By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Renita Jackson Graber Ministries is launching a new, non-profit youth ministry called Fusion Youth Ministry.
The ministry was created to encourage kids to build a relationship with God, help them discover their purpose in life, energize and equip them to extend the love of Christ into the world and engage them through experiences that go beyond preaching and singing.
Renita Jackson Graber is the founder of the startup youth ministry, but she has her hand in several other pots. Graber has a strong background in both the church and music — she teaches business at Lutcher High School, but she is also a minister of music at New Mount Bethel Church in Kenner where she sings and plays the piano and organ.
In addition to managing her own adult ministry and Fusion, Graber has plans to independently release a Christian praise and worship album in April called “Power to Start Again.” Graber’s husband, Winston Graber Sr., is also a part of both  ministries.
Graber is excited for the youth ministry’s inception because she feels that it will fulfill a desperate need in the community. She said Fusion was inspired by her 12-year-old son, Winston Graber Jr.
“I wanted him to be able to live out loud for God without being ashamed or being different. I wanted him to know that his purpose fit in the plan of God and wanted him to have a strong background in his identity. So that was the birth of Fusion,” she said. “I looked around me, and there were many people that were in the same predicament I was. They had children that were all within the ages of 12 to 20, and none of them were serving in their churches.”
Graber said her youth ministry is not “different” per se, but it will address the issues that face young people today.  
“They need to know that God is able to meet them where they are. God is not a God for their parents and grandparents but is a God for them as well. So we will present God in such a way that they will understand that He is able to meet their needs,” she said.
The Fusion Youth Ministry will be Bible-based, but it will not be confined to the usual church approach. The Fusion team is made up of 12 leaders who will serve in a position to educate, support, challenge and redirect. Along with youth development, the team will use training in the arts to capture the minds of their young flock. The children will learn to incorporate all forms of media, dance, visual arts, music and film into a comprehensive learning environment. The ministry will also provide school-to-career track assistance for the children and instill a commitment to community service.
“Our objective is to train the kids. For the first year, we’re going to focus the kids to give back in the area of missions. We will start locally. With all these catastrophes we definitely won’t have a problem positioning them. However, we do want to do Africa and India, too,” she said.
The group held a successful fundraiser walk-a-thon last Saturday to raise awareness about the up-and-coming ministry. The group received donated items from parish residents and raised a total of $2,700. Graber said she was very pleased with the amount of support they received from the community and hopes that the citizens of the parish will come out to support them in future events as well.
Fusion Youth Ministry will serve the needs of children mostly in River Parishes area, but not exclusively. The program will accept any child that wants to participate. Fusion will begin its outreach Feb. 21 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Riverlands Christian Center in Reserve. The group will meet every other Thursday. Graber said she hopes to begin meeting every Thursday eventually.
Graber said she believes the children of today need guidance in many areas of their lives and that helping them find a sense of purpose is essential to their growth. They are not just the generation of tomorrow, she said, but of today as well.
“That’s our biggest thing, getting the kids to discover who they are and their purpose,” she said. “It will be a movement.”