Youth For Christ Lincoln Area Expands Facility To Reach Hundreds More Youth
January 3, 2022
Youth For Christ Lincoln Area (YFC Lincoln Area, www.yfclincoln.org), which is one of the Youth For Christ USA (YFC, www.yfc.net) chapters nationwide, recentlyannounced its capital campaign, “Geared for the Times, Anchored to the Rock.” The campaign is designed to reach more youth than ever before by providing an expanded gathering place with state-of-the-art technology, classrooms, a kitchen and more.
The new 12,600-square-foot facility on YFC Lincoln Area’s 10-acre campus will meet the increased demand for youth services and features a large gathering area capable of hosting 300 people. YFC Lincoln Area serves more than 1,200 youth, with the goal of encouraging them towards a healthy relationship with God. This is accomplished through YFC Campus Life ministry at local schools. YFC Lincoln Area also reaches
youth who are incarcerated (YFC Juvenile Justice Ministry) and pregnant or parenting students (YFC Parent Life Ministry).
YFC Lincoln Area Executive Director Matt Schulte noted that the pandemic revealed that local young people want to “hang out” for hours after school to hear about Jesus, and the current 20-year-old-home-turned-to-youth-facility was originally built for just six people yet was filled with 74 YFC youth at its peak—and busting at the seams.
“This was a permanent change for us,” Schulte says. “We’re gearing to the times—we are dealing with a pandemic and we’re making changes according to today’s needs. We’ve seen an increased demand for mental health services, mentors and spiritual guidance during the past 18 months and our heart is to come alongside these young people through our YFC Campus Life Ministry in addition to all of the other areas of ministry we serve.”
The YFC Lincoln Area team has already raised over $1.6 million for the project, with plans to break ground in the summer of 2022.
“Teens are struggling now more than ever,” said Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln, an honorary chairperson for the capital campaign. “I stand behind this project, as it will lead to more godly men and women investing in the lives of teens.”
As one of the premier organizations spearheading the mission to reach youth with the Gospel, Youth For Christ is determined to meet young people during pivotal moments in their lives and come alongside them in support and love, and has been doing so in the mission outreach community for over 75 years.
Jacob Bland, CEO and president of YFC USA, said he is encouraged by the generosity of the community and is moved by the impact the new facility will have.
Bland commented, “YFC’s mission is to build relationships with young people to introduce them to Christ and uncover God’s story of hope in their lives. We’re so grateful for the people and companies that are involved with YFC Lincoln area as God uses their generous giving to accelerate and amplify this mission. We carry hope-filled anticipation for what the Lord is going to do in the lives of the hundreds of young people who will be impacted for years to come.”
Other honorary chairpersons include: Mike Anderson, owner and CEO of Anderson Auto Group, former Nebraska football player Aaron Davis, and Bryan Clark, senior pastor emeritus at Lincoln Berean Church.
YFC chapters impact thousands of communities across the nation, seeking out and serving youth from all walks of life. Young people are silently struggling through a wide variety of challenging issues—and through the YFC ministry God empowers, they see the living power of a loving God. YFC trains its leaders in a proven, relational ministry model called 3Story®, which encourages staff and volunteers to be good news while also sharing the stories of the Good News of Jesus. It involves building relationships through the ups and downs of everyday life to lead people to Christ.
YFC has been a pillar of missional ministry since 1944, when the Rev. Billy Graham served as YFC’s first full-time staff member. Since then, Youth For Christ has continued to be both a rural and urban ministry on mission, and it is always about the message of Jesus. YFC reaches young people everywhere, working together with the local church and other like-minded partners to raise up lifelong followers of Jesus who lead by their godliness in lifestyle, devotion to the Word of God and prayer, passion for sharing the love of Christ, and commitment to social involvement. Youth For Christ operates in over 100 nations and has over 130 chapters that impact communities across America.
Visit the Youth For Christ media page here. Learn more about Youth For Christ at its website, www.yfc.net, Facebook and Instagram pages, Twitter feed @yfcusa or on Vimeo.
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