The Light Has Come into the World

Isn't it remarkable how much light a tiny match can bring to a completely dark room?  I'm not talking about a long wooden match, but one of those small paper ones that come in the classic matchbook - the ones that when they actually light last only a few moments.  Yet that tiny piece of thin cardboard can chase away the darkness.

Isaiah the prophet foretold a different Light in Isaiah 9:2, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned."  We've talked before about what many consider these "dark times."  When we hear story after story of hopelessness from the kids we encounter, there is no question that each one needs to see the eternal light of Jesus Christ.

As we celebrate Jesus' birth this Christmas season, it's so important not to miss how much that one birth radically, dramatically changed the world - forever.  I love the short phrase from the verse above, "a light has dawned."  For some young people, they have just seen glimpses of the light of Christ through our YFC staff as they walk kids through a Point Break anti-bullying progam. For others, they have encountered Christ face to face as they've surrendered their lives to Him at a Campus Life, City Life or Teen Parents gathering.

Each kid has his or her own story.  Each one experiences Christ in their own way.  But one conversation at a time, one relationship at a time, each one begins to see the darkness that the enemy brought into their life gradually begin to fade.

The shepherds outside of Bethlehem on that amazing night over 2,000 years ago saw the light of Jesus.  The wise men traveling from the east saw it in the sky.  This year, we've had the privilege of bringing the light of Jesus to hundreds of kids in the Capital Region.

Thank you for the part you've played by praying for us, generously giving of your time and resources and helping us reach more kids.  May you and your family experience the light of Jesus Christ in a fresh way this year.  God bless you.

For the kids,



John Richmond, Executive Director 

P.S.  Thank you to those of you who attended our recent banquets and for those who sponsored banqquet tables so others could come. We are very grateful to God for the many gifts that came to Youth for Christ through those two wonderful events.

Everyone Needs Hope

HOPE. It's a word we hear a lot.  "I hope my sports team wins this year!"  "I hope I do well on this test."  Hope can be defined as "the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best."  It's a feeling that is held so often by young people.

They see the hurtful or sometimes frightening circumstances around them and they wonder if there is any hope at all. Hope of graduating; hope of making a difference; hope that someones loves them; hope of staying alive.

We saw that all too clearly this week as the story of 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick from Polk County, FL unfolded.  According to police, Rebecca was harrassed unceasingly by at least two other girls her age - on line, on her phone, even after her mother moved Sedwick to a different school.  The girls' taunts and words were so devastating that Rebecca, a 6th grader, committed suicide - she took her own life because she had no hope for an end to her pain.

Rebecca's story and alleged abuse is not that uncommon. As we've traveled around the Capital Region hearing kids' stories through our Point Break anti-bullying program, we've seen the kids who say they've been hurt over and over by classmates, by teammates.  They sometimes use a variety of means to end the pain. Some of them lose ALL hope and want "out" of this life.

In Youth for Christ, we are so blessed to step into a young person's life and communicate a message of eternal hopeto them.  As we build Christ-centered relationships with kids, we earn the right to share the amazing hope each of us has in Jesus.  We get to tell a teenager that hope in Jesus is real, that it's not just a fantasy or a good story.

A teen mom from Clifton Park recently visited our Schenectady Teen Parents program. As she talked with our staff, she told them she personally knew six or seven other pregnant girls from her community.  Even though she was only at one meeting, she began to sense there was more to our team than just nice people.  She sensed hopeand wanted other teen moms to experience it, too. 

The need to reach young people with the life-rescuing, hope-giving message of Christ is great! Our need for volunteers, prayer warriors and financial supporters across our ministry is great as well.

Thank you for helping us bring a desperately needed message of hope to kids.  We cannot do this without you. We truly cherish your faithful prayers and your generous giving. God bless you.

What's Your Story?

Has anyone ever asked you that question? What's your story?  It's a bit odd, I'll admit, but when I've asked it to a young person, they often open right up.

Connor's story was not an unfamiliar one.  His parents both were arrested for selling drugs.  He and his three siblings were homeless and parent-less. That's when God opened the door for our staff to step in and help. Over many years, we were privileged to minister to all four siblings, to see at least three of them grow into lives that followed Jesus.

Lacey's story was equally painful.  She said her mom had already had two kids by the time her mom was only 16.  Lacey's dad was not really around much.  She grew up with an ever-increasing hatred, feeling very alone. She tried alcohol, drugs and relationships to fill the emptiness she felt, to bring the love into her life she knew was missing.  One day in chruch, she encountered the never-ending, unconditional love of Jesus Christ - she was blown away. She said, "If God had said to me 'Go away!', that would have been right for me because of who I thought I was.  But He drew me in because He loves me and He died in my place." She surrendered her life to Jesus that day.

Jason grew up in a loving Christian home. His family attended church regularly. He got involved in our student techinical training program, volunteered at our conferences and events.  At the same time Jason began to wonder if the faith in God he heard about was true.  He wasn't really sure he wanted to continue pursuing Jesus - he wanted to live more the way HE wanted to live than how Christ called him to live.  His mom told us that his involvement in YFC actually helped him turn him back toward following Jesus.  Today, Jason is living for his Lord.

Each of us has a story.  It's personal. Sometimes it can be filled with pain or loss or lack of love. Other times, our story is filled with a passion for Jesus and a desire to serve Him by serving others.

No matter what a young person's story is, we at Youth for Christ have the ongoing privilege of sharing Jesus' story with each one.  We also get to tell our stories of how Christ reached out to us with His love and forgiveness.  I know that each one of our staff thrive in being able to share Christ's story with a young person who has never met Him.  I also know they celebrate when a kid makes a commitment to turn their life over to Jesus and follow Him wholeheartedly.

Thank you for helping us share Jesus' story.  Through your faithful prayers, your generous giving, your volunteering - you are partnering with us to tell and live out THE most important story ever told!  God bless you.

RELENTLESS

What comes to your mind when you think of the word "RELENTLESS?"  Dictionary.com gives us the words "unyielding" and "sustained" as two of its several definitions.  You've probably heard the phrase "relentless pursuit" either in a news story or description of someone chasing after a dream or a goal.

I find it fascinating that relentless can apply both to God's relationship with us and our relationships with kids in ministry. There is no question that God pursues us relentlessly.  He never gives up on us. He loves us so much that He chased after us all the way to the cross, sacrificing His own Son as payment for our sins.  Even as you read through the Old Testament and see the many times the people of Israel turned away from God, He never totally gave up on them.  He forgave them and restored them over and over.  His forgiveness was unrelenting.

At Youth for Christ, our commitment is to relentlessly pursue loving, caring relationships with kids so they can see and hear about the eternal hope that is found only in Jesus.

I'm reminded of a girl I'll call Tammy.  When we first met her, we saw right away that she had been cutting herself - the scars were inescapable.  She seemed depressed most of the time.  She told us she knew she needed to change but felt she could not escape her pain any other way.  Her family was broken and she felt that she bore a lot of the blame.

But, Tammy soon found something she could not avoid - the unrelenting love of our Lord.  As we talked with her, spent time with her and shared Jesus' love with her, she began to change. She also connected with a couple of other girls who continued to shower Christ's hope on her.

At our Excel high school conference, Tammy stepped on stage and told her story.  Standing there arm in arm with her two friends, she shared how she finally surrendered her pain and her self-injury to Christ.  She told the audience of 1000 kids and leaders that she knew her life would be different now.

Tammy's circumstances hadn't changed that much.  But the unconditional love of Jesus and the relentless pouring out of that love by our staff and her friends made THE difference!

Now I am thrilled to announce to you that "RELENTLESS" is also the theme of our upcoming Annual YFC Banquet - November 10, 14 & 17 here at the YFC Adventure Center/The Edge-Halfmoon.

At the banquets, we look forward to sharing with you stories of kids who lives have been mercifully changed by the love and forgiveness of Jesus.  We are excited to have you see our finished gymnasium and additional climbing elements at The Edge.

We are looking for people to be table hosts and/or sponsors for each of the banquet nights.  If you would like to sponsor and/or host a table of 10, please contact our office at 518-533-3617.  We have information that we can send to you to help you fill that table and provide more people you know with the opportunity to hear, see and invest in YFC's ministry.

Would you consider hosting or sponsoring today? Thank you. It's our partnership with you that helps us to be unrelenting in this crucial outreach to our young people!

Summer Heat Doesn't Slow Down Ministry

If you are a runner, you know how challenging it can be to keep up with your running schedule in the midst of multiple 90-degree days.  You KNOW you need to do it, but your body tells you all the more in the heat to quit early, slow down or maybe even not run at all.

This summer, God has opened more new avenues of ministry for us, brought on new staff and placed a couple of potential new ministry sites ahead of us for the new school year...so there are no signs of slowing down at Youth for Christ.

Just last week, we held the first ever Climbing Camp at The Edge Halfmoon.  We'll conduct another next week, both led by new staff member Tyler Kempney.  Please pray with us for Tyler as he builds relationships with the kids who attend and seeks to share Christ with them.

Next week, Albany City Life's Ashley Young is partnering with two local churches to present a Vacation Bible School program at the Arbor Hill Community Center, where our City Life regular gatherings are already taking place!

Clifton Park Campus Life's Michele Clayton is working with Shiloh's Edge Wilderness Director Steve Prettyman on plans for an after school program that will meet in the Cafe' portion of the YFC Adventure Center.

Speaking of Steve, he, Brad Reilly and a group of kids returned Wednesday from the annual canoe trip down the Allagash River in Maine. Brad said the weather was perfect, the canoeing was great and the fishing was plentiful.  I look forward to sharing stories with you in future emails about the God moments both students and leaders experienced during the trip.

Add all of those to the continued weekly Campus and City Life gatherings and special events (such as a giant water balloon game in the Edge parking lot) in other communiities around the Capital Region and you can see that the Lord has opened a myriad of doors for us to share the life-rescuing message of Jesus Christ!

We praise Him for so many opportunities and pray that we will serve Him faithfully.  Please join us in prayer for the remainder of the summer as well as giving thanks to God for the ability to reach unsaved kids with the Gospel message.

Before I close, here is a brief inside look at the recently finished additional climbing space at the Edge...another gift from our Lord.

KIDS CANYON

NEW HOLDS AND ROPES

For the kids,


John Richmond, Executive Director 

P.S. The Edge's Ryan Triller put his creative skills to work recently and built his rope bench - out of climbing rope and $12 worth of supplies!  Way to go Ryan!

Amazing News - God Continues to Heal Chris

Just a short note to let you know that we received Chris' last CATScan results today and the cancer is 30-40% smaller overall! We are so grateful to God for His continual healing and for this extremely encouraging news.

Thank you so much for continuing to pray for all of us Richmonds.  God bless you!

John 

Summer Time = Camp Time

For most of us, the term "summer camp" brings back a lot of great memories.  Swimming, late night campfires, cabin cleaning competitions, more swimming and - depending on the camp - encounters with God.
Since one of the key elements of Youth for Christ is having a flexible methodology, summer camp means significant ministry time for us, too.  This summer, we are ramping up camp and trip experiences throughout our ministry.

In May & July, Shiloh's Edge Adventures is hosting two Legacy Expeditions (which are already full by the way) which create an opportunity for grandfathers, fathers and sons to spend time together in the outdoors while focusing on the faith and values that are foundational to building Christ followers for the future.

SE is also offering its a 98-mile canoe trip through the Allagash Wilderness in Maine also in July. This trip is open to all high school students and is one of the best backcountry experiences on the east coast! Each day is filled with paddling, fishing, swimming and evening campfire talks as we work our way through the North Maine Woods.

In the middle of August, another canoe trip will wind through a classic route in the heart of the Adirondacks. Long Lake to Tupper Lake is a legendary trip with great campsites, fishing and incredible views. This trip is geared toward high school students serious about their Faith and looking to sharpen their leadership skills. You can contact Steve Prettyman for more information on any of the Shiloh's Edge trips.

Schenectady City Life staff will provide weekly events that range from picnics to amusement parks to pool parties.  All of these trips will help us build relationships with more kids so that more kids may know Jesus.

At the same time, The Edge-Halfmoon Indoor Climbing Gym is presenting its first summer of camp experiences for a wide range of ages and skills:  

July 8-12, 22-26 & August 5-9 - CLIMBING CAMP for Ages 10-17 which includes four days of indoor climbing and bouldering and one day of outdoor climbing, weather permitting.
August 19-23 & 26-30 - ADVENTURE CAMP for Ages 8-14;  indoor climbing, an outdoor routes course, games in the sports gym and crafts in the café. 
June 30-July 3 & July 29-August 1 - OUTDOOR CLIMBING TRIPS - For experienced climbers only

CLICK HERE for further information on
the Edge Climbing Camps.

Plus, we will present several basketball camps in our newly finished gymnasium this summer aimed at JV-aged kids. More details on that will be coming soon.

While events and camps are fun and always a memorable adventure for the kids involved, the more significant element of each one is that we get to spend extended time with teenagers, building relationships and sharing conversations about faith in Jesus Christ.  We truly value each moment we get to spend with them....moments that we pray will lead to many more souls entering God's eternal kingdom.

Be sure to send any young person you know the information on these camps.  This is can be an excellent opportunity for him or her to meet Jesus.

Thank you for praying for Youth for Christ's ministries and staff. Thank you for your generous giving. Thank you for helping us continue to fulfill our mission to reach "every young person" with the message of Jesus' love, hope and forgiveness.

For the kids,

John Richmond, Executive Director 

YFC Gym Gets Its First Hoop

It is amazing how much can change in just one day. Just over a year ago, we opened the Edge-Halfmoon Indoor Climbing Gym and the rest of the new YFC Adventure Center.  As you've probably heard, the Edge's first year went far beyond our expectations.  However, the gymnasium and cafe' sections of the building remained empty.

This week, we saw a semi-trailer load of steel and parts arrive for contractors to start installing the six basketball hoops and the wall padding at the gym. When you walk into the gym now, you will not only see the parts arranged on the floor, but you'll see our first hoop in place!

All of the hoops can be motored up to the ceiling for the times when activities other than basketball are taking place in the gym.  We are so grateful to the Lord for providing the funds needed to get these purchased and installed.  This is more than just putting up some hoops. This next step in equipping the Adventure Center is a testimony to God's provision and to the dynamic team He brought to us to make all of these pieces fall into place.

By the end of March, we'll put up sound proofing boards around the gym.  Then the padded flooring will arrive and be installed!  We definitely have learned that progress can be slow, but once it gets rolling, the results are amazing. 

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 Partnerships Are Key

I realize more each day the unending value of partnerships. Partnerships are what have helped YFC's ministry in countless ways over many decades. From volunteers to donors to church/staff partnerships to prayer warriors, all of those involved with YFC's ministry play a vital role.

I want to highlight one of our very important partners - Rueckert Advertising & Public Relations, Inc.  The firm's president Dean Rueckert also serves faithfully as the Chairman of YFC's Board of Directors. Rueckert designs all of our printed materials from conference flyers and postcards to invitations to letterhead.  We are so grateful to Dean and his staff for the countless hours they've put into helping get the word out about YFC's ministry and activities.

If you are looking for a firm to handle any or all facets of your advertising, Rueckert Advertising does it all and accomplishes it with excellence. Dean's agency is a full service ad agency, providing graphic design, print materials, website design and maintenance, social media campaigns, video advertising, signage and so much more. Click on the Rueckert logo to the right to visit their website and see the evidence of their work.

There is no question that God has shown us favor in the eyes of businesses, town officials and others throughout CDYFC's history.  I am forever thankful to Him for meeting our needs and surprising us with His provision.

Thank you for praying for young people. Thank you for praying for our ministry team.  We do have much to be thankful for and so much more to look forward to as 2013 unfolds.  God bless you.

For the kids,


John Richmond, Executive Director