YFC Comes Alongside Teens Looking for a Sense of Belonging and Offers Hope and Encouragement Through Meaningful Relationships
December 20, 2021
EUGENE, Ore.— One of the premier organizations spearheading the mission to reach youth with the Gospel is Youth For Christ (YFC, www.yfc.net). Determined to meet young people during pivotal moments in their lives and come alongside them in support and love, YFC has been a fixture in the mission outreach community for over 75 years.
Joining YFC in their quest to point youth back to Christ is Industrial Finishes, a leader in automotive and industrial coatings. “My wife and I have always supported YFC,” stated Glenn Duckworth, president of Industrial Finishes. “We were first introduced to YFC when we stopped at a YFC Camp for 24 hours and were blown away by the stories of some of the youth and the grace and love of the YFC staff. I realized that day how far away I am from reaching kids with the Gospel, so we have been supporting YFC and their mission ever since.”
In a new initiative to further support YFC, Duckworth and the Industrial Finishes Board set a goal to fund 200 camp scholarships by June 30. This fund would allow area youth to experience YFC’s camps when they otherwise might not be able to afford it.
“A lot of companies are looking for ways to impact their communities—particularly Christian companies—but don’t know where to start” Duckworth commented. “We decided that this was an extremely important goal, not just for the kids or the community, but for the Kingdom of God. Some of the kids might be children of our customers, some might not be, but that’s not the point. We are doing this with a Kingdom-focus.”
Jacob Bland, CEO and president of YFC, said he is encouraged by this generous idea and looks forward to the impact it 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 people and companies like Glenn and the Industrial Finishes team, 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 200 young people who will be impacted by these scholarships.”
Duckworth concluded, “We are so excited to have this opportunity to be part of YFC’s mission in any way we can.”
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 137 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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To interview a Youth For Christ representative, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Jeff Tolson, 610.584.1096, ext. 108, or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 102.
