November 16, 2025 • 42 mins
David and they discuss the mission of their organization as its spreads God's word at the Elementary and Middle School level
- YCI was established to mobilize students to advance the Great Commission. A multitude of young leaders throughout North and South Carolina answered the call by launching “CYC Clubs” with their classmates
- Today, God continues to use our team to identify, train, resource and commission students to launch YCI clubs both domestically and abroad.
- A show full of hope......for our younger generation!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Hi everyone, I'm David Chadwick and this is News Talk eleven,
ten ninety nine three WVT. Welcome to the program. In
case you don't know, this is a faith and values
program that I've now been doing for over twenty five years.
Its purpose is to intersect faith and values with what's
going on locally and globally. It's been a pleasure doing
this show, and many thanks to my friends that Perry's
(00:37):
find Jewelry for your sponsorship of the show. Without you,
I could not do this on a weekly basis. And
I hope somehow these programs weekly give all of you hope.
Because there's so much bad news out there in the world.
There's a lot of good news too. There's a lot
of despair in the world, but I think there's a
lot of hope as well, and I think we need
(00:57):
to concentrate more on the hope rather than the despair.
I have in studio with me two friends, but also
two people who oversee a ministry at the middle school
and high school levels that really is astounding, and I
think after you hear what they are going to tell you,
you're going to have hope as well, especially as we
look at predominantly the public school arena and what they're
(01:19):
doing there. Tanner. Gertward, who's been a friend for Tanner
good numbers of years a long time, is in studio
along with Eben Eddie, who's become a friend over the
last several years. It's great to have both of you
in studio with me today. God bless you. Let's have
fun together.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Today for having us. We're humbled to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Well, Tanner, let me start with you your background. You're
a Charlotte ten the family is from here. Just talk
about that a second. And how you came to faith
in the Lord.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
That's a great question.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
I am a Charlotte Tean and I have known you
for such a long time, and I've been I've had
the privilege of getting to learn under your biblical tutelage
for so many years. You and my dad have been
great friends for a very long time. And so I
grew up in a Christian household. We did prayer together,
we did Bible study together, we attended church together. So
(02:08):
God was never foreign to me. But what I realized
when I went to college was that my faith was
not my own, that my faith was very much my parents' faith.
And as most kids do, I came onto some hard
times when I was attending wake Forest University, just with
some bullying and also with an assault. And it was
(02:29):
during that time that I really had to press into
my faith and I was so grateful for the roots
that were there, the foundation. But it was in that
time that I really got to learn who I was
and who the Lord said I was. And so that's
really how I developed my own faith. But I'm grateful
for the foundation that my parents really instilled in me.
(02:49):
And I'm grateful for you pouring into me so many
years and still pouring into me to my husband, my
kids today.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Now, that's been a pleasure knowing you, and it's been
fun watching you grow. And I know those years at
wake Forest were challenging and painful, and God was faithful
to you as you learned how to make faith your own.
And it's a personal relationship with Jesus, not dos and don'ts.
And when you realize that, your life dramatically changes, like
I know yours did. And Tom and how many kids?
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Three kids?
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Three kids?
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Wow?
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Well, good for you and I know you love them
very much and your family is very much an important
part of your life. Absolutely Evan, come to the mic
and talk to us about your life, your faith. Who
are you and where are you from and how did
you come to know the Lord? Absolutely well.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
I grew up in the York County, South Carolina region,
and my story, my upbringing looks a little bit different
than Tanners did. I was raised by loving parents, but
church Jesus not necessarily at the center of our family,
at the center of our story. And one day I
was over at a friend's house whenever I was in
middle school, and every time my friend got in trouble,
(03:58):
his mom would make him go to church on Wednesday night.
So his punishment was actually church, which, as a youth
ministry guy, have since realized, maybe isn't the best parenting
tactic to make your kid want to go church later,
right exactly, And we were playing pranks in the neighborhood,
and well, he was required to go to church that night.
His mom was my ride home, and long story short,
(04:18):
I was brought to a youth knight and that night
I had never felt more loved, welcomed, or included in
my entire life. Someone that night paid for me to
go on a youth retreat that weekend I surrendered my
life to Jesus that weekend, and I became the youth
pastor of that church eight years later.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
So God working through the local church and having people
believe in me and see leadership potential in me truly
has change and transformed my life. And now I have
been married to my beautiful wife, Danielle for over ten years.
We have a four year old daughter and a son
on the way in February.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Hooray. Good for you, and you know I'm hearing too
from both of you. Family putting seeds of faith in
your heart when that is available. But also the local
church is a part of the fabric that makes faith
work in that true Evan, I'll start with you.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Absolutely, it's at the center of everything. My wife and
I say frequently if we did not have Jesus at
the center of all that we do, if he was
not our foundation, we don't know where we'd be. We
don't know what we'd look for.
Speaker 5 (05:18):
Hope.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Yeah, Well, I think about Charlie Kirk and what he
emphasized was a personal faith in Jesus, a local community
of faith, and then go express that out into the world.
In Tanner, I know that's your heart beat as well.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
That is my heartbeat. And what I love.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
I love when you ask that question to Evan and
be about our upbringing because we had vastly different upbringings,
but we're both serving the same ministry today. So what's
incredible about that is the Lord uses wherever you've come from,
however you've grown, however you have grown up, to get
you to where He wants you to be.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
And so I love, I love that question.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Yeah, his will will be done. Evan. We've got to
take a break in about a minute. So would you
introduced Youth Commission International? Why see that you and Tanner
help oversee here in this area, listeners, I want you
to have hope because there's a lot of really neat
stuff happening in the public, middle and high school arena. Absolutely.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
YCI began in the Charlotte area in nineteen ninety seven
and since that time, our focus has been very simple.
Our mission is to reach the world for Christ through youth,
and we do it through partnering with local churches, specifically
local youth pastors and youth ministers to help their students
be missionaries on their school campus, through launching and leading
(06:30):
what we call YCI clubs where students they share the
gospel week in and week out to see their friends
come to know the Lord.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Wow. And it has been wonderfully successful, which I want
to talk about when we come back. Just what's happening
on the local middle school and high school campuses through
your ministry. And it should give all of our listeners
great hope because we just seem to listen all the
time to the most recent school shooting for example, or
the most recent bullying situation. But it really is great
(07:01):
things going on now. I want you guys to share
that when we come back. I'm David Chadwick. This is
News Talk eleven, ten ninety nine, three WBT, and we
will be right back.
Speaker 6 (08:23):
The Lord keeps on who loves him inside fins, He
(08:46):
fulfills the desires of those who worship. The Lord trust
at those because who calls them, he poss and raises.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
That's my friend Parker Robinson, who helps lead worship at
Moments of Hope Church. And it's a song entitled Greatly
to be Praised. God is worthy of all of our praise. Hi. Everyone,
I'm David Chadwick and this is News Talk eleven, ten
ninety nine three WBT Welcome back to the show in
studio with me our two friends, Eben Eddie and Tanner
(09:36):
gert Wood. Both of them are leaders of a ministry
called Youth Commission International here locally, but it's gone far
beyond Charlotte since nineteen ninety seven when it was formed.
And Tanner, as we look at Youth Commission International, what
drew you there and how did you become a part
of it?
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Oh boy, that's a great question, because if I'm being
perfectly honest, begrudgingly like a joke, yes, I did not
think that I was going to be in this type
of ministry. I graduated from the University of Southern California
with a degree in broadcast journalism Television broadcast journalism, and
I got my dream job out of college. I was
(10:15):
hosting a television show up in Canada, one hundred Huntly Street,
which we had the pleasure of having you.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
On with one of your fell in ratings. Didn't you
had comp's exactly? They said.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
No. And I loved it there, and so I would
travel up there once a month and shoot a whole
bunch of shows. But while I was here in Charlotte,
I live with my parents, and my dad said, I
want you to go meet this man. And so I
walked into this meeting just thinking that I was just
you know, having a casual conversation. And at the end
of the meeting, this man took the key ring, the
(10:49):
key off of his key ring and said, I'll see
you in the office on Monday. And I was like,
I already have a job. I'm not looking for a job.
I'm not going to be in the office on Monday.
He said no, I'll see you on Monday. So, kicking
and screaming, I showed up in the office on Monday.
And that was twenty twelve and I haven't left since then.
(11:10):
And then in twenty sixteen that that gentleman stepped out
from the ministry and a trustee came to me and said, Tanner,
you're going to serve as executive director of this ministry.
And again I said, no, I'm not I don't want
that pressure. I don't want that at all. And the
board agreed that I was going to serve in this role.
And so I have had the pleasure, and I should
(11:33):
say I'm so grateful the Lord knew what he was doing.
This ministry has blessed so many people. But it has
not only been a blessing to the students we serve,
it's been a blessing to me. It's been a blessing
to my family. And so the Lord knew.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
But we propose, God disposedes. I mean, that's the truth.
We have our ideas and God as his plan. Guess
who wins?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Right?
Speaker 1 (11:53):
God always wins. And you've done a great job. I
want to get to the statistics and the growth in
just a second. But Evan, let me come to you
to did you get involved in Youth Commission International as well?
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Sure?
Speaker 5 (12:03):
So.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Whenever I was the youth pastor of a church, I
had a realization. It was a Tuesday at one pm,
I was being paid two pastor students, and I looked
around in my office and I realized, on Tuesdays at
one pm, students aren't at the church, They're at school.
I needed to be on school campuses. But where I lived,
and this is true around the Charlotte area, you can't
(12:23):
just go to the front office anymore and say I
want to have lunch with these students who are in
my ministry. You need to have a reason and a
purpose to be there. And that's when I got connected
with Troy Thornberg, or director of Operations at YCI, and
he taught me all about the YCI model, and before
too long I was engaged with as many school campuses
as possible during the week. It changed and transformed the
(12:45):
way that I did ministry so much so that I
joined the staff full time in twenty nineteen.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Wow. So you've been doing this a good long while
as well, and you two guys are a formidable team.
As you have seen this ministry expand ten. Let me
come to you and ask about some of those statistics
where you began and where you are now.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Sure, we've been through so many different seasons at YCI,
and we actually started as CYC, which was just Carolina
Youth Commission. But since then, the Lord has grown this
ministry astronomically. We are in national ministry, and we're not
only national, but we're international where the IE comes right,
That's where Youth Commission International came from. So we serve Kenya,
(13:25):
Burundi and Uganda as well. But the Lord has really
grown this ministry and Evan serves as our boots on
the ground. He is He's in those clubs every single
day and so I'm so grateful for him, and I'm
grateful for our team. But we've gone from a handful
of club clubs about eighty nine when I started, to
over two hundred and thirty clubs today.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Listeners, that's astronomical growth.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
I'm sure Evn you probably have the exact number because
it changes right every single day.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Absolutely, yes, it's interesting. Whenever I first started, Yeah, we're
around a little bit more than the number that Tanner shared,
and then now I mean over doubling just over the
past five years. And so just in the Charlotte area alone,
for some context for your listeners, we are in over
seventy middle school and high school campuses just in the
greater Charlotte area. And then when you look throughout the country,
(14:16):
it is over two hundred and thirty schools. Actually, of
current count it is two hundred and forty one schools
where we are actively equipping students to be missionaries on
their school campus.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Well, Evan, give us an idea of what that looks
like practically, day in day out. What does your ministry
do on a school campus every week?
Speaker 4 (14:35):
Absolutely so, our team focuses on what we call our
YCI rhythm, and that rhythm is identify, train, resource, and commission.
So what we do on a weekly basis is we
are always looking to find new students who can be
missionaries on those school campuses, and we do that through
partnerships with local churches. We really do believe that the
(14:57):
local church is what Jesus has established to be the
hope for our world, where truly the message of Jesus
can shine bright, right, I know as a pastor.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Oh well, and then I say that all the time
to people is you know, you may say I love Jesus,
I don't love the local church. You can't say that.
That's like saying to me, David, I love you, I
just don't love your wife Marylyn the forty seven years.
I mean them fighting words. Absolutely, if you love me,
you got to love the person I love most in
the world. The church is the bride of Jesus. Absolutely.
Does she have flaws, yes, but yet she is still
(15:25):
what Jesus chose to reach the world.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Sure, right.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
And also I think it's important to say we're not
trying to compete with the local church. We're trying to
support the local church. So ultimately we want to get
these students in YC high clubs. And then we want
to partner with the local church and pour these students
back in so that they can be properly discipled.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
And so the church disciples them as well, but you
guys do too. And then they're in the school every
single day. We may get them once maybe at best
twice a week, but every day they're in those local schools.
And when you get them being salt in light, that
makes a difference, right Evan.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
Absolutely it does. And to have these clubs you need
the three pieces. You need the students who lead every
aspect of the club. As a result of the Equal
Access Law pass to nineteen eighty four, students have the opportunity.
They have the right to facilitate and host these Bible
studies as long as they're the ones leading, and anyone
can join. They're coached by local youth pastors and youth ministers,
and there is a teacher on the school campus that
(16:18):
actually opens up their room be it a gym, a cafeteria,
or a classroom to make sure that school rules are
being followed.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
So how often do they meet Tanner throughout the week?
Every day? Once a week? How does that look?
Speaker 3 (16:29):
So the student leadership team meets once a week, and
then the club meets once a week as well, so
really there's two meetings. If you serve on the student
leadership team, your primary responsibility is to plan out what
club looks like for the week, and then club meets
for anywhere from ten minutes. Some schools we only get
ten minutes to thirty minutes. Some schools meet even longer
(16:50):
than that before school, after school, or during school. And
so when they're meeting, they're praying together, they're playing together,
they're growing together, and they're going together. So we commission
them to go out into their communities, into their schools
and to serve, and.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
So they know people too. Obviously they have friends, and
then they invite their friends to the gathering point, and
that's the way it grows. Evan, Is that right?
Speaker 4 (17:13):
Absolutely? Just as a quick anecdote, we have a school
about twenty thirty minutes north of where we're sitting right now,
and on Friday morning last week they had over two
hundred and sixty kids attender YCI club. Now, that is
a large club. Most of our clubs are in the
range of twenty to thirty that's a good average, but
we have more and more that are seeing one hundred plus.
This club is led by eleven year olds, twelve year olds,
(17:35):
thirteen year olds, and they're already working on a parking
team to make sure that their club can be facilitated. Well,
these are kids leading the charge, and it's amazing to
see it.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Well, that is amazing. I didn't have any idea. And again,
it's middle school and high school that's where you're focusing
all of this, Tanner, Is that right?
Speaker 2 (17:50):
That is correct?
Speaker 3 (17:51):
I have a question, would you wake up an hour
early before middle school or high school to go and
worship the Lord? I don't know that I was there,
and I certainly wasn't there my faith. But that's what's
incredible about these kids is they're getting to school early,
They're having to wake up so much earlier, but they
want to go so that they can worship the Lord.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
It's really awesome.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Are you sensing there's a spiritual revival maybe even happening
among teens today like we've not known before? Tanner?
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (18:17):
Absolutely, I think that students in today's world are just
trying to fill this void. There's an emptiness, and I
think a lot of it is because of social media
and so they're desperate for something of meeting, They're desperate
for something a feeling of belonging, and so people are
really seeking and searching like never before.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Well, let's talk about when we come back, what's going
on in the hearts of these kids and why you
are so successful, because I think a lot of people
would like to know that and how they can get
their kids involved as well. I'm David Chadwick. Will be
right back us.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
H cluck.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Ten til.
Speaker 5 (20:31):
Watch him turn That cowboy comes to still kill and destroy, but.
Speaker 7 (20:38):
We turn out God who done much more than we
could ever imagine.
Speaker 5 (20:44):
Whatever happened, it's work, it's turning it around right now.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Watch him working. Well, okay, that's my friend Travis Green.
And the devil does come to kill, stealing, destroyed, but
the one we love, Jesus, defeated him to give us
(21:10):
life and life in abundance. Hi everyone, I'm David Chadwick
and this is News Talk eleven ten ninet ninety three WBT.
And if you'd like to hear this program in its
entirety with Eben, Eddie and Tanner Gert, would go to
WBT dot com, scroll down to the weekend shows. Look
for the David Chadwick show. You can hear this program
from beginning to end. It's a program of hope to
(21:33):
give you hope that there is indeed some good stuff
going on with our teens today on their school campuses.
And by the way, Evan, you are a worship leader
as well. Yes, I have had you lead worship at
Moments of Hope Church and you do a terrific job.
I know you've done that with our teens as well
on some of their youth retreats. You've been a great
support to my son Michael, who does youth ministry at
(21:57):
our church, Moments of Hope Church, and he's just you
guys so much and appreciate so much how you've poured
into him to help him understand how to do youth
ministry coming out of a professional swimming career, not having
a clue how to do this, but knowing he was
called a ministry. Thank you again for the ways you
have helped him.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
I want to say to Michael, he is incredible the
way he has stepped up and served the church. He's
done such a good job. And what I love so
much about him is he had such a humble spirit
to come and say Hey, this is my first time
doing this. Can you guys help? And so we are
so honored to be able to step in and help
for a season. But to look at him and what
he has done with Moments of Hope's youth is really incredible.
(22:36):
So shout out to Michael Well a lot of him.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
I know, I'm proud of him, and this is a daddy.
But you know, youth ministry is hard, really hard. I
did it in beginning my own ministry that was years ago,
but I know what he has to face today. We're
going to get to this subject in just a second.
What's going on in the hearts of kids today? Sure,
and he's had to deal with it and learn quickly
on the run. But he has a ministry weekly of
well over one hundred kids who come out, and that's
(23:01):
phenomenal in church world today. You know, on a Wednesday
night he gets one hundred plus kids coming out. And
so I'm very honored to be his daddy, very proud
of him as well. And that been real quickly. You
love to lead worship. That's a big part of your
life too, isn't it?
Speaker 4 (23:13):
It is absolutely I grew up in a very musical family.
My dad, as a matter of fact, was an opera singer.
My other brother, he is in music full time. I
come from a very artistic family, Tanner, and I joke
all of them are incredible athletes. And for my family,
you don't want to hand us a ball of any
sort and anyway, shape or form. But if you hand
us an instrument or allow us to sing, we can
we can hold our own if we have to do
(23:34):
it well.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
You know, my family was that way. My dad had
the chance to go on Broadway, had this beautiful voice.
My brother Howard had this beautiful voice as well, and
then all of a sudden I come along. The only
thing I knew how to do is play basketball, but
I introduced that on the side of our family. But
I know it sounds like you got the whole musical
gift in this as well, because I've heard you sing
(23:54):
and you do it so well. Thank you so much
for saying that. I appreciate it. Well, Tanner, let me
turn to you. What's going on with kids in their
hearts today? You mentioned social media as a part of it.
They've walked through COVID over the last five years like
no other generation has had to do. What's happening in
the hearts of kids today.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Our kids are facing so much intoday's world. I think
social media, I think there's a place for it, but
I also thinks it can create so much darkness and
so much loneliness, and so much depression and so much anxiety.
The rates of mental health a mental illness for our
younger generation today are astounding. Evan might know better than
(24:34):
I do, because he's in it with the kids every
single day and so he sees it on a daily basis.
But it's really hard to see what.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
They're going through.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
But what I can say is that they desire something
bigger and something greater, and so I do believe that
we are seeing a revival in this younger generation. As
a matter of fact, Barna just published a study in
September twenty twenty five that Gen Z and Millennials are
the highest church more than any other generation. Right now, Evan,
(25:04):
you can probably quote it better, so I'll toss it
to you.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
Sure. Absolutely. It's interesting since the ending of the pandemic,
or really since twenty twenty, church attendance has more than
doubled for Gen Z and millennials specifically, which is so encouraging.
To see because it just shows that there is a hunger.
If it's okay with you, I'd love to just share
just a couple sentences please. Is a young lady who's
involved in a YCI club in the Charleston area. Her
(25:29):
name is Lauren, and she started a YCI club last
school year and she starts by saying that at one
point in her life, she was following a false religion,
different things ideas, New Age religion, you name it. That's
where she was looking for hope, that's where she was
looking for answers. Then she placed her faith in Jesus,
started a YCI club, and this is what she says.
(25:50):
She says, before leading a YCI club, a lot of
my classmates wouldn't have ever known that I followed Jesus.
My behavior and choices reflective Biblical values, and I just
didn't realize how hard it would be to boldly proclaim
my faith. It's not out of any shame that I
hid my faith, but rather I lived in fear, fear
of judgment, of rejection, of ridicule. But leading WYCI has
(26:12):
taught me to overcome that fear and discomfort, the self
doubt that once consumed me has been replaced with trust
and reliance on the Holy Spirit. This experience has shown
me that it doesn't matter how well I can read
a devotional or engage in fellowship, because any small mistake
of mine could never mask the glory of God. YCI
(26:33):
has been the vessel that pushed me past a line
that I was too afraid to cross. It pushed me
closer to Jesus.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
So the kids today, the emptiness they feel, is partly
what oftentimes it takes us adults a long time to learn,
and that's the stuff of this world just does not
fill the deepest longings of our heart. And I guess
coming through the crisis of COVID and losing all that
they lost, like great situations and dances and celebrations, football games,
(27:03):
et cetera, they've just come to realize those are all
worldly baubles and they need the deepest thing that God
can give, and that's a relationship with Jesus. Evan, I'm
on target absolutely.
Speaker 4 (27:13):
I think when everything shakes and when we look and
the storm blows through, the things that really can last
will last and will stand right. I mean, when you
live a life that is based and rooted in the
Word of God, and you truly trust Jesus for who
he says he is, then you're able to stand whenever
things shake. But if you're trusting in a foundation that
(27:33):
can't last, you're not going to stand whenever hard time's come.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
And as a song, both of us love Jesus is
our firm foundation. He's the only thing that stands Tanner, Yes,
but it's a public school. How can you guys go
into a public school and teach about Jesus. It's a
public school where they're supposed to be secularism and know Jesus,
And how do you respond to that?
Speaker 3 (27:57):
It's incredible, and the public school system tries to make
it very difficult and put up a lot of obstacles.
But I have a very persistent team who wants to
be in these schools, who wants to reach these kids.
And as Evan mentioned earlier, the Equal Access Act allows
us to do it.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
In nineteen eighties, nineteen eighty four.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
But here's the caveat. Caveat as long as it's student led,
so our students have to lead the club. It is
student led, adults supported. That's really what sets us apart.
That's how we can be on the school campus. So
the students lead it through a student leadership team, and
then we have adult support, so a teacher sponsor who's
just willing to open up their classroom. They don't contribute much,
(28:37):
but honestly, it's really really neat because we've had a
lot of teachers come to know the Lord because they
see the light of these students in the classrooms.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
Yes, like a child will lead them, like the Bible says,
the child leads them their faith in.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Jesus as a matter of fact.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
And not only that, but we've had a lot of
parents who've come to faith too because these students. Ultimately,
we just want to get these students in the door.
So we're going to offer Chick fil A. We're going
to offer them Bojangles, We're going to offer them Krispy Kreme,
whatever it is.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
We're like, come on in. The door's open. We want
everyone to come in.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
And then the student leadership team they lead, they do
prayer and worship and devotionals, and then the students serve
each other, they play together. It's a really fun.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Environment and they get what they didn't get during COVID,
and that is close connection and relationship exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
They're finding other believers, other followers, other people who want
to be light on their campus, and so ultimately we
get to do it. And then we have somebody from
the local church, a campus mentor who comes and serves
in the club, and basically they kind of provide pastoral oversight.
If there's kind of any theological questions, they help oversee those.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
And then it gets those kids involved in the local
church as well, which is I know one of your goals, Evan,
how hard has it been though with school officials trying
to impede your advancement in the public schools.
Speaker 4 (29:59):
Atsly, I think one of the things that our team
does so well is we work overtime to help make
sure that the administration knows that you really do want
a YCI club on your campus, you really do. We
focus on as much as possible doing service projects for
the school as well, be it picking up trash, serving teachers,
whatever that looks like. So if you can show the
space where you're in, if you can show the school
(30:21):
that we are going to be a benefit to you,
that helps with a lot of those obstacles. But then
whenever there's an administration that is just committed to not
wanting to have YCI on their campus. Thankfully, we have
some really persistent students. We have some really persistent young
men and young women that really truly will stop at
almost nothing to make sure they can launch.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Their Well, I love the idea that they serve then
in the public school, and the public school sees that
service and they need the trash picked up example as
an example, and they say, come on.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
You would be amazed how many schools now reach out
to us asking for us to start a YCI club.
It's such a tourney in the tides where we used
to have to bag. There's still schools that put up obstacles,
but now we have schools coming to us.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Well, when we come back, let's talk about that, listeners,
how they can get a school YCI clubs started if
they want to, where they can get in touch with
you guys, and how you can continue to expand and
grow this incredible, wonderful ministry. I'm David Chadwick, will be
right back.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
Ye.
Speaker 5 (33:04):
Christ is my.
Speaker 7 (33:06):
Third foundation, the rock God which I stay.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
Okay, Evan Eddie join us in that as a worship leader.
Would you help us?
Speaker 7 (33:20):
I've never been more glad I put my.
Speaker 5 (33:25):
Faith in Jesus.
Speaker 7 (33:29):
Heez never let me down. It's faithful to Jeneration. So
why would he fail now he won't.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
Well, God has given you a great gift. Evan Eddie,
thank you for helping us have worship today. And the
truth is He will never let us down. How everyone,
I'm David Chadwick and this is News Talk eleven, ten
ninety nine three WBT. Welcome back to this show. Great
to have my guest today, longtime friend, Tanner gert Wood,
(34:05):
known your dad for forty five plus years. Your dad
played basketball at Wake Forest. I was a little bit
before him, but we met playing at ag Middle School
back in the eighties when every college player knew that
would be a place where you could have a good game.
And I met your dad then. He was one of
the few people who had pass me the ball for
goodness sake, really, and we became friends then, and it
(34:27):
grew obviously through you know, you guys being born into
the world, my children being born into the world. Now
my children are your good friends as well, and our
families continue to intersect. I'm grateful to the Keith family,
the Gertwood family for all of your interaction with us.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Thanks, David. I'm so grateful.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
I really counted a huge blessing that your son Dbe
and daughter in law Jesse are two of our very
best friends. And not only that that we get to
raise our kids together. We have kids, three kids that
line up all the same we all have. They have
a fourth one on the way, and we're praying for
a fourth one.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
So just I'm gonna pray with you on that continually
because I want that to happen and have kids that
are continually at the same age level. But God's been
good to Maryland, to me to give us twelve grandkids
and India and Greg your mom and dad have eleven.
I passed them.
Speaker 5 (35:19):
Good.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
I beat you, Grant. I'm not competitive.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
We're not far behind me.
Speaker 5 (35:25):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
It's just been such a warm, rich friendship. Grateful for it,
but mostly grateful for how I see God using you
and you know, your sister Dowd and all of your
family in Christian ministry, and it's just been fun to
see it grow and expand and how our lives continue
to intersect. And Evan going to turn to you. There's
a listener out there right now going, wow, this is encouraging.
(35:47):
This kid's really hope. And I've got some kids in
middle school or high school and I'd love to see
this happen at their schools. If they're interested, how in
the world could they contact you? Guys? Absolutely?
Speaker 4 (35:58):
The best place to start is to go to www.
Dot YCI Clubs dot com. Right there on the homepage.
When you get there, you'll see two buttons. You'll see
find a club and start a club. If you find
a club, you can see a list of all of
our schools, the statuses of those schools, all the schools
that we are currently equipping students and working on helping
them reach their campus.
Speaker 1 (36:17):
And WBT has a large swath of people that reaches
right now, so that doesn't intimidate you, guys. You would
be able to help them find a club somewhere in
this metro line of area.
Speaker 4 (36:27):
Absolutely, And if they look and they don't see their
school on there, they can click the other button that
says start a club and we will help every single
step of the way. It is surprisingly simple to launch
a club if you have a student that wants to
reach their campus and a church that's willing to support,
and a teacher that will open up the room and
we can help with that process, then you can launch
a YCI club.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
So that's what they need. Repeat that, please, in order
to start a club. What needs to happen first.
Speaker 4 (36:50):
Well, really you just need one of those three pieces
you interested church, a passionate student, or a willing teacher.
When you get all three of those, that's when we're
really able to move forward. And we can help find
in those pieces. If you only have one.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Of them, so one of them comes to you and
says I'm ready, and then you help them find the
other two pieces in order to expand and grow the ministry.
Speaker 4 (37:08):
Absolutely, and our team has years and years of experience
doing this, knowing how to navigate every obstacle that you
can imagine in launching a club. So if they reach
out and all those questions will be asked in that
start a club form. Rather, once we have that information,
we can follow up. And really, no matter where you
are in the country, we are ready, we are willing,
we're excited to help you launch at your school.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
Well, Tanner, people around this place call me the Hope Guy,
and I like that. It's been a moniker hung on
me for gosh two decades plus, and I love the Moniker,
because I love giving hope to people. Please talk to
our listeners again. There is hope for teens today in America.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
That's a fitting name for you, Hope guy. Yes, there
is hope for our teens. The hope is in Jesus Christ,
and we just need to have the opportunity to introduce
kids to Jesus. And why see Houy's making it possible.
Talked about this a lot with people. Students, kids are
in school the majority of the time. That's where they are,
(38:07):
and so if we can go to where they are
and we have the opportunity to introduce them to Jesus,
then we have a much better chance of giving them
hope for the rest of their lives for eternity.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
Well, people say, I bet you run into secularists who
are teachers, educators, administrators, overseers. Have you found much resistance
to your ministry in the schools.
Speaker 2 (38:28):
Eban, I'll let you speak to that.
Speaker 4 (38:30):
Sure. Absolutely, For the most part, there's a recognition that
because of the equal access law, YCI clubs have to
be allowed to be there right as long as students
are leader.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
And teachers administrators understand that.
Speaker 4 (38:42):
Yes, they understand that. I will say that there can
be times we've experienced this in the Charlotte area and
beyond where an administrator is just nervous because when you
willingly allow this, and it can be a club that's
upwards of two hundred plus kids depending on where they're at,
that attracts some attention, and depending on your faith background,
that attention could be welcomed or not welcomed. And so
(39:04):
one of the important roles that our team plays is
helping the administration as much as possible to make sure
that that club is a blessing for the campus, not
a burden for the campus. And so we have done
as much as we possibly can to help ease some
of those concerns, ease some of those worries, and help
them know that this is a really great opportunity for
(39:25):
their students in their student body to flex the muscle
of leadership development, because at the end of the day,
that's what the school wants to see.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Well, yeah, why in the world would a teacher or
an administrator be against something that gives kids peacefulness, gives
them a sense of purpose in life, gives them hope
and meaning, allows them maybe even to get off drugs
and alcohol consumption. In order to have the peace of
Jesus in them and allows them to be better academicians
(39:54):
and students. I mean, who would be against that? Tanner?
Speaker 2 (39:57):
Some people would be against that.
Speaker 1 (40:00):
There is an enemy in this world, an.
Speaker 3 (40:02):
Enemy in this world. And as a matter of fact,
I don't I mentioned this at Moments of Hope before,
but because there is such a thing as good News clubs,
there is such a thing as YCI, there is such
a thing as FCA and Young Life and all of
these things, the enemy does not like that.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
And as a matter of fact.
Speaker 3 (40:19):
There are now Satan clubs that are forming on campuses,
Satan clubs.
Speaker 1 (40:25):
I guess the equal access they've got to allow that
non religion or did they call it a religion to exist.
Speaker 3 (40:30):
And the reason why Satan clubs started is to combat
good news clubs. And so absolutely the enemy does not
like what we're doing. We see that in our own
personal lives, in my own personal health journey right now.
The enemy does not like what we're doing, and he's
and he's going to attack us where it hurts. But
we know that our strength is in the Lord.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
Well, you know the bottom line, if you read the
book that we all consider our book Jesus Womens and
we have the power from on high. Satan is a creature.
God is the creator, and God's power is greater than Evan.
We've just got a few seconds left in the show.
How would you like to conclude and get people hope?
Speaker 4 (41:11):
Absolutely? Just know this, wherever God has placed your feet,
he is equipping you. He will continue to equip with
you if you allow him to to share his message
with the people around you. And so if you're worried,
if you're concerned, if you're fearful, just know that if
God is for you, there's nothing and no one that
can stand against it.
Speaker 1 (41:29):
Well, God doesn't call the equip He equips the call them.
And where's your mission field? It's between your feet absolutely
wherever you are. So folks out there listening, get your
kids involved in this one more quick time, Evan. How
can they get information about YCI.
Speaker 4 (41:42):
Absolutely our website www dot YCI Clubs dot com or
email us at info at YCI Clubs dot com. And
we're happy to serve you.
Speaker 1 (41:50):
Evan Tanner, God bless you. Thanks for being on the show. Everyone.
I'm David Chadwick. Love God, love your neighbor. If you
do those two things, you have a lifetime. It's worth
of work to do. I'll talk to you all next week.
Hi everyone, I'm David Chadwick and this is News Talk eleven,
ten ninety nine three WVT. Welcome to the program. In
case you don't know, this is a faith and values
program that I've now been doing for over twenty five years.
Its purpose is to intersect faith and values with what's
going on locally and globally. It's been a pleasure doing
this show, and many thanks to my friends that Perry's
(00:37):
find Jewelry for your sponsorship of the show. Without you,
I could not do this on a weekly basis. And
I hope somehow these programs weekly give all of you hope.
Because there's so much bad news out there in the world.
There's a lot of good news too. There's a lot
of despair in the world, but I think there's a
lot of hope as well, and I think we need
(00:57):
to concentrate more on the hope rather than the despair.
I have in studio with me two friends, but also
two people who oversee a ministry at the middle school
and high school levels that really is astounding, and I
think after you hear what they are going to tell you,
you're going to have hope as well, especially as we
look at predominantly the public school arena and what they're
(01:19):
doing there. Tanner. Gertward, who's been a friend for Tanner
good numbers of years a long time, is in studio
along with Eben Eddie, who's become a friend over the
last several years. It's great to have both of you
in studio with me today. God bless you. Let's have
fun together.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Today for having us. We're humbled to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Well, Tanner, let me start with you your background. You're
a Charlotte ten the family is from here. Just talk
about that a second. And how you came to faith
in the Lord.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
That's a great question.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
I am a Charlotte Tean and I have known you
for such a long time, and I've been I've had
the privilege of getting to learn under your biblical tutelage
for so many years. You and my dad have been
great friends for a very long time. And so I
grew up in a Christian household. We did prayer together,
we did Bible study together, we attended church together. So
(02:08):
God was never foreign to me. But what I realized
when I went to college was that my faith was
not my own, that my faith was very much my parents' faith.
And as most kids do, I came onto some hard
times when I was attending wake Forest University, just with
some bullying and also with an assault. And it was
(02:29):
during that time that I really had to press into
my faith and I was so grateful for the roots
that were there, the foundation. But it was in that
time that I really got to learn who I was
and who the Lord said I was. And so that's
really how I developed my own faith. But I'm grateful
for the foundation that my parents really instilled in me.
(02:49):
And I'm grateful for you pouring into me so many
years and still pouring into me to my husband, my
kids today.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Now, that's been a pleasure knowing you, and it's been
fun watching you grow. And I know those years at
wake Forest were challenging and painful, and God was faithful
to you as you learned how to make faith your own.
And it's a personal relationship with Jesus, not dos and don'ts.
And when you realize that, your life dramatically changes, like
I know yours did. And Tom and how many kids?
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Three kids?
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Three kids?
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Wow?
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Well, good for you and I know you love them
very much and your family is very much an important
part of your life. Absolutely Evan, come to the mic
and talk to us about your life, your faith. Who
are you and where are you from and how did
you come to know the Lord? Absolutely well.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
I grew up in the York County, South Carolina region,
and my story, my upbringing looks a little bit different
than Tanners did. I was raised by loving parents, but
church Jesus not necessarily at the center of our family,
at the center of our story. And one day I
was over at a friend's house whenever I was in
middle school, and every time my friend got in trouble,
(03:58):
his mom would make him go to church on Wednesday night.
So his punishment was actually church, which, as a youth
ministry guy, have since realized, maybe isn't the best parenting
tactic to make your kid want to go church later,
right exactly, And we were playing pranks in the neighborhood,
and well, he was required to go to church that night.
His mom was my ride home, and long story short,
(04:18):
I was brought to a youth knight and that night
I had never felt more loved, welcomed, or included in
my entire life. Someone that night paid for me to
go on a youth retreat that weekend I surrendered my
life to Jesus that weekend, and I became the youth
pastor of that church eight years later.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
So God working through the local church and having people
believe in me and see leadership potential in me truly
has change and transformed my life. And now I have
been married to my beautiful wife, Danielle for over ten years.
We have a four year old daughter and a son
on the way in February.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Hooray. Good for you, and you know I'm hearing too
from both of you. Family putting seeds of faith in
your heart when that is available. But also the local
church is a part of the fabric that makes faith
work in that true Evan, I'll start with you.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Absolutely, it's at the center of everything. My wife and
I say frequently if we did not have Jesus at
the center of all that we do, if he was
not our foundation, we don't know where we'd be. We
don't know what we'd look for.
Speaker 5 (05:18):
Hope.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Yeah, Well, I think about Charlie Kirk and what he
emphasized was a personal faith in Jesus, a local community
of faith, and then go express that out into the world.
In Tanner, I know that's your heart beat as well.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
That is my heartbeat. And what I love.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
I love when you ask that question to Evan and
be about our upbringing because we had vastly different upbringings,
but we're both serving the same ministry today. So what's
incredible about that is the Lord uses wherever you've come from,
however you've grown, however you have grown up, to get
you to where He wants you to be.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
And so I love, I love that question.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Yeah, his will will be done. Evan. We've got to
take a break in about a minute. So would you
introduced Youth Commission International? Why see that you and Tanner
help oversee here in this area, listeners, I want you
to have hope because there's a lot of really neat
stuff happening in the public, middle and high school arena. Absolutely.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
YCI began in the Charlotte area in nineteen ninety seven
and since that time, our focus has been very simple.
Our mission is to reach the world for Christ through youth,
and we do it through partnering with local churches, specifically
local youth pastors and youth ministers to help their students
be missionaries on their school campus, through launching and leading
(06:30):
what we call YCI clubs where students they share the
gospel week in and week out to see their friends
come to know the Lord.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Wow. And it has been wonderfully successful, which I want
to talk about when we come back. Just what's happening
on the local middle school and high school campuses through
your ministry. And it should give all of our listeners
great hope because we just seem to listen all the
time to the most recent school shooting for example, or
the most recent bullying situation. But it really is great
(07:01):
things going on now. I want you guys to share
that when we come back. I'm David Chadwick. This is
News Talk eleven, ten ninety nine, three WBT, and we
will be right back.
Speaker 6 (08:23):
The Lord keeps on who loves him inside fins, He
(08:46):
fulfills the desires of those who worship. The Lord trust
at those because who calls them, he poss and raises.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
That's my friend Parker Robinson, who helps lead worship at
Moments of Hope Church. And it's a song entitled Greatly
to be Praised. God is worthy of all of our praise. Hi. Everyone,
I'm David Chadwick and this is News Talk eleven, ten
ninety nine three WBT Welcome back to the show in
studio with me our two friends, Eben Eddie and Tanner
(09:36):
gert Wood. Both of them are leaders of a ministry
called Youth Commission International here locally, but it's gone far
beyond Charlotte since nineteen ninety seven when it was formed.
And Tanner, as we look at Youth Commission International, what
drew you there and how did you become a part
of it?
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Oh boy, that's a great question, because if I'm being
perfectly honest, begrudgingly like a joke, yes, I did not
think that I was going to be in this type
of ministry. I graduated from the University of Southern California
with a degree in broadcast journalism Television broadcast journalism, and
I got my dream job out of college. I was
(10:15):
hosting a television show up in Canada, one hundred Huntly Street,
which we had the pleasure of having you.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
On with one of your fell in ratings. Didn't you
had comp's exactly? They said.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
No. And I loved it there, and so I would
travel up there once a month and shoot a whole
bunch of shows. But while I was here in Charlotte,
I live with my parents, and my dad said, I
want you to go meet this man. And so I
walked into this meeting just thinking that I was just
you know, having a casual conversation. And at the end
of the meeting, this man took the key ring, the
(10:49):
key off of his key ring and said, I'll see
you in the office on Monday. And I was like,
I already have a job. I'm not looking for a job.
I'm not going to be in the office on Monday.
He said no, I'll see you on Monday. So, kicking
and screaming, I showed up in the office on Monday.
And that was twenty twelve and I haven't left since then.
(11:10):
And then in twenty sixteen that that gentleman stepped out
from the ministry and a trustee came to me and said, Tanner,
you're going to serve as executive director of this ministry.
And again I said, no, I'm not I don't want
that pressure. I don't want that at all. And the
board agreed that I was going to serve in this role.
And so I have had the pleasure, and I should
(11:33):
say I'm so grateful the Lord knew what he was doing.
This ministry has blessed so many people. But it has
not only been a blessing to the students we serve,
it's been a blessing to me. It's been a blessing
to my family. And so the Lord knew.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
But we propose, God disposedes. I mean, that's the truth.
We have our ideas and God as his plan. Guess
who wins?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Right?
Speaker 1 (11:53):
God always wins. And you've done a great job. I
want to get to the statistics and the growth in
just a second. But Evan, let me come to you
to did you get involved in Youth Commission International as well?
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Sure?
Speaker 5 (12:03):
So.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Whenever I was the youth pastor of a church, I
had a realization. It was a Tuesday at one pm,
I was being paid two pastor students, and I looked
around in my office and I realized, on Tuesdays at
one pm, students aren't at the church, They're at school.
I needed to be on school campuses. But where I lived,
and this is true around the Charlotte area, you can't
(12:23):
just go to the front office anymore and say I
want to have lunch with these students who are in
my ministry. You need to have a reason and a
purpose to be there. And that's when I got connected
with Troy Thornberg, or director of Operations at YCI, and
he taught me all about the YCI model, and before
too long I was engaged with as many school campuses
as possible during the week. It changed and transformed the
(12:45):
way that I did ministry so much so that I
joined the staff full time in twenty nineteen.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Wow. So you've been doing this a good long while
as well, and you two guys are a formidable team.
As you have seen this ministry expand ten. Let me
come to you and ask about some of those statistics
where you began and where you are now.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Sure, we've been through so many different seasons at YCI,
and we actually started as CYC, which was just Carolina
Youth Commission. But since then, the Lord has grown this
ministry astronomically. We are in national ministry, and we're not
only national, but we're international where the IE comes right,
That's where Youth Commission International came from. So we serve Kenya,
(13:25):
Burundi and Uganda as well. But the Lord has really
grown this ministry and Evan serves as our boots on
the ground. He is He's in those clubs every single
day and so I'm so grateful for him, and I'm
grateful for our team. But we've gone from a handful
of club clubs about eighty nine when I started, to
over two hundred and thirty clubs today.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Listeners, that's astronomical growth.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
I'm sure Evn you probably have the exact number because
it changes right every single day.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Absolutely, yes, it's interesting. Whenever I first started, Yeah, we're
around a little bit more than the number that Tanner shared,
and then now I mean over doubling just over the
past five years. And so just in the Charlotte area alone,
for some context for your listeners, we are in over
seventy middle school and high school campuses just in the
greater Charlotte area. And then when you look throughout the country,
(14:16):
it is over two hundred and thirty schools. Actually, of
current count it is two hundred and forty one schools
where we are actively equipping students to be missionaries on
their school campus.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Well, Evan, give us an idea of what that looks
like practically, day in day out. What does your ministry
do on a school campus every week?
Speaker 4 (14:35):
Absolutely so, our team focuses on what we call our
YCI rhythm, and that rhythm is identify, train, resource, and commission.
So what we do on a weekly basis is we
are always looking to find new students who can be
missionaries on those school campuses, and we do that through
partnerships with local churches. We really do believe that the
(14:57):
local church is what Jesus has established to be the
hope for our world, where truly the message of Jesus
can shine bright, right, I know as a pastor.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Oh well, and then I say that all the time
to people is you know, you may say I love Jesus,
I don't love the local church. You can't say that.
That's like saying to me, David, I love you, I
just don't love your wife Marylyn the forty seven years.
I mean them fighting words. Absolutely, if you love me,
you got to love the person I love most in
the world. The church is the bride of Jesus. Absolutely.
Does she have flaws, yes, but yet she is still
(15:25):
what Jesus chose to reach the world.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Sure, right.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
And also I think it's important to say we're not
trying to compete with the local church. We're trying to
support the local church. So ultimately we want to get
these students in YC high clubs. And then we want
to partner with the local church and pour these students
back in so that they can be properly discipled.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
And so the church disciples them as well, but you
guys do too. And then they're in the school every
single day. We may get them once maybe at best
twice a week, but every day they're in those local schools.
And when you get them being salt in light, that
makes a difference, right Evan.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
Absolutely it does. And to have these clubs you need
the three pieces. You need the students who lead every
aspect of the club. As a result of the Equal
Access Law pass to nineteen eighty four, students have the opportunity.
They have the right to facilitate and host these Bible
studies as long as they're the ones leading, and anyone
can join. They're coached by local youth pastors and youth ministers,
and there is a teacher on the school campus that
(16:18):
actually opens up their room be it a gym, a cafeteria,
or a classroom to make sure that school rules are
being followed.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
So how often do they meet Tanner throughout the week?
Every day? Once a week? How does that look?
Speaker 3 (16:29):
So the student leadership team meets once a week, and
then the club meets once a week as well, so
really there's two meetings. If you serve on the student
leadership team, your primary responsibility is to plan out what
club looks like for the week, and then club meets
for anywhere from ten minutes. Some schools we only get
ten minutes to thirty minutes. Some schools meet even longer
(16:50):
than that before school, after school, or during school. And
so when they're meeting, they're praying together, they're playing together,
they're growing together, and they're going together. So we commission
them to go out into their communities, into their schools
and to serve, and.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
So they know people too. Obviously they have friends, and
then they invite their friends to the gathering point, and
that's the way it grows. Evan, Is that right?
Speaker 4 (17:13):
Absolutely? Just as a quick anecdote, we have a school
about twenty thirty minutes north of where we're sitting right now,
and on Friday morning last week they had over two
hundred and sixty kids attender YCI club. Now, that is
a large club. Most of our clubs are in the
range of twenty to thirty that's a good average, but
we have more and more that are seeing one hundred plus.
This club is led by eleven year olds, twelve year olds,
(17:35):
thirteen year olds, and they're already working on a parking
team to make sure that their club can be facilitated. Well,
these are kids leading the charge, and it's amazing to
see it.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Well, that is amazing. I didn't have any idea. And again,
it's middle school and high school that's where you're focusing
all of this, Tanner, Is that right?
Speaker 2 (17:50):
That is correct?
Speaker 3 (17:51):
I have a question, would you wake up an hour
early before middle school or high school to go and
worship the Lord? I don't know that I was there,
and I certainly wasn't there my faith. But that's what's
incredible about these kids is they're getting to school early,
They're having to wake up so much earlier, but they
want to go so that they can worship the Lord.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
It's really awesome.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Are you sensing there's a spiritual revival maybe even happening
among teens today like we've not known before? Tanner?
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (18:17):
Absolutely, I think that students in today's world are just
trying to fill this void. There's an emptiness, and I
think a lot of it is because of social media
and so they're desperate for something of meeting, They're desperate
for something a feeling of belonging, and so people are
really seeking and searching like never before.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Well, let's talk about when we come back, what's going
on in the hearts of these kids and why you
are so successful, because I think a lot of people
would like to know that and how they can get
their kids involved as well. I'm David Chadwick. Will be
right back us.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
H cluck.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Ten til.
Speaker 5 (20:31):
Watch him turn That cowboy comes to still kill and destroy, but.
Speaker 7 (20:38):
We turn out God who done much more than we
could ever imagine.
Speaker 5 (20:44):
Whatever happened, it's work, it's turning it around right now.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Watch him working. Well, okay, that's my friend Travis Green.
And the devil does come to kill, stealing, destroyed, but
the one we love, Jesus, defeated him to give us
(21:10):
life and life in abundance. Hi everyone, I'm David Chadwick
and this is News Talk eleven ten ninet ninety three WBT.
And if you'd like to hear this program in its
entirety with Eben, Eddie and Tanner Gert, would go to
WBT dot com, scroll down to the weekend shows. Look
for the David Chadwick show. You can hear this program
from beginning to end. It's a program of hope to
(21:33):
give you hope that there is indeed some good stuff
going on with our teens today on their school campuses.
And by the way, Evan, you are a worship leader
as well. Yes, I have had you lead worship at
Moments of Hope Church and you do a terrific job.
I know you've done that with our teens as well
on some of their youth retreats. You've been a great
support to my son Michael, who does youth ministry at
(21:57):
our church, Moments of Hope Church, and he's just you
guys so much and appreciate so much how you've poured
into him to help him understand how to do youth
ministry coming out of a professional swimming career, not having
a clue how to do this, but knowing he was
called a ministry. Thank you again for the ways you
have helped him.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
I want to say to Michael, he is incredible the
way he has stepped up and served the church. He's
done such a good job. And what I love so
much about him is he had such a humble spirit
to come and say Hey, this is my first time
doing this. Can you guys help? And so we are
so honored to be able to step in and help
for a season. But to look at him and what
he has done with Moments of Hope's youth is really incredible.
(22:36):
So shout out to Michael Well a lot of him.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
I know, I'm proud of him, and this is a daddy.
But you know, youth ministry is hard, really hard. I
did it in beginning my own ministry that was years ago,
but I know what he has to face today. We're
going to get to this subject in just a second.
What's going on in the hearts of kids today? Sure,
and he's had to deal with it and learn quickly
on the run. But he has a ministry weekly of
well over one hundred kids who come out, and that's
(23:01):
phenomenal in church world today. You know, on a Wednesday
night he gets one hundred plus kids coming out. And
so I'm very honored to be his daddy, very proud
of him as well. And that been real quickly. You
love to lead worship. That's a big part of your
life too, isn't it?
Speaker 4 (23:13):
It is absolutely I grew up in a very musical family.
My dad, as a matter of fact, was an opera singer.
My other brother, he is in music full time. I
come from a very artistic family, Tanner, and I joke
all of them are incredible athletes. And for my family,
you don't want to hand us a ball of any
sort and anyway, shape or form. But if you hand
us an instrument or allow us to sing, we can
we can hold our own if we have to do
(23:34):
it well.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
You know, my family was that way. My dad had
the chance to go on Broadway, had this beautiful voice.
My brother Howard had this beautiful voice as well, and
then all of a sudden I come along. The only
thing I knew how to do is play basketball, but
I introduced that on the side of our family. But
I know it sounds like you got the whole musical
gift in this as well, because I've heard you sing
(23:54):
and you do it so well. Thank you so much
for saying that. I appreciate it. Well, Tanner, let me
turn to you. What's going on with kids in their
hearts today? You mentioned social media as a part of it.
They've walked through COVID over the last five years like
no other generation has had to do. What's happening in
the hearts of kids today.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Our kids are facing so much intoday's world. I think
social media, I think there's a place for it, but
I also thinks it can create so much darkness and
so much loneliness, and so much depression and so much anxiety.
The rates of mental health a mental illness for our
younger generation today are astounding. Evan might know better than
(24:34):
I do, because he's in it with the kids every
single day and so he sees it on a daily basis.
But it's really hard to see what.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
They're going through.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
But what I can say is that they desire something
bigger and something greater, and so I do believe that
we are seeing a revival in this younger generation. As
a matter of fact, Barna just published a study in
September twenty twenty five that Gen Z and Millennials are
the highest church more than any other generation. Right now, Evan,
(25:04):
you can probably quote it better, so I'll toss it
to you.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
Sure. Absolutely. It's interesting since the ending of the pandemic,
or really since twenty twenty, church attendance has more than
doubled for Gen Z and millennials specifically, which is so encouraging.
To see because it just shows that there is a hunger.
If it's okay with you, I'd love to just share
just a couple sentences please. Is a young lady who's
involved in a YCI club in the Charleston area. Her
(25:29):
name is Lauren, and she started a YCI club last
school year and she starts by saying that at one
point in her life, she was following a false religion,
different things ideas, New Age religion, you name it. That's
where she was looking for hope, that's where she was
looking for answers. Then she placed her faith in Jesus,
started a YCI club, and this is what she says.
(25:50):
She says, before leading a YCI club, a lot of
my classmates wouldn't have ever known that I followed Jesus.
My behavior and choices reflective Biblical values, and I just
didn't realize how hard it would be to boldly proclaim
my faith. It's not out of any shame that I
hid my faith, but rather I lived in fear, fear
of judgment, of rejection, of ridicule. But leading WYCI has
(26:12):
taught me to overcome that fear and discomfort, the self
doubt that once consumed me has been replaced with trust
and reliance on the Holy Spirit. This experience has shown
me that it doesn't matter how well I can read
a devotional or engage in fellowship, because any small mistake
of mine could never mask the glory of God. YCI
(26:33):
has been the vessel that pushed me past a line
that I was too afraid to cross. It pushed me
closer to Jesus.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
So the kids today, the emptiness they feel, is partly
what oftentimes it takes us adults a long time to learn,
and that's the stuff of this world just does not
fill the deepest longings of our heart. And I guess
coming through the crisis of COVID and losing all that
they lost, like great situations and dances and celebrations, football games,
(27:03):
et cetera, they've just come to realize those are all
worldly baubles and they need the deepest thing that God
can give, and that's a relationship with Jesus. Evan, I'm
on target absolutely.
Speaker 4 (27:13):
I think when everything shakes and when we look and
the storm blows through, the things that really can last
will last and will stand right. I mean, when you
live a life that is based and rooted in the
Word of God, and you truly trust Jesus for who
he says he is, then you're able to stand whenever
things shake. But if you're trusting in a foundation that
(27:33):
can't last, you're not going to stand whenever hard time's come.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
And as a song, both of us love Jesus is
our firm foundation. He's the only thing that stands Tanner, Yes,
but it's a public school. How can you guys go
into a public school and teach about Jesus. It's a
public school where they're supposed to be secularism and know Jesus,
And how do you respond to that?
Speaker 3 (27:57):
It's incredible, and the public school system tries to make
it very difficult and put up a lot of obstacles.
But I have a very persistent team who wants to
be in these schools, who wants to reach these kids.
And as Evan mentioned earlier, the Equal Access Act allows
us to do it.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
In nineteen eighties, nineteen eighty four.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
But here's the caveat. Caveat as long as it's student led,
so our students have to lead the club. It is
student led, adults supported. That's really what sets us apart.
That's how we can be on the school campus. So
the students lead it through a student leadership team, and
then we have adult support, so a teacher sponsor who's
just willing to open up their classroom. They don't contribute much,
(28:37):
but honestly, it's really really neat because we've had a
lot of teachers come to know the Lord because they
see the light of these students in the classrooms.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
Yes, like a child will lead them, like the Bible says,
the child leads them their faith in.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Jesus as a matter of fact.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
And not only that, but we've had a lot of
parents who've come to faith too because these students. Ultimately,
we just want to get these students in the door.
So we're going to offer Chick fil A. We're going
to offer them Bojangles, We're going to offer them Krispy Kreme,
whatever it is.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
We're like, come on in. The door's open. We want
everyone to come in.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
And then the student leadership team they lead, they do
prayer and worship and devotionals, and then the students serve
each other, they play together. It's a really fun.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Environment and they get what they didn't get during COVID,
and that is close connection and relationship exactly exactly.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
They're finding other believers, other followers, other people who want
to be light on their campus, and so ultimately we
get to do it. And then we have somebody from
the local church, a campus mentor who comes and serves
in the club, and basically they kind of provide pastoral oversight.
If there's kind of any theological questions, they help oversee those.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
And then it gets those kids involved in the local
church as well, which is I know one of your goals, Evan,
how hard has it been though with school officials trying
to impede your advancement in the public schools.
Speaker 4 (29:59):
Atsly, I think one of the things that our team
does so well is we work overtime to help make
sure that the administration knows that you really do want
a YCI club on your campus, you really do. We
focus on as much as possible doing service projects for
the school as well, be it picking up trash, serving teachers,
whatever that looks like. So if you can show the
space where you're in, if you can show the school
(30:21):
that we are going to be a benefit to you,
that helps with a lot of those obstacles. But then
whenever there's an administration that is just committed to not
wanting to have YCI on their campus. Thankfully, we have
some really persistent students. We have some really persistent young
men and young women that really truly will stop at
almost nothing to make sure they can launch.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Their Well, I love the idea that they serve then
in the public school, and the public school sees that
service and they need the trash picked up example as
an example, and they say, come on.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
You would be amazed how many schools now reach out
to us asking for us to start a YCI club.
It's such a tourney in the tides where we used
to have to bag. There's still schools that put up obstacles,
but now we have schools coming to us.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
Well, when we come back, let's talk about that, listeners,
how they can get a school YCI clubs started if
they want to, where they can get in touch with
you guys, and how you can continue to expand and
grow this incredible, wonderful ministry. I'm David Chadwick, will be
right back.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
Ye.
Speaker 5 (33:04):
Christ is my.
Speaker 7 (33:06):
Third foundation, the rock God which I stay.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
Okay, Evan Eddie join us in that as a worship leader.
Would you help us?
Speaker 7 (33:20):
I've never been more glad I put my.
Speaker 5 (33:25):
Faith in Jesus.
Speaker 7 (33:29):
Heez never let me down. It's faithful to Jeneration. So
why would he fail now he won't.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
Well, God has given you a great gift. Evan Eddie,
thank you for helping us have worship today. And the
truth is He will never let us down. How everyone,
I'm David Chadwick and this is News Talk eleven, ten
ninety nine three WBT. Welcome back to this show. Great
to have my guest today, longtime friend, Tanner gert Wood,
(34:05):
known your dad for forty five plus years. Your dad
played basketball at Wake Forest. I was a little bit
before him, but we met playing at ag Middle School
back in the eighties when every college player knew that
would be a place where you could have a good game.
And I met your dad then. He was one of
the few people who had pass me the ball for
goodness sake, really, and we became friends then, and it
(34:27):
grew obviously through you know, you guys being born into
the world, my children being born into the world. Now
my children are your good friends as well, and our
families continue to intersect. I'm grateful to the Keith family,
the Gertwood family for all of your interaction with us.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Thanks, David. I'm so grateful.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
I really counted a huge blessing that your son Dbe
and daughter in law Jesse are two of our very
best friends. And not only that that we get to
raise our kids together. We have kids, three kids that
line up all the same we all have. They have
a fourth one on the way, and we're praying for
a fourth one.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
So just I'm gonna pray with you on that continually
because I want that to happen and have kids that
are continually at the same age level. But God's been
good to Maryland, to me to give us twelve grandkids
and India and Greg your mom and dad have eleven.
I passed them.
Speaker 5 (35:19):
Good.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
I beat you, Grant. I'm not competitive.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
We're not far behind me.
Speaker 5 (35:25):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
It's just been such a warm, rich friendship. Grateful for it,
but mostly grateful for how I see God using you
and you know, your sister Dowd and all of your
family in Christian ministry, and it's just been fun to
see it grow and expand and how our lives continue
to intersect. And Evan going to turn to you. There's
a listener out there right now going, wow, this is encouraging.
(35:47):
This kid's really hope. And I've got some kids in
middle school or high school and I'd love to see
this happen at their schools. If they're interested, how in
the world could they contact you? Guys? Absolutely?
Speaker 4 (35:58):
The best place to start is to go to www.
Dot YCI Clubs dot com. Right there on the homepage.
When you get there, you'll see two buttons. You'll see
find a club and start a club. If you find
a club, you can see a list of all of
our schools, the statuses of those schools, all the schools
that we are currently equipping students and working on helping
them reach their campus.
Speaker 1 (36:17):
And WBT has a large swath of people that reaches
right now, so that doesn't intimidate you, guys. You would
be able to help them find a club somewhere in
this metro line of area.
Speaker 4 (36:27):
Absolutely, And if they look and they don't see their
school on there, they can click the other button that
says start a club and we will help every single
step of the way. It is surprisingly simple to launch
a club if you have a student that wants to
reach their campus and a church that's willing to support,
and a teacher that will open up the room and
we can help with that process, then you can launch
a YCI club.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
So that's what they need. Repeat that, please, in order
to start a club. What needs to happen first.
Speaker 4 (36:50):
Well, really you just need one of those three pieces
you interested church, a passionate student, or a willing teacher.
When you get all three of those, that's when we're
really able to move forward. And we can help find
in those pieces. If you only have one.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Of them, so one of them comes to you and
says I'm ready, and then you help them find the
other two pieces in order to expand and grow the ministry.
Speaker 4 (37:08):
Absolutely, and our team has years and years of experience
doing this, knowing how to navigate every obstacle that you
can imagine in launching a club. So if they reach
out and all those questions will be asked in that
start a club form. Rather, once we have that information,
we can follow up. And really, no matter where you
are in the country, we are ready, we are willing,
we're excited to help you launch at your school.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
Well, Tanner, people around this place call me the Hope Guy,
and I like that. It's been a moniker hung on
me for gosh two decades plus, and I love the Moniker,
because I love giving hope to people. Please talk to
our listeners again. There is hope for teens today in America.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
That's a fitting name for you, Hope guy. Yes, there
is hope for our teens. The hope is in Jesus Christ,
and we just need to have the opportunity to introduce
kids to Jesus. And why see Houy's making it possible.
Talked about this a lot with people. Students, kids are
in school the majority of the time. That's where they are,
(38:07):
and so if we can go to where they are
and we have the opportunity to introduce them to Jesus,
then we have a much better chance of giving them
hope for the rest of their lives for eternity.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
Well, people say, I bet you run into secularists who
are teachers, educators, administrators, overseers. Have you found much resistance
to your ministry in the schools.
Speaker 2 (38:28):
Eban, I'll let you speak to that.
Speaker 4 (38:30):
Sure. Absolutely, For the most part, there's a recognition that
because of the equal access law, YCI clubs have to
be allowed to be there right as long as students
are leader.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
And teachers administrators understand that.
Speaker 4 (38:42):
Yes, they understand that. I will say that there can
be times we've experienced this in the Charlotte area and
beyond where an administrator is just nervous because when you
willingly allow this, and it can be a club that's
upwards of two hundred plus kids depending on where they're at,
that attracts some attention, and depending on your faith background,
that attention could be welcomed or not welcomed. And so
(39:04):
one of the important roles that our team plays is
helping the administration as much as possible to make sure
that that club is a blessing for the campus, not
a burden for the campus. And so we have done
as much as we possibly can to help ease some
of those concerns, ease some of those worries, and help
them know that this is a really great opportunity for
(39:25):
their students in their student body to flex the muscle
of leadership development, because at the end of the day,
that's what the school wants to see.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Well, yeah, why in the world would a teacher or
an administrator be against something that gives kids peacefulness, gives
them a sense of purpose in life, gives them hope
and meaning, allows them maybe even to get off drugs
and alcohol consumption. In order to have the peace of
Jesus in them and allows them to be better academicians
(39:54):
and students. I mean, who would be against that? Tanner?
Speaker 2 (39:57):
Some people would be against that.
Speaker 1 (40:00):
There is an enemy in this world, an.
Speaker 3 (40:02):
Enemy in this world. And as a matter of fact,
I don't I mentioned this at Moments of Hope before,
but because there is such a thing as good News clubs,
there is such a thing as YCI, there is such
a thing as FCA and Young Life and all of
these things, the enemy does not like that.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
And as a matter of fact.
Speaker 3 (40:19):
There are now Satan clubs that are forming on campuses,
Satan clubs.
Speaker 1 (40:25):
I guess the equal access they've got to allow that
non religion or did they call it a religion to exist.
Speaker 3 (40:30):
And the reason why Satan clubs started is to combat
good news clubs. And so absolutely the enemy does not
like what we're doing. We see that in our own
personal lives, in my own personal health journey right now.
The enemy does not like what we're doing, and he's
and he's going to attack us where it hurts. But
we know that our strength is in the Lord.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
Well, you know the bottom line, if you read the
book that we all consider our book Jesus Womens and
we have the power from on high. Satan is a creature.
God is the creator, and God's power is greater than Evan.
We've just got a few seconds left in the show.
How would you like to conclude and get people hope?
Speaker 4 (41:11):
Absolutely? Just know this, wherever God has placed your feet,
he is equipping you. He will continue to equip with
you if you allow him to to share his message
with the people around you. And so if you're worried,
if you're concerned, if you're fearful, just know that if
God is for you, there's nothing and no one that
can stand against it.
Speaker 1 (41:29):
Well, God doesn't call the equip He equips the call them.
And where's your mission field? It's between your feet absolutely
wherever you are. So folks out there listening, get your
kids involved in this one more quick time, Evan. How
can they get information about YCI.
Speaker 4 (41:42):
Absolutely our website www dot YCI Clubs dot com or
email us at info at YCI Clubs dot com. And
we're happy to serve you.
Speaker 1 (41:50):
Evan Tanner, God bless you. Thanks for being on the show. Everyone.
I'm David Chadwick. Love God, love your neighbor. If you
do those two things, you have a lifetime. It's worth
of work to do. I'll talk to you all next week.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Burden
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.