By GARY SOULSMAN
01/17/2004

"Serious about fun ... serious about God" is the motto for Ground Zero, a 4-year-old youth ministry that has kept its name despite events of Sept. 11, 2001, in New York.

This Ground Zero, about 15 minutes north of Newark on Pa. 896, is earning buzz with teens and parents by being both hip and godly. The big draw is games, food, socializing and high-energy worship at the historic New London Presbyterian Church. Since 2000, the ministry has grown from 30 to 240 teens - and from one night to two.

"I love coming here," said Kate Shelton, a freshman at Avon Grove (Pa.) High School. "And I've invited lots of friends. I tell them you'll have fun, learn about God and learn to deal with the stuff going on in your life."

Ground Zero is the vision of the Rev. Mike Atkins, a ponytailed youth pastor, who credits Faith City Family Church in Christiana for his training in how to reach teens. The 34-year-old Atkins was mentored by the Rev. Steve Hare at Faith City. In addition to neighborhood outreach, Hare brings buses of Wilmington young people to his suburban church for Sunday afternoon worship.

"I've learned that teens are not interested in denominations," Atkins said. "They're interested in whether you accept them and build a relationship with them and give them a chance to experience God."

An analysis of a 1996 teen survey released this year by the National Study of Youth and Religion found that young people are not as alienated from religion as some church elders have assumed. The report, issued by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, found that only about 15 percent of 12th-graders had no connection to organized religion.

"We know most young people crave serious intellectual and spiritual inquiry," said Jon Pahl, an expert on youth ministry at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. "They want to be engaged - to be met where their questions are. They're eager for conversations of substance."

But if teens are open to religious ideas, their attendance at multigenerational Sunday services has not been as strong as churches would like. Pahl said there's a sense of crisis in mainline denominations in how to transmit the faith.

"Churches see themselves competing for time and attention with MTV, films and video games," he said. "To win this competition, I think, there has to be some sort of direct focus on youth in ministry. I don't know that it has to be tailored to the latest fads. But there is always going to be a tension between pop culture and tradition."

Atkins has embraced this tension. Ground Zero is all about niche marketing or using elements of youth culture to create special worship experiences for teens.

"Teens want to know you're relevant and you're in touch with what's going on," said Drew Cope, the ministry's youth director.

At Ground Zero the staff and a host of volunteers create relevance with humor, film, music, the Internet, digital images, candy, giveaways and games. All have been lures for worship.

Here's how it works on a typical Friday night:

Senior high kids show up starting at 7 to enjoy the "Big House" game room. The Big House is a sprawling basement filled with pool tables, video games, foosball and pingpong.

There are sofas, too, where teens talk without getting overly focused on dating. No PDAs (public displays of affection) is a major rule.

At 7:30 p.m. Atkins invites teens into the sanctuary, where he makes the transition into worship with games. On a recent Friday he showed small details from movie posters and awarded candy bars and sodas to the first teen to guess the movie.

The kids were quick. "You can tell who has no life," joked Atkins into a hand-held mike.

Using two PowerPoint projectors, he next showed a humorous video. It compared the amount of time teens spend talking on the phone, going to the bathroom (laughter) and praying. In a lifetime, people spend only seven months in prayer, less than the time spent on the other activities.

"That puts our commitment to God in perspective," said Atkins as he turned to the serious part of worship.

He told the more than 80 teens that God has a new vision for the ministry. That vision was breaking Ground Zero into two nights - Thursday and Friday. The separation had already led to growth, with more than 140 junior high students turning out for the first Ground Zero JV the night before. The event was the largest showing of junior high teens.

Even with the split, Atkins said, everybody is a part of the Ground Zero community. And, as he continued with preaching and music for more than an hour, he asked teens to grow in their understanding of God and love for each other.

"Some of you have homes that are horrible," he said. "Some of your have homes that are great. We all depend on each other."

He pointed out that Ground Zero is about more than Thursday and Friday nights. There are chances to get involved in the worship band, drama group, Bible study, ski trips, service projects as well as small group discussion and discipleship.

There is even something as old-fashioned as Sunday school, though it meets in the Big House game room and is called Cross Training and Souled Out.

As for Friday night, the teens had roles in worship. A youth choir sang with the worship band about depth of God's caring. Then students prayed - at the altar, in the pews and in the aisles.

Later students gathered at the altar to bless their college-age friends who were heading back to campus. Then, with the worship winding to a close, Atkins drew the name of three teens. Each was awarded a digital video camera as a way of kicking off the new ministry in a new year.

With worship over, the teens dispersed to the cafe for sundaes. Others gathered in the Big House for more games.

Mike McGrath of Newark said the evening was typical, in that teens often come for the fun but stay because they like Atkins' authenticity.

"I've known him for seven years," said the 22-year-old McGrath, who plays guitar in the choir. "Mike is down-to-earth and let's you know that life is not about being perfect. It's about being accepted, despite your mistakes. It's about building a relationship with God."

Terica Purnell, who was home from college, said Ground Zero was a loving atmosphere.

"It's not stuffy and some people can't believe it's church," said the 21-year-old New Castle woman. "But why not have church that's fun? If church is enjoyable, people will want to attend."

That's what Mike Atkins has been thinking, too.

Reach Gary Soulsman at 324-2893 or mailto:gsoulsman@delawareonline.com

The News Journal/WILLIAM BRETZGER

The Rev. Mike Atkins, youth pastor at New London Presbyterian Church: "I've learned that teens are not interested in denominations. They're interested in whether you accept them and build a relationship with them and give them a chance to experience God."

At a Ground Zero youth gathering, Michelle Pincin (left) of West Grove, Pa., tops off a dish of ice cream for Leah Mayer, 16, from Lincoln University, Pa.

COMMITMENT, CHARISMA NEEDED TO CONNECT WITH TEENS What are the components of a successful teen ministry? Staff and volunteers at New London (Pa.) Presbyterian Church say Ground Zero youth ministry has been helped by: • The commitment of the senior pastor. The Rev. Jeff Lampl has given the Rev. Mike Atkins freedom to shape the ministry even when changes, such as video games in the basement, have seemed jarring to elders. The staff has grown from one to three, the budget from $4,000 to $20,000 in four years. • The involvement of parents as volunteers. Some parents have gotten involved in church for the first time in their lives because their teens have come to Ground Zero. Jeff Pincin Sr., who has four teens, said he was impressed with what his kids were learning. So he helps each week with safety. Atkins' wife and parents also volunteer, coordinating the Ground Zero Cafe using money, donations and volunteers to provide snacks such as pizza and soft pretzels. • Games, food, ski trips and giveaways that draw kids who initially care little about church. Last week the staff gave away three snowboards and three digital video cameras. It's a source of positive word-of-mouth. • A charismatic leader who can inspire teens without speaking down to them. Terica Purnell, 21, of New Castle says Atkins has an ability to create a loving atmosphere in which young people feel cared for. • Retreats and small group experiences. The groups build closeness, teach leadership and model ways to talk about God. "Teens are dying for personal interaction," Atkins says. • Teen ministry and service. A youth choir and band gives musicians a chance to express their faith. Teens also visit nursing homes and volunteer with home repair for the poor. • Use of the Internet and other technologies as a way to stay relevant. The Ground Zero Web site is a touchstone for group members who can find digital images of activities and parent permission slips online. • Networking with other youth ministries. "We could always be doing better," Atkins says. I call it holy discontent." LEARN MORE The Ground Zero Web site is http://www.gzyouth.com/ Look at findings from the National Study of Youth and Religion at http://www.youthandreligion.org/

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