Inspire, Winter 2000

Inspire 19 S he is a dynamic visionary with a heart for teenagers— Kimberly Sweet Powers ’89 co-leads Walk The Talk Youth Ministries, Inc. (a national non-profit youth ministry based out of Chesapeake, Virginia). Founded by Kimberly and her husband, Tim, WTTYM creates and leads high impact weekends, trains leadership teams, and provides follow-up discipleship curricula. The objective is to inspire teens to reflect Christ with their very lives. WTTYM challenges teens to reflect God’s holiness ... in speech, life, love, faith, and purity. Kimberly explained, “The ministry reaches the hearts of teens throughout the country, challenging them to ‘walk the talk’ of their faith.” Kimberly says a scripture the Lord gave their ministry team is Job 8:5-7, “But if you will look to God and plead with the Almighty, if you are pure and upright, even now He will rouse Himself on your behalf and restore you to your rightful place. Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.” WTTYM conferences are composed of three unique ministry weekends that are used by God to challenge teens across the country: Ground Zero—Experience the Impact A high-energy weekend comprised of large groups, one-on-one encouragement, praise and worship, drama, and recreational activities that inspire teens to discover the truth of God’s personal love and its impact on every area of their lives. In Search of a Princess—A Weekend Celebration A weekend designed to pamper, encourage, and offer hope to teen girls. It’s an unforgettable celebration focusing on the value of “true esteem” in Christ. The girls see who they are as a “Princess of the King.” Radical Freedom! A focused weekend challenging teens to live out true freedom found in God’s grace and His complete forgiveness. Captivating video clips, high-energy challenges, and dramatic interpretation are key aspects of this conference. Prior to founding WTTYM, Kimberly was a teacher. In 1994, she and Tim had the opportunity to share their testimony at a youth rally challenging young people to value purity and godliness. Shortly after that, God began stirring them to develop a weekend retreat ministry. Their first conference was in February 1996. “[Shortly thereafter], several youth pastors encouraged us to take the conference to churches nationwide. I began writing conference material and planning more seriously,” Kim said. “In Search of a Princess,” a weekend designed to target specific needs of teen girls, was then developed. In 1998 WTTYM became incorporated, received non-profit status, and established a board of directors. “Over the last three years, God has blessed WTTYM immensely; we are humbled to see how He has raised it up!” The ministry has grown tremendously, and Kimberly is excited to see where God will take it in the future. Requests for conferences across the country are increasing. “We are a very personalized ministry and desire to continue planting deeply in the lives of teens,” she shared. “We aim to grow in effectiveness, not just in numbers.” Kimberly says her Cedarville degree in education has helped her with this calling—especially in communication writing and organizational skills, which she says are essential in running this ministry. She noted, “I can see how God used this career choice to stretch me personally and to fan the flame of my desire to always give my personal best for the Lord.” Continually giving her personal best is an on-going challenge. Finding balance in ministry, home, and personal life can be a struggle. She shared, “Keeping up with the administrative, promotional, booking, training, curriculum development, and other conference details without full-time staff is a HUGE challenge!” Kimberly said that God is teaching her balance and showing her the importance of resting in Him. Despite being consumed by an evangelical ministry, Kimberly realizes that she needs to constantly grow in her own personal walk with the Lord. Kimberly summarized her ministry by saying, “God is continually working in lives—it doesn’t just begin or end at a conference. Our prayer is for these weekends to be a great marker in their lives of a true relationship in Him. Our intense desire is to proclaim the reality of Christ.” She added, “The backbone of this ministry from the beginning has been the immense amount of prayer supporting each conference. We have an incredible, growing prayer ministry—WTTYM Prayer Mentors. More than 200 people from around the country receive specific prayer requests prior to the conferences and then praise specifics afterwards. We are always looking to grow this essential part of the ministry.” If you want to learn more about WTTYM, find out how you can be involved, or to book a conference in your community, visit www.wttym.org, e-mail info@wttym.org, or call 757-436-9946. Walking the Talk Alumni Profile: Kimberly Sweet Powers ’89