Merry Chrismas from Hope for Youth!
Upcoming Events December: 6
13
Ice Skating
Even in the south you can’t go into the winter season without ice skating! Our students will have the chance to make memories skating at our annual ice skating day at the Aerodrome near Willowbrook Mall.
Volunteer Appreciation Brunch
Our chance to share how much we love our volunteers! Come dressed as one of the 12 days of Christmas! Memorial Drive Presbyterian 10-11:30 a.m.
January: 5
9
Wishing you and yours a blessed holiday season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.
Volunteer Meeting Happy New Year!
Letter from the Executive Director God is at work in so
a
many exciting ways! I am
for Youth, thank you for
counting our blessings as
being that gift of hope.
I think of our influence
For those of you who give
on America’s next greatest
your financial support to
generation, our wonderful,
perpetuate
selfless,
thank you for allowing
and
gifted
Marcus Allen
volunteers, an incredible
Friday Night Live City of Refuge
Carolina Creek Spring Retreat Every March, we head to Huntsville for our annual spring retreat, we hope you are plan to join us. This year we will be talking with Hope For Youth students about “Running the Race” as found in Hebrews 12:1-2. All sorts of help is needed, including cabin leaders! This is also a great chance for your small group or Sunday school to get involved.
like
the
Hope
Gospel,
God’s provision to come
board and an outstanding
through you!
staff.
May I boldly ask you to
We are so thankful! I’m
make an extra special gift
pleased to announce that
this year? Give to a need as
we have two new Program
well as a want: give a gift of
Directors coming onboard
HOPE. For every dollar you
in
December
on
the
Jordan Reeves
give, God will multiply it
to
build
excellent
work
wait to see what God has
into a blessing that couldn’t
Emily Morris has begun.
in store in 2015 for the
be
Allow me to introduce to
students we are honored
it
you Marcus Allen and
to serve!
and shaken together—it
Jordan Reeves. Together
This
season,
would still run over into
they
we immediately think of
your lap! Would you make
we
material gifts such as video
a year-end donation to
are certain God will use to
games and bicycles, but
Hope for Youth? Would
bring great honor to His
some are thinking of a
you become a faithful,
Name through Hope for
more lasting gift: a gift of
monthly supporter so we
Youth.
HOPE.
can grow our ministry and
For those of you who
participate in setting the
greatest volunteer corps
volunteer
anywhere—at
captives free and proclaim
in all of Houston, I can’t
your church, a hospital,
the year of the Lord’s favor?
bring
exceptional
skills and expertise
March 6-8
nonprofit
Combined
with
the
Christmas
contained—even were
pressed
if
down
Welcome to our Donor Relations Manager, Moriah Hollander Hailing from south Louisiana we are excited to welcome Moriah Hollander as our new Donor
Relations
Manager
to the Hope for Youth team! Moriah began working with us virtually from Louisiana in September before getting m a r r i e d and
hitting
the
ground
running here last
month.
A
recent
graduate of LSU, it has been Moriah’s dream
to
work
for
an
organization that ministers to youth who are so hungry for the love of Christ in their lives. She helped plan “An Evening with Heroes of Hope” and will continue to spread awareness about all Hope for Youth is doing in the Houston area.
Putting on the Cape We loved celebrating our Heroes of Hope at our fall fundraiser Oct. 30th. Congratulations to Susan Torney for winning the George Straight guitar from the silent auction! We heard an inspiring message from Pastor Ikki Soma of City of Refuge Church on the power of a father’s love to be a hero in the life of a youth. One of our youth, Terrence Jackson received a standing ovation after sharing his testimony with guests and we were blessed to have KSBJ’s morning host Coppelia Rivera host the event!
“I absolutely loved emceeing the event and meeting all the wonderful people who make Hope for Youth possible. I especially loved learning more about how Hope for Youth is changing lives. Terrence did an amazing job of sharing his personal story about how God has used Hope for Youth in his own life. What an inspiration! We usually hear the “bad stuff” that is happening with young people in Houston, but Hope for Youth is going in to neighborhoods with God’s love, friendship and food to tangibly bring hope into situations that can seem at times hopeless. I hope the organization is able to do much more as we look to the New Year 2015!” – Coppelia Rivera, KSBJ
Have you Liked us? facebook.com/ hopeforyouth @HopeforYouthTX
Connect with us on facebook, twitter and Linkedin to stay up to date with photos, events and daily encouragement!
Financial Update: Your Support Makes a Difference Hope for Youth operates on a monthly budget of $26,700. As of October 31st, for our first 2 months of our fiscal year, we have received $29,127 leaving a deficit of $24,373. To make a gift of HOPE for a student to receive Bible-based
teaching, small groups interaction, mentoring and gender-based curriculums, please send your check today to: Hope for Youth, P.O. Box 573024 Houston, TX 77257
or make an online donation at: www.hopeforyouth.org. Thank you for your support of this ministry! And thank you for giving to the Lord!
Giving Thanks All we can say is YUM! We celebrated Hope For Youth style at St. John’s downtown with some good ‘ole barbecue and turkey!
We also rang in the annual celebration
with Thanksgiving activities that included the Thankful ABC’s, a NFL football quiz, and a turkey hunt!
Both
students and volunteers love our time together as it gives us a chance to celebrate all that we are thankful for.
Our guys sure do love sports, so we decided to do occasional basketball tournaments as part of our G3 Guys program. This time gives them all a chance to well, be guys and be formed into the young men God intends them to be. They finish up their time with a devotional and time with the male mentors.
Thank You Emily Morris! We are sad Emily Morris is leaving us but so excited for her future assisting the youth ministry at her church! Emily has served as our Program Director since August 2012. She has united our youth and volunteers into the closest knit spiritual family Hope for Youth has seen in years. Emily has been the source of wisdom, teaching and organization that held our programming together. She and her husband Ryan were blessed with a beautiful son this summer, we wish them all the best as they start their family in this new season of life!