Nobody likes junk mail. And youth workers get lots of it. "Ninety-five percent of it goes in the trash immediately. It's just too much," say Joe Echols, president of the LINC youth ministry network in Burleson, Texas, and Minister of Education and Students at the Cross Timber Baptist Church.

But something about To Save A Life caught his eye, and when Echols watched an advance showing of the movie, he knew it was something teens needed. "I cannot wait to see what God does with this," Echols says. "He has definitely stirred a passion in me that I haven't felt in years."

Echols began coordinating with other youth workers and leaders and formed a To Save A Life Lifeline Squad. Though they began with connections in 30 to 40 churches involved with the LINC network, he and his partners, Rick Eubanks, Billy Beacham of Student Discipleship Ministries, and Charles Garrett of the Christian Heritage Foundation have reached beyond church walls. Business leaders, pregnancy aid centers, local police officials, school counselors, student leaders, and parents have all gotten involved — often one at a time. "It has taken us literally sitting down and showing them the movie," Echols says. "When we get to do that, momentum builds."

As Opening Weekend (January 22-24, 2010) nears, the network is bringing To Save A Life to theaters in Burleson and nearby Cleburne, Texas, by placing deposits to guarantee 1,000 tickets will be sold in both areas. Around the film, two area wide Disciple Now Weekends will be held, one the weekend before in Cleburne and another the weekend following in Burleson. Echols and the LINC will use a modified National Network of Youth Ministry strategy called PULSE (Pray, Unite, Lead, Share, Equip) to challenge their students to "be the Jakes" on their campuses, like the film's main character, Jake Taylor.

Echols views To Save A Life as a wake-up call to teens and wants as many as possible to see it. He anticipates that their regionally coordinated efforts could reach 50,000 to 60,000 people. "Our goal is for every student and parent in our area to see the film regardless of their economic ability to buy a ticket," Echols says.

It's been a benefit to have strong financial backing from some key business leaders, but Echols insists that any church or community group can raise the funds to bring To Save A Life to its area. "First, they need to understand that the deposit check is not cashed; it's mailed back [after the tickets are sold in the community]," he says. "Then their goal is to find churches to put up $100 each. Any church can put up $100; any individual can do that. If it's a small area, ask people if they know 10 to15 people in other churches. If you get 10 to15 churches in a small town, you've got all the kids in the community represented."

Echols believes To Save A Life can bring change by bringing people together — not only teens but adults, too. "It is still to be seen what God can and will do with this film here [in Texas], but I know it's going to altar both the church community and our area as a whole," he says. "I'm very excited to be in a position to encourage His work in this way."

Spoken like a real life-saver.