At GRIP Outreach For Youth, our mission is to invest in the lives of Chicago’s youth through Christ-centered, Life-on-Life relationships. We have a vision for thousands upon thousands of kids to grow into solid Christian adults who will positively impact and contribute to society, their communities, their churches, and their families.
G – GOSPEL
Sharing the Life-Changing Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
The Gospel is the cornerstone of everything we do at GRIP. Our goal is to do ministry just as Jesus did, serving with love, compassion, humility, and an unrelenting commitment to spreading the Gospel of Truth. It is our hope that this commitment will help lead many of our youth into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20)
R – RELATIONSHIPS
Building Life-on-Life, God-Glorifying, Disciple-Making Relationships
Building biblical relationships based on honesty, trust, and love is vitally important to accomplishing our mission. We believe that the real impact of GRIP’s ministry takes place outside the walls of our programs, when our youth and adult volunteers are walking life together. We know it is essential for our youth to hear what the Scripture teaches about how God wants them to live, but we also believe they need to see firsthand what living a gospel-centered life looks like. This is why we are committed to equipping our staff and volunteers with the training they need to be godly examples to our youth. (1 Corinthians 4:15, Philippians 3:17)
I – IMMERSION
Plugging Youth into the Word of God & into the Community of God
We believe that the Word of God is essential for the sustenance and growth of our faith and the faith of our youth. “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
In addition, plugging young believers into local churches is another vital component of our ministry. We aspire to see our youth become vibrant, growing participants within the local church body, where solid teaching and the support of many God-honoring men and women will surround them. We believe that immersion and participation in the local church is an essential step in the transformational process of learning to serve God and others. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
P – PREPARATION
Preparing Youth for Their Future
We desire to provide our youth with practical life-skills they will need as adults. GRIP is committed to providing programs that will teach our youth how to work, communicate, and lead so they can be effective contributors to their communities, jobs, churches, and families. (Proverbs 12:14)
Meet Our Staff
Prior to joining GRIP, Anwar was Managing Director of Program Operations for By The Hand Club for Kids, a Christian ministry in Chicago. He has also served in leadership roles at the Salvation Army and Rawhide Boys Ranch. Anwar has also been serving as an Associate Pastor at Living Word Church in Lansing, Il for the past 12 years, 9 of which he was been the youth pastor. He has spent more than 20 years communicating God’s love and hope in urban, suburban and rural settings both in the U.S. and abroad. Anwar holds a Masters of Education in Educational Psychology from the University of Illinois, Chicago and a Bachelors of Arts in Christian Ministry from Taylor University. He loves watching football, and going fishing and camping with his kids. Anwar currently resides in Lansing, IL with his wife Michelle and their two biological children. Anwar and his wife have been actively involved in foster care and have housed many children over the past 11 years.
Sue currently lives in Logan Square with her husband, son, and daughter. She considers Chicago to be the greatest city on the planet and is a die-hard Chicago sports fan.
"My favorite part of living in Chicago is waiting to see which happens first: Jesus coming back, or Cubbies winning the World Series," Erick shares. The Cubs won!