October 2018
Faithfulness in the Midst of Suffering
by Nicole Ramey
Eastside City Life

“Jamie” is a seventeen-year-old high school senior who has been in City Life since eighth grade. She’s grown tremendously during this time, showing a keen transformation in her thinking and devotion to Him.

But recently her world changed dramatically when she was diagnosed with Crohns disease.
She was devastated. Immediately her doctors made significant adjustments to her diet and exercise. Because she has a large hole in her large intestine her doctors put her on a shake diet with minimal solid foods. She hates milk, so this diet was not very successful for her. She lost a lot of weight, and often did not feel well.

Despite these challenges, God has gifted her with faithfulness and discipline. She was always at City life even when she felt ill... CLICK HERE FOR REST OF STORY
HireLevel Promotions:
In the Business of Changing Lives
We see so much potential in the young people we serve. Unfortunately, many lack the crucial input and guidance that many teens their age have had. HireLevel Promotions helps step in the gap by providing job-skills training and mentoring for these young people, all while helping support the outreach work of COYFC. For more information about HireLevel Promotions, check out our website at www.hirelevelpromotions.org .
VOLUNTEER PROFILE: Don Sleeper
Don volunteers at the Juvenile Detention Center
How did you first learn about YFC?
After retiring in 2016, my wife and I moved from Wisconsin to Westerville and began attending Grace Polaris Church. My pastor, Dustin Speaks, told me about an opportunity to minister at the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center (JDC). It was during my first conversation with YFC chaplain that I learned that this ministry was being performed under the auspices of Central Ohio Youth for Christ.
JJM Chaplains Don Sleeper
(left) and Bob Beatty.
Why do you choose to volunteer for JJM?
My first day I met another volunteer and he just happened to be a member at Grace Polaris and had been involved with JJM for several years. For around two years now we meet on Tuesday and travel together to JDC. We have become good friends and co-laborers.

We are called to “go and make disciples,” and this is a very underserved population. It is a privilege to be able present the gospel to these young people. To be incarcerated in the JDC the young people must have committed a felony. Their family situations and life circumstances are usually stacked woefully against them. The devastation caused by the access to and distribution of drugs is immense. Who else can change their lives but Jesus?

What do you like about volunteering?
(1) Having a primary focus of presenting the gospel and seeing the Holy Spirit work in a person's life to bring them to faith.
(2) Spending time one-on-one with the teens and introducing them to the Bible.
(3) Forming at least some type of relationship with those who are incarcerated for multiple months.
(4) Becoming acquainted with many of the staff at JDC and coming to the realization that God has placed many of His people in that role.
(5) Laboring in the fields with the other dedicated volunteers from YFC.

How has this experience impacted you?
It has humbled me and made me acutely aware of God's overwhelming grace in so many aspects of my life. It has been the most rewarding ministry I have ever participated in. I pray the Lord will allow me the privilege of continuing in this ministry. 

For more information about YFC's Juvenile Justice Ministry CLICK HERE .
How Do We Meet Teens?
By Going to Where They Are
By Joel Fether, City Life
We hadn’t seen “Derek” for a while at City Life. He’d moved several months before and I’d not been able to get in touch with him. I was quite concerned for him. His family life is troubled with no positive adult influences in his life.

Then one day he texted out of the blue and asked if we were playing basketball that afternoon. I picked him up and he enjoyed playing with the guys again. And that time together was what he needed to re-connect. We're so happy he's coming to City Life again.

For several years I’ve gathered with a group of boys to play basketball on Friday afternoons. Sometimes we've had as many as 17 or 18 boys show up, and sometimes just a few. Most of the guys come to our City Life Club, but it's common for former students to come, as well as students who've never been to club and probably never will. There are several impacts for our ministry:

It's good relationship building with me and the boys, and the boys with each other. It has definitely helped to build community.

It's been a good way for me to meet new students. Over the years I've met dozens of new students through this time.

It helps encourage students who haven't been to City Life in a while to re-engage. Like Derek, boys know we’ll be there and they are welcome anytime they come. 

This outreach has only been possible through a wonderful partnership with a local church -- Christ United Methodist. As a church family, they have a heart to reach their community and they've been very generous with allowing us to use their gym.

Please pray with us that God can take something as simple as playing basketball with these boys and use it to build His Kingdom.
A Stolen Heart, An Enriched Life
Helping Students Succeed
One of our core values at YFC is training teens to become lifelong learners. Our passion is that they acquire a value for reading the Bible and pursuing knowledge in all areas. But we discovered that many of our students had difficulty reading and writing. They had not learned the basics in grade school and it only hindered them as they got older. What could we do?

That’s why we partner with Mission Columbus in the Columbus Tutoring Initiative . Nearly 300 tutors spend their lunch hour in 18 area schools reading with elementary students and helping them improve their reading skills and confidence. By helping these students now, they’re building the foundation for greater learning down the road. The following letter from a CTI tutor illustrates how time spent with her student benefitted both of them.

“The first student I ever tutored stole my heart... CLICK HERE FOR REST OF STORY
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. Tell them about our Blog where we post stories from our work . CLICK HERE

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.

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