Over five packed days, our youth performance team, Amber Lights, performed eight times in seven locations, sharing stories of hope and faith through music with nearly 700 students across six schools and a youth group.

Here’s what God did:

• 59 students asked to connect with youth groups or learn more about following Jesus.
  
• 17 made a decision to begin that journey with Him.
  

But even more than numbers, what struck us was the need:

• Christian teachers and chaplains are longing for support.
  
• Small churches dreaming of reaching their local youth.
  
• Young people are hungry for purpose, hope, and connection.
  

This is the kind of movement we long to see more of — where local churches, missional teams, and everyday Change Makers come together to create pathways for young people to encounter Jesus.

How You Can Be Part of This

If you’re active in ministry — especially through church movements, youth outreach, or evangelism — would you pray about where God might be inviting you to step in?

• Could your church partner in future tours or local follow-up?
  
• Could you support local workers who are faithfully sowing long-term?
  
• Could you join us in praying for these 700 young people?
  

We’re convinced the harvest is plentiful — and more labourers are needed. Let’s keep stepping into what God is already doing.

The post Central West Tour: When God Opens Doors Before You Knock appeared first on Power to Change.

Georgia’s approach to leadership goes beyond simply managing a team—it’s about cultivating deep, intentional relationships with those she leads. “The frameworks I learnt from attending SHIFTn2M helps me be more intentional not just in my conversations but in my prayers too,” she says. By tracking the spiritual progress of individuals on the SHIFTm2M arrow, Georgia can pray strategically for their growth. “It helps me pray into what their next steps are. I’m not just praying for them in the moment, but for opportunities, for breakthroughs, and for moments where we can challenge them in their journey.”

This intentionality has paid off in numerous ways, especially in the leadership development of a young girl in her youth ministry. Initially sitting in Build, she wasn’t engaging deeply with her relationship with Jesus. But by recognising where she was and using the SHIFTm2M framework to tailor her discipleship, Georgia and her team helped her transition into Train—not just in leadership, but in her personal faith.

“We had deep conversations about what it means to follow Jesus sacrificially, not just mimic behaviors,” Georgia explains. This led to a transformation where the young girl, who once struggled with sharing her faith, began to speak openly about her beliefs. “She even had a conversation with a friend about why bad things happen to good people, and wanted to give them a solid answer,” Georgia shares, highlighting how intentional discipleship nurtures confidence in the faith.

This focus on intentionality also had a profound impact on youth baptism. Two years after implementing , Georgia’s youth ministry saw 17 young people baptised. She shares a powerful story of a young man who, with his leader’s encouragement, progressed through the Shift stages and began bringing friends to youth. “He brought at least two new friends every week. His leader coached him, and eventually, he baptised two of his friends,” Georgia recounts.

Through these stories, it’s clear that the SHIFTm2M framework doesn’t just bring structure—it fosters growth, both spiritually and in leadership. By equipping leaders to disciple intentionally and pray for their young people, Georgia has witnessed firsthand how SHIFTm2M can transform lives.

The post Intentional Leadership and Prayer appeared first on Power to Change.

When schools shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, Stu Branscombe, who leads the Power to Change schools team, and Shayne Hamilton, National Strategy Director for Youth, found themselves scratching their heads. 

With no opportunity to make school visits, and a few programs being cancelled, they had to look at how they could do things differently. 

Plus, they had new issues to address, thanks to the pandemic, including struggling families and mental health issues.

“A lot of the programs had to be rearranged,” Stu said. “And schools were exhausted before they even started!”

Things were hard, but even in the middle of it, the team had many opportunities to love and support students – and hear their questions on faith.

At a school pancake breakfast, one morning, while one of the chaplains was flipping pancakes, two kids came up to him and said, “Can we read the Bible with you?” 

You don’t get a question like that every day!

The kids were so keen that they’re now meeting twice a week. And they’ve also invited other friends along. 

The plan for the team this year is to continue the great momentum from 2022. They want to build up their teams, make sure their mental health is in good shape and that they’re getting good spiritual training.

One of the great wins in the last year has been the recruitment of volunteers. That’s grown in a big way. The team now has seven regular volunteers, with another three about to join. The growth has come about through authentic relationships being developed online, mainly through the Twitch community. Through an online presence, people can contribute from where they are and see the community growing and lives being changed. The team is now praying for even more growth this year.

There are also three school tours planned across the country for this year and 2024. They will be in Newcastle, Melbourne, and Tasmania. The aim of the tours will be to serve various school and church communities with outstanding artists using music to educate young people on issues they are facing. So, please pray that students will be reached with the good news of Jesus. We really want to see people discipled authentically and respectfully.

Stu has also been really excited that our performance team has had great connections with communities and youth groups. The performance team includes a band called Amber Lights, as well as a social media team and a partner tour team. There is a great opportunity for the performance team to grow their online presence for long-term success.

The COVID pandemic of course had a huge impact on how the team operates. Stu said that, “Prior to COVID, all the performances were live shows, connecting with school communities and youth groups. Because so many people attended the shows and had many questions about the gospel, they weren’t all able to be followed up by local church youth leaders”.

As a result, the team came to the conclusion that communicating online could be a way to extend the relationship with students. More than that though, the team has realised that being online creates a community in itself. Stu explained that, “When people find us online, they realise there’s this big community that already exists and that they can be part of it.”

The bonus is that, as many communities are a bit more limited in how they can share the Gospel, the online space allows young people to come along and see faith expressed in authentic ways every week.

With life getting back to normal, Shayne and Stu are really grateful for the continued strength of the team and a continuing openness to try new things.

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