YFC Board Member Bikes Cross-Country to Start YFC Ministries in New Cities
August 18, 2021
INDIANAPOLIS— It started in Everett, Washington, on July 9, 2021, when Youth For Christ (YFC, www.yfc.net) Board Member Mike Robertsontook up the challenge to ridehis bike across the entire United States of America—which equals 1,258,620 pedal strokes or3,814miles in 34 days—all for the sake of increasing the ministry impact of YFC in new cities.
One stop for Robertson that was especially meaningful during his journey was in Indianapolis. YFC has been ministering to young people in Indianapolis for 76 years, with Indianapolis being one of the first cities to launch this relational ministry. “Due to this legacy and the decades of impact that YFC has had on the young people in Indianapolis, I wanted to pass this blessing on to a new city,” said Robertson, who is also Board Chair of the Central Indianapolis YFC. “This will help a new YFC team start their own legacy of this life-changing ministry in their own town.”
Robertson had lots of support along the way, and was joined by friends and family at various points in the journey while scores of people followed his progress online.
“We followed our Board Chair Michael Robertson’s progress with great enthusiasm as he cycled across the country—in a relatively short amount of time,” said Central Indianapolis Executive Director, Ali King. “As part of his adventure, he raised money to help launch YFC ministries in other cities through YFC USA, so that their kids have access to the same care our kids do in Indy.”
Robertson, who recorded his progress on his Facebook page with posts from the Relive app, posted this thought on August 7:
Mind Games – “To do this ride, many times you must switch from Macro to Micro thinking. For example, instead of thinking, ‘I have to ride 147 miles today,’ I’ll switch to how many miles to the next rest stop—always less than 30 miles. To this end, it will take 1,258,620 pedal strokes to cross the country. Impossible things in life can be done when you break them down to small elements. My church is reading the New Testament this year in a similar manner—one section a week. A powerful tool.”
In September, YFC USA will be hosting a National Conference in Indianapolis focused on equipping and caring for YFC Leaders who creatively and authentically engage young people facing pivotal moments such as increased loneliness, mental health, family situations, and much more.
YFC haschapters impacting thousands of communities across the nation that seek out and serve youth from all walks of life. Many teens are silently struggling through a variety of challenging issues—and now they see the living power of a loving God. YFC 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 in order 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 approximately 140 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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