Heart Ministries

HEART MINISTRIES, INC. is an interdenominational Christian ministry begun in 1970, expressing the love and compassion of Jesus Christ and providing spiritual, social, academic and physical help to youth at critical times in their lives.

VICTORY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY is a Boarding School, located at Victory Village, seven miles east of Hutchinson on old U.S. 50 at 201 South Victory Road. Students are accepted on the basis of need and the ministry is sustained by contributions from caring people who want to help youth. Donations are tax-deductible.

HEART MINISTRIES cooperates with state regulatory agencies and is a member of the Association of Christian Schools International.

THE REASON FOR HEART MINISTRIES

Many American teenagers are in serious trouble. According to National Justice Department statistics, 1,471,200 delinquency cases were filed in juvenile courts in 1992. Half a million teens run away from home each year and several thousand commit suicide. The Alabama Department of Human Resources reports that every day nationally 1,295 babies are born to teenage mothers, 135,000 children bring guns to school, 160,000 stay home from school because of fear or intimidation, 211 children are arrested for drug abuse, 1,629 children are in adult jails, 7,742 teenagers become sexually active, 2,795 teenagers become pregnant, 1,196 teenagers have abortions, and 1,512 teenagers drop out of school. Our local Reno County office of the Kansas State Social and Rehabilitation Services reports that from two to five American children die daily from child abuse, and that every two minutes a child is attacked by one or both parents. It has also been estimated that one in four children is sexually abused.

In addition to all of this, there are hundreds of teens from good homes that get involved in harmful behavior through peer pressure and exposure to negative forces they are not yet prepared to handle. It's no wonder the American Academy of Pediatric says, "Teenage America is struggling against booming rates of suicide, venereal disease, alcohol and drug abuse making healthy adulthood an unrealistic goal for many." The lives of our youth, which should be full of promise for the future, are actually in serious jeopardy and we need to help them.

We must not point fingers at youth and blame them for the mess many of them are in. Instead, with genuine Christ-like compassion, Christians and Churches should reach out a loving and helping hand and minister to those who are hurting and disillusioned. Youth do not need to be condemned or criticized. They need to be loved and helped to find genuine fulfillment in their lives. This is the work of Heart Ministries.

THE HISTORY OF HEART MINISTRIES

Some sobering experiences and facts have caused Bill and Carole Cowell to become concerned for the plight of America's youth 36 years ago. When they were doing pastoral work in Churches in Central Kansas they opened their own family home as a place of refuge for troubled teens, the kind many criticized and shunned but few were ready to help. Thirty years ago they found a 14 year old boy in the Marion County Jail and took him into their own home. A year later, two girls came for help and in two months there were three more. These were all cared for without charge to them or their parents. They were also offered a living hope and a better way of life through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Other families joined the Cowells in their efforts and Heart Ministries was organized in 1971 for the purpose of providing a loving, caring, compassionate Christian ministry to troubled youth. In 1971 Heart Ministries was incorporated, and in 1972 they purchased 117 acres of land for a home and school seven miles east of Hutchinson, Kansas, and named it Victory Village. Victory Christian Academy was established the same year to meet the educational needs of those in Heart Ministries care.

Workers and students at Victory Village were first housed in mobile homes, and school was conducted in the family room of a home in Buhler. School was later moved to a Church basement, then to an abandoned building owned by the Haven School District, and finally to another private home near Medora before the present school building was completed in 1974. A dormitory for girls was completed in 1978 and a gymnasium was built in 1983. All are still in use. Over 760 youth have been in Heart Ministries' care in residence and school. Without Christian love, guidance and appropriate character-building discipline, these same youth might have destroyed themselves or become a threat and liability to society. Still they comprise such a small fraction of those who desperately need help. Though there are many calls for help, Heart Ministries is presently set up to take care of twelve girls in the dormitory at once, with room for another ten or twelve who live in the area to attend school. Since the need for the kind of help being offered seems to increase every year, there could be hundreds in residence, if staff and facilities were adequate. The Board has made plans for expansion so that many more youth can be helped, as soon as funding is provided.

Calls come regularly from parents as well as from treatment centers, hospitals and schools across the nation. The Mennenger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas, ANACAPA Hospital in Point Hueneme, California and Teen Rescue are examples of places that have referred students to Victory Village. Some calls received are in desperation to find a place of refuge for teens who are out of control or seriously confused and in need of understanding and redirection. At least half are victims of serious turmoil at home, created by divorce, abuse and domestic violence. Many have run away from home at least once. Drugs alcohol and premarital sexual experiences have many times become cheap substitutes for loving and meaningful relationships. Some are expelled from schools, others drop out because of poor academic performance and more serious problems like conflicts with step-parents, involvement with gangs and drugs, and various behavior disorders. Heart Ministries is very much needed to help heal the deep emotional scars already inflicted and to prevent more trauma from coming into tender young lives.

ENDORSEMENTS OF THE MINISTRY

"I have known Rev. Bill Cowell for most of his life, his parents and paternal grandparents for nearly seventy years. The entire family has been dedicated to Christian work for the betterment of their fellow citizens. Heart Ministries, Inc. is Bill Cowell's commitment to carry on the tradition and goals."
- Wm. H. Avery, Former Governor of Kansas,Wakefield, KS

"Brother Cowell has one of the finest works among needy girls that I know of anywhere. The dedication that he and his workers have to Christ and the job He has given them to do is wonderful to behold. I heartily recommend this work."
- Rev. Estus W. Pirkle, Locust Grove Baptist Church, New Albany, MS

"During the period of time that I served in the State Senate, I observed Brother Cowell and his wife's dedication to Victory Village. This is the kind of dedication that we need to win the world to Christ."
- Lester C. Arvin, Former State Senator, Wichita, KS

"I thank God and you for the part you have played in my life. You treated me like a real person...Thank you for putting up with all my boy troubles...I am very glad for your advice.
- Sylvia Heisterman Partridge, Kansas City, MO

"You have helped me so much in so many ways...You helped me to overcome my bitterness...You taught me to not depend on feelings...You taught me to always depend on the Lord...You showed me real love and that not every person will turn against me...You have never turned against me and I can't tell you how much that means to me."
- Leslie Anderson Rivas, Miami, FL

"We are forever thankful for the help and love you showed to our granddaughter, Staci. It is wonderful to know God has given you that special love and care for others. You have helped many teens to get through the touch years. Staci is working at a child development center with five and six year olds. May God bless you forever."
- Judge Johnnie Byrd, Farmington, NM

Names, addresses and phone numbers of parents and former girls are available as references upon request.

PERSONAL LETTER FROM THE COWELLS

Welcome to Heart Ministries. We love our work. It is exciting and challenging. Young people are full of promise to accomplish great things. But, sometimes circumstances interfere, obscuring vision, diminishing goals and keeping them back from their full potential.

We are here to help youth work through obstacles and overcome barriers that bring defeat, when there could be victory. This has been our joy and privilege for 30 years as we have worked with hundreds, and during which time we have also watched our own five children grow to maturity. We want to help both parents and youth so there will be mutual respect and affection.

We understand and care about how parents and teens both feel in the turbulent years of adolescence. The struggles are two-sided. Most all parents and teens are sincere in wanting to do the right things. They just have a hard time understanding each other, being a generation apart. Parents often forget that they went through similar experiences. They want to hold the reins. Teens often feel invincible. They want room to grow and yet at the same time, they want reasonable limits, lots of love, along with genuine security and identity. Conflicts arise. Opinions differ over what constitutes an appropriate and acceptable lifestyle. Areas of disagreement may include such things as clothes, music, friends, smoking, activities, curfews and many other things. Both sides need to be heard and understood. Give and take is often needed. Extremes of permissiveness and authoritarianism need to be avoided. Skills in compromise, negotiation and conflict resolution need to be employed. Respect for each other and for differing opinions is a must.

We will do our best to model the Christian life and show the spirit of Jesus Christ. We hope every student will do their best to cooperate with our program and guidelines and not find them difficult. As you read what these are in the following pages, along with the reason for and basic philosophy of Heart Ministries, we believe you will find our requirements to be reasonable and easy with which to comply. There are schools that are much more confining and restrictive, but we don't see any reason to make Christianity look dull and boring.

We respect the fact that teens are growing quickly toward adulthood and cannot be forced to change their minds against their will. Of course there must be reasonable rules, administered and enforced lovingly, but at the same time there must be ample opportunities given for teens to learn how to make intelligent decisions for themselves. Only when a delicate balance is maintained between the two--the security of limits and the freedom of choice, will we see the desired results as our teens grow up and go out on their own.

Along with our staff, we will do our best to help each student develop intellectually, physically, spiritually and socially, just as the Bible says Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, favor with God and favor with man (Luke 2:52). We look forward to getting better acquainted with you, helping to resolve conflicts and problems and seeing every student start on the road to realizing their full potential.

Yours for Changed lives,

Bill and Carole Cowell
HEART MINISTRIES, INC.