There is a new hangout for youth in Henderson with a curious name—Chp. XII. If you’ve driven down Main Street, you may have seen the banner on the former building where The Hub was located and wondered what in the world Chp. XII, Filing Spiritual Bankruptcy meant. It means a lot to Stephen Peterson, the young man behind this new venture.
He offers help with a bankruptcy case and explains that Chapter 12 is the name for a bankruptcy code that was created in the 80’s to help family farmers reorganize their debt and provide protection from creditors so there was hope for paying off that debt. Peterson has used that idea as a metaphor for what Romans 12 says about what he calls “spiritual bankruptcy†and how by filing spiritual bankruptcy, God can help reorganize debt and sin into a manageable life of joy and peace.
By opening Chp. XII, Peterson is fulfilling his vision of providing a place where youth can gather for fellowship, learning, worship and be mentored in their Christian walk. He has worked hard to make it a very inviting place for youth to gather with a variety of comfortable seating, books, music, Direct TV, games and internet access. There are always free drinks and snacks available too.
“I’d love to have the place open every night, but that’s not possible with my schedule right now,†said Peterson. He is on staff at Grace Children’s Home where he works at the Boys Cottage. He is looking for volunteers in the community to help with running Chp. XII since his work schedule prevents him from opening it as often as he would like.
This past week, Chp. XII was reopened with a pancake feed, and Peterson plans on using these type of events to attract youth in the next months. Chp. XII also has a Facebook page where you can keep updated on what’s new or when it will be open.
Peterson is no stranger to Henderson since his father Stuart was a former pastor at the Mennonite Brethren Church. During that time, Peterson attended elementary school in Henderson. He graduated recently from Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, and has spent much of his time volunteering for a variety of youth-oriented venues prior to working for Grace. Contact Peterson at Stephen.pederson6@gmail.com if you would like to assist in this worthy project.
Article by Shannon Siebert
