A former Rainy River resident now living in Winnipeg has published a book dealing with leadership challenges facing young people, particularly in the Christian community.
Jamie Arpin-Ricci was born and raised in Rainy River. He recalls trips into Fort Frances with his grandfather, Lenard Ricci, the former publisher of the Rainy River Record, to have the newspaper printed.
He is now in Winnipeg, where he and his wife, Kim, are co-directors of an inner-city outreach centre called Youth with a Mission Urban Ministries Winnipeg, a ministry of YWAM International.
Arpin-Ricci has been involved with YWAM for more than 10 years.
“The work focuses on community development, helping to find solutions to poverty, advocacy for the poor, and building bridges for the aboriginal community,” he explained.
“It comes with its fair share of challenges,” he admitted.
It was during a celebration of YWAM’s 40th anniversary in New Zealand in 2000 that Arpin-Ricci got the idea for his book.
“I was participating in a young leaders’ workshop and I realized in our society it seems young people are coming into positions of leadership earlier and earlier, and yet were not equipped to deal with those challenges,” he explained.
It was from this workshop that he came up with the idea of putting together a series of articles by different Christian writers to help offer guidance to young leaders.
He contacted various writers to ask if they would like to participate in the project, and had many positive replies.
“Looking Forward: Facing the Future of Christian Leadership” took four years to assemble. “I acted as editor, compiler, and contributing author,” Arpin-Ricci remarked.
He described the book as “intentionally eclectic,” featuring writers from various backgrounds, including best-selling author Dr. Tony Campolo, Joy Dawson, and Tré Sheppard, lead singer of British band One Hundred Hours.
“The book will draw a wide variety of readers,” he said, noting it speaks to both the “administrative and inspirational sides of leadership.”
“I’m very pleased with the final product,” he enthused. “I feel it represents a very broad base of topics and styles that you don’t often get in any one leadership book.”
“Looking Forward” was released in the U.S. by publisher Healing the Land last month. Arpin-Ricci said he expects the book to be released in Canada before the end of the year.
He also has begun tossing around ideas for a second book, perhaps dealing with personal identity and the search for purpose in life.
Fort Frances Times
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