December 2018

An Unexpected Outcome

Sometimes the unexpected is what God intended all along. Ministry leader Sarah Sanz recently hosted a monthly hang out with four junior high girls – Adela, Chloe, Belle and Marcie. Adela was new but the other girls had been involved with Campus Life. They ate snacks, played games and made encouragement cards for a local senior living facility. The goal was simply to build relationships and show the girls love and acceptance. While having fun and talking about silly things, Chloe turned to Sarah out of the blue and said, “You know, I’ve never accepted Christ.” Then Adela said, “I haven’t either!” CLICK HERE FOR REST OF STORY

Finding Christ in Detention

“He was on that cross getting ready to die, they said they saw tears drop from his eyes. "I just need you in my heart, light that one spark. "Help me to do good and stay out of the hood. "I know my sins hurt you, and they hurt me too, so I need you to lead me so I can know what to do.” Written by an incarcerated teen in a juvenile detention facility

Did you know that Central Ohio Youth for Christ facilitates spiritual programming in five juvenile detention centers around Central Ohio? One of our newer facilities is the South Central Ohio Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Chillicothe. The superintendent there recently sent a letter to Ministry Site Leader Steve Telfer about how this outreach is impacting the teens: "This (the Thursday evening programming) has become a highlight of our students' week. So far I feel this has been very successful. I appreciate you and your team for volunteering your time. You all are definitely making an impact with these teens. When we first started, we would have 6-8 decline to attend; now its 1-2 and sometimes all of them want to attend. Every time I ask a student about it, they have a very positive response. Thank you to you and all your volunteers who are spending your time and effort. It has not gone unnoticed."   This past year nearly 100 incarcerated teens became Christians through their interactions with JJM chaplains. Please pray for these young men and women, that as they move on from the detention center they will continue to seek Christ and His guidance for their lives. For more information about Juvenile Justice Ministries CLICK HERE .

A New Campus Life Club in Gahanna

This photo was taken on the first official meeting of YFC's Campus Life Club in Gahanna. We're excited for this new club, and for the many teens who will come and learn about Christ's plan for their lives. We ask that you pray for this new team, and for all of the teens who one day will be touched by its outreach.

A Challenging Yet Fruitful Weekend

By Joel Fether, City Life Every fall we take high school students from our four high school clubs on a weekend retreat. This year we 66 students attended, and God did some wonderful things. Trevon was a last minute addition to the trip, and on Sunday morning before we came home he chose to begin a new journey with Christ! Mitch shared that he wanted to join discipleship in order to better his walk with God! Monique is one of our most mature students and she has been in discipleship for a long time, however she really struggles to relate to and build friendships with other girls. But God really worked in her heart throughout the weekend and we saw her put great effort into building friendships with some of the other girls for the first time!  Jasmine shared that she realized that God wants her to work on forgiveness and that He wants her to be a leader and move into the girls ministry house after she graduates! Jason and Darren both shared that they believe God wants to help them forgive people in their life.  The weekend was not without its challenges. Many of the students we took on this trip have had difficult lives and they act out as a response to the emotional pain they feel. Several students (especially the boys) strongly tested our leaders and there were several difficult moments of conflict. However, even though these moments were a challenge, they provided some of our best opportunities to have honest conversations with the students and show them God’s love. We thank God for giving us strength and wisdom in those moments and for using them for His purposes!

"I Really Appreciate Everyone Here"

Kayla regularly attends YFC's Parent Life program with her son, Carson. In fact, they take the bus a few times a week so she can work toward completing her high school diploma. "I really appreciate everyone here. I want to be a good example for my son and earn my high school diploma. It's hard to study at home with everything going on. But I can study here and know that Carson is well taken care of. I couldn't do this if it weren't for Parent Life." We have various volunteer opportunities with Parent Life. For more information, contact Tami Strack at [email protected] or CLICK HERE .

Serve Teens Alongside Us PRAY - For our staff and volunteers who spend many hours serving the teens and their families. SHARE - Tell others about COYFC and how they can join our mission to at-risk youth. GIVE - Our mission together is yielding great rewards. Thank you for your investment into the cause. CLICK HERE VOLUNTEER - If you'd like to use your talents to advance YFC's mission, CLICK HERE for more details. LIKE us on FACEBOOK .

Central Ohio Youth for Christ | 614.848.4870 | www.coyfc.org