. God keeps sending new laborers into the harvest!
Nine young men will take part, and weekly mentoring will carry the message forward through January 30.
🙏 Call to Action #1: Join the Prayer Vigil
For the first time, Katy Torch is holding a prayer vigil for the whole time our team is inside the facility. Our goal is for someone to be praying for these young men and our volunteers every moment they are together, from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon.
Prayer is the most powerful thing we bring through those doors. You don't have to be on the team to be part of the weekend. Wherever you are, you can hold these young men and our team up to the Lord while they are together.
Will you claim a 30-minute time slot? Invite your spouse, your small group, or your Sunday School class to take one too.
Every name signed up is added to the prayer chain that hangs in the room all weekend, so the boys can see with their own eyes how many people are praying for them.
💛 Call to Action #2: Help Make Torch #15 Possible
Next spring, I have the joy of leading Torch #15, and I can't wait to see what God will do. But we can't do it without you.
A Torch weekend costs about $5,000. That covers:
meals for the training meetings and the weekend itself
manuals and crosses for each young man
notebooks where the boys write down what God is teaching them
months of weekly mentoring that follow
Right now we have enough for this upcoming weekend. Your gift today makes sure the next group of young men gets the same chance.
Here's a simple goal: if just 50 friends gave $100 each, Torch #15 would be fully funded. Can you be one of the 50? Every gift of every size matters, whether it's $25, $50, or $500.
The button opens our giving page with the "Torch Katy" fund already selected. Prefer to write a check? Make it payable to "Katy Torch" and mail it to: Katy Torch, P.O. Box 9145, The Woodlands, TX 77380
All gifts are tax-deductible. Kairos is a 501(c)(3), EIN 59-1970458.
✨ More ways to shine the light
Send agape. A handwritten letter or poster telling a young man that he is loved means more than you can imagine.
Come to the closing ceremony on Sunday afternoon and hear the boys share what God did in their hearts. You'll need to sign up in advance.
Serve on a future team. We especially need more men to step up as mentors and leaders.
Thank you for praying, giving, and believing with us that no young man is beyond the reach of God's love. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:5)
With joy and gratitude,
Bill Shannon
Torch #15 Leader
P.S. Two quick things you can do right now: claim a 30-minute prayer slot for Torch #14, and give toward Torch #15. Thank you!
