News from Youth for Christ - Dec. 9

Dear Friends of YFC,

Esther was a young Jewish girl whom God placed in incredible, somewhat overwhelming circumstances. Her story in the book of the Bible that bears her name tells of God putting Esther in a position as the new queen in order to step up and speak up to save her people from annihilation by the evil Haman, even though going in to see King Xerxes to tell him could have cost her life. Though God is never mentioned by name in Esther, His hand of guidance and mercy is seen throughout.

Have you ever had an "Esther Moment?" What I mean is a moment where you took action, you took a stand, you did something that was risky, outside of your norm, even uncomfortable - but you did it because it HAD to be done. The time was right, the opportunity was before you...and the cost was potentially great.

I truly believe that for Youth for Christ, NOW is our Esther Moment. NOW is the time for us to take on the resources we have (such as the new YFC Adventure Center in Halfmoon) and to seek out the ones we need...all because the time is NOW to share the life-rescuing message of Jesus' love and forgiveness with young people. If we are to reach "every young person," as our mission statement says we will, then we need to act NOW.

If you think about the story of Esther in the Bible, thankfully, she didn't have to act alone. She had cousin Mordecai by her side for wisdom and encouragement. She had the blessing of the king so that when she did go in to him to save her people, he welcomed her with joy. We cannot share the message of Christ by ourselves - that's why it's so vital that we partner with you - as volunteers, as donors, as prayer warriors - partner to share this Esther moment together.

This panorama of The Edge Halfmoon shows you just ONE of the many Esther moments that we have before us. Only a little over year ago, the ground had even been broken for the new Adventure Center. Now it's nearly complete, the Edge climbing gym is open (The Edge website) and we are just beginning to see how God is going to use this place to reach more lost kids with His life-rescuing message.

Thank you so much for the incredible part that you play in this mission to reach every young person, one at a time with Jesus' love. Please know that our staff and volunteers value and cherish your prayers and your generous giving very much. Your partnership with us is vital as we move ahead to reach more kids, to impact more communities for Christ.

Thank you. God bless you.

For the kids,

John Richmond, Executive Director

CDYFC

Dear Friends of YFC,
As the Thanksgiving Holiday approaches next week, we at Youth for Christ have a LOT for which we are thankful to our Lord. The biggest news, in case you haven't heard it, is that we received our temporary Certificate of Occupancy last Friday from the Town of Halfmoon for the new YFC Adventure Center! Months of hard work and a double effort from our staff in these past few weeks brought us in line with what the town needed to see accomplished.

That C.O. was significant because the first of three of our annual banquets began this past Sunday (with another set for tonight) - and we needed to be able to use the new site for the banquets. Praise God for His provision! The photo below shows The Edge Halfmoon climbing gym manager Adam Catalano with the town of Halfmoon inspector presenting the C.O.

Power will be run to the building soon and then the Edge Halfmoon Climbing Gym can open! What an exciting time for us. Thank you for praying through this process - and keep praying as there is more work to be done before we can move in 100%.

As we think about Thanksgiving, I am also reminded of how thankful we are that every day we get to share the message of Jesus' love and forgiveness with kids. Just recently, YFC's Andy Lightcap had the privilege of leading a young boy named Joseph to the Lord. Joseph is a middle school boy who said for many weeks at club that he was just not ready to surrender his life to Jesus. A week ago, he made that choice and entered into a lifelong journey of faith. Now Joseph can't wait for his best friend to receive Christ as well. The enthusiasm of a changed soul is infectious!

Thank you so much for the incredible part that you play in this mission to reach every young person, one at a time with the life-changing message of Jesus. Please know that our staff and volunteers value and cherish your prayers and your generous giving very much. Your partnership with us is vital as we move ahead to reach more kids, to impact more communities for Christ.

Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!


For the kids,

John Richmond, Executive Director
CDYFC

News from YFC - Oct. 28, 2011

Dear Friends of YFC,

Do you remember your junior high or high school years? When you think back on those times, what comes to mind? Do recall fond memories or do you cringe at remembering some very challenging and often painful events?

Many students today bring a wide variety of pain and problems with them to school. They feel alone, they feel rejected and they feel that no one cares for them, even though they may have a few friends. The pain in their life is often so strong that they resort to harming themselves or others to try to deal with it.

The freshmen class at S. Colonie High School recently dealt with that pain and loneliness in a series of four Point Break anti-bullying programs. As they went through the day, they met some of their pain face to face. Toward the end of the day, the Point Break staff encouraged students to talk openly about their experience in front of their peers. Over and over, they shared things like:

"Today has been a Point Break moment for me. I'm going to change who I am."

"I'm so sorry for the pain and hurt I've caused so many."

"I want to thank _____ (friend's name) for always being there for me."

"I know I'm not alone in what I'm dealing with."

One senior girl who attended along with the freshmen class said that she wished there was a program like Point Break when she started high school. She share that she witnessed several senior boys slam an underclassman into a wall just a few days into this school year - and she said and did nothing about it. She said she should have, but she didn't. She challenged the freshmen not to make the same mistake.

Now, one half of the students at S. Colonie have gone through Point Break. One half of the students can make a lasting difference on their entire school culture!

That's just one of the reasons why we do what we do.

As you've seen in recent emails from YFC, our Annual Banquets are coming up November 13, 17 & 20 at the new Adventure Center in Halfmoon. These nights will provide us with a celebration of what God has done to bring the facility about and what He's going to do with it to help us reach more lost kids! I hope you will join us. You can contact our office via the information below if you are interested in attending.

The area of the new facility that will be opening soon is The Edge Halfmoon Climbing Gym. You can follow it's opening both on Facebook and through The Edge Website. The photo below shows what you'll see when you walk into the gym.

These are exciting times for us and they are VERY busy times, too. Your prayers for strength and wisdom for me and our staff are so needed. Thank you so much for standing with us in prayer, in financial support and as you share YFC's ministry with others. I am so grateful for your partnership to reach lost kids here in the Capital Region.

For the kids,

John Richmond, Executive Director

CDYFC

News from Youth for Christ - Sept . 30

Dear Friend of YFC,

When you've helped someone - maybe a neighbor, the family of one of your children's classmates at school, have they ever asked, "Why did you do this for us?" It's a fair question - one that one of our staff got to answer just recently.

Our Teen Parents Mentoring program took a group of teen moms up to the Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom this summer. The girls went without their kids, which is unusual for them. At the end of the day, when they were exhausted and some needed to get back to their children, we found out that our vehicle didn't work.

While other rides were being arranged, the girls took it all in stride. They were even grateful for the help, for the trip to the park...gratefulness is not a typical response for them. On the way to dropping off one of the girls, she asked our Ruth Lightcap, "why do you do this?" Ruth was then able to share that it's because of God first loving us that we love the girls, care for them, help them, are patient with them when they walk away from God, when they complain.

It's all because of Jesus' love! And that's the prime motivating factor behind ALL of YFC's ministry to lost kids - we love them because He first loved us! That core belief will never change!

As we move through this new school year, we are, of course looking forward to the many new ways that we can share the love of Jesus with lost kids through the new recreational center in Halfmoon. The Edge Climbing Gym is progressing VERY quickly. The gymnasium and office space has its sheetrock up and the electrical and plumbing run. In fact, next Wednesday, our YFC staff will hold a painting party for the new offices.

Please continue to keep our staff and volunteers in prayer as we progress through this year of ministry, as we begin preparing for the move to the new building and as we look to launch our three annual banquets at the new site in November. Banquet dates are Nov. 13, 17 & 20.

Thank you so much for your support and prayers for this ministry. God bless you.

For the sake of the kids,

John Richmond

Executive Director, CDYFC

Dear Friend of YFC,

"But, I'm just not comfortable doing THAT!" You've probably heard someone say that recently. Maybe it was a family member, a co-worker, someone on a sports team. The truth is, most of us are not usually willing to regularly step out of comfort zone.

One of the amazing traits of our ministry staff is that, for the most part, they step out of the comfort zone regularly to reach lost kids.

If building relationships with kids means taking on the challenge of the high adventure ropes course - they do it....even if standing on a thin cable 40 feet in the air is not their first choice of activity. If going outside the zone means sitting with a kid they've just met and sharing the love of Jesus to someone who's hurting - they DO IT! Going outside the zone might also mean spending an overnight awake with a group of slightly hyperactive middle school students to play games, have fun and share Christ.

Take Ray Lightcap, our Spiritual Development Director, for example. He and his wife Ruth (Teen Parents) spent the week of Blazefest last month heading up our meal team for both the kids and the artists who came to serve. Saturday, Ray and Ruth served up the hot dogs and soda to the several hundred people gathered for the Fest...and for the hiphop music (not usually on Ray's most-listened-to list) playing there.

A girl named Faith came up to him and asked Ray if he remembered her. He did not, but she went on to tell the story of how he prayed for her at Blazefest last year and what a tremendous impact Christ is having in her life today. One girl, one connection, one impact of Christ over a year's time. It took Ray's going into the uncomfortable zone to be encouraged by Faith's story. Jesus' love for US is the calling on us to serve Him and to share that love, forgiveness, salvation and gift of Heaven with lost kids.

Probably the biggest news at the new YFC rec. center in Halfmoon is the "mud-slinging" going on in the future home of The Edge Climbing Gym. Crews are putting up the cement surface on the walls, in preparation for their final construction phase. Interior wall frames, wiring, plumbing and other sections are now going in...all at the same time, so the place is much busier than it's been in a few months. We even have our front door in now as you see below:

We are grateful for the progress, but realize that we have a long way to go to its finishing, and more people and funds that need to be raised up in order to reach that goal.

Our ministry staff are just about ready to launch this new school year of weekly ministry. Pray for them, their families and our many volunteers. Without our volunteer core, we could not sustain the ministry we currently have as well as move forward to new areas. Specifically, would you please pray that God would indeed bring about new people to become involved as staff and volunteers for YFC.

Thank you so much for your support and prayers for this ministry. God bless you.

For the sake of the kids,

John Richmond

Executive Director, CDYFC

News from Youth for Christ - Sept 1

You've probably seen the TV game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? The host asks contestants a series of multi-choice questions. When the contestant wants to lock in their answer, their letter choice, the host asks, "Is that your FINAL answer?"

In the myriad of conversations our staff has with kids, we find often that sharing Christ is more of a continuing conversation than it is a answer at any one given time. Zack was a freshman in high school when we first met him. He went to church and youth group regularly, he claimed that he was a follower of Jesus Christ. One evening in a small group setting, Zack admitted he wasn't so sure any more about his faith. When prodded a bit deeper, Zack said he really wanted to "check things out" about faith in Christ - if he was to be sure about this journey, he wanted to be COMPLETELY sure. So the conversations continued in the months to follow.

Fast forward to Zack's senior year. He said he had found what he was looking for. He said that all of the conversations, all of the reading, studying the Bible he had done had indeed convinced him that following Jesus was the best decision for him to make. It took a few years of relational investment on the part of our staff, but Zack is now a COMMITTED Christian. He now knows his final answer.

For kids like Zack and for others, such as those who attended our recent Blazefest HipHop Camp in Schenectady, a final answer on Christ may come quickly...or it may happen gradually over time. Rest assured, though, that it is our commitment to ministering to kids that we will NEVER give up sharing the Gospel message - never stop asking kids about beginning a relationship with Jesus.

On another note, the construction of the new recreational center in Halfmoon is progressing quickly. The interior walls are going in, the climbing surfaces are about ready to be cemented over and the wiring will go in soon. We are also scheduled to close on our mortgage for the new building THIS AFTERNOON - PRAISE GOD! Please continue to pray that God would bring a buyer for our current offices in Latham.

As we move into Fall, would you also lift up our various ministry staff in prayer. Our weekly Camps and City Life Clubs will be kicking off in a few weeks along with the Teen Parents Mentoring Program and Juvenile Justice Ministries. Pray for those working with our contractors on the new building as well. And please pray for our finances - for ongoing ministry as well as the new facility.

Thank you so much for your support and prayers for this ministry. God bless you.

For the sake of the kids,

John Richmond

Executive Director, CDYFC

News from Youth for Christ - August 17

Dear Friend of YFC,
Sometimes, you just never know what situation might bring you to a conversation about Jesus. That's true in particular this week at the Blazefest HipHop Camp in Schenectady.

Over 100 kids from around the city have gathered at the City Life Center in the Bellevue neighborhood to receive instruction in various elements of hiphop: DJing, graffiti art, rapping, break-dancing and beat-making. Each area is led by instructors who are followers of Jesus and experts in their fields. Each day, conversations about art, hiphop music and life in general have led to deeper discussions about faith in Christ. One boy who came the first day, rapping lyrics filled with plenty of vulgarity, switched his approach on day 2 and wrote and rapped about God.

As all of our YFC staff do whenever they are with kids, the artists, staff and volunteers at Blazefest are building trusting, loving relationships with these kids - and sharing their stories of what it's like to follow Jesus, to be surrendered to Him.

The new recreational facility in Halfmoon continues to take shape each day. The plywood is going up on the indoor climbing gym walls and now the interior wall frames are going in.

There is an excellent article and interview about the new building that you can find from the
Spotlight Newspaper: http://bit.ly/oolMe9

Thank you for reading these notes each time they are released and for praying for kids and the YFC staff and volunteers. You are an integral part of our ministry and we are so grateful to the Lord for you. God bless you.

For the sake of the kids,



John Richmond
Executive Director, CDYFC

Amazing News of God's Healing in Chris!

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS??? CHRIS' CT SCAN REPORT SHOWED THAT THE CANCER HAS BEEN REDUCED BY 50%. THANK YOU LORD!!!

Chris and I have recorded a video about this amazing healing.

You can watch it HERE!

Thank you for praying for Chris and me through some VERY challenging, difficult and faith-testing times. And please KEEP PRAYING for Chris' COMPLETE healing.

God bless you,

John and Chris

Further building progress pics

Building is starting to take shape

The crew has been putting up steel for one week now. We are so excited to see this taking shape in 3D. They estimate 7-8 weeks to enclose the building, which will bring us into April, when a slab can be laid on a thawed, dry ground. More updates to come next week.

Back in the Point Break season

We are very excited about the month of March where we will be in front of hundreds of kids, helping them eraticate the atmosphere of bullying in their schools.

We begin with Watervliet's 7th, 8th and 9th graders this week.

We then travel to Longmeadow Massachusetts where the PTA has asked us to run a Point Break for their freshman class.

On the 15th, we are at Berne-Knox-Westerlo High school and, on the 23rd, we begin our process with the Albany high school freshmen.

If you feel that this anti-bullying program would be of great help to your local Middle School or High School, please contact your school administrators and ask them to consider a Gotcha Back or Point Break workshop for their students.