Presenting every youth complete in Christ! Hope For Youth builds and maintains long-term Christian mentoring relationships with urban youth to challenge and enable them to reach their full potential spiritually, academically, and socially.
September 2014
Fall is fast approaching which means summer is almost over! Too bad our weather will be the same until December! This summer at HFY was jampacked with fun activities:
Jesus ‘N the ‘Hood was a huge success - we had about 126 kids and 170 volunteers join us during the week. Praise God! It was an amazing time of fellowship, fun, games, and the Word spoken by awesome guest speakers. We spent the week learning about, and focusing on, the true nature of God and His unfailing love for us. Thank you so much for all the volunteers that came throughout the week! We could not have done it without you!
Our HFY cookout was a time for volunteers to relax and enjoy some food and fun! We presented awards, played games, and just had a good time! HFY staff had an awesome time getting to know the volunteers more and just wanted to show a token of our appreciation!
The kickball tournament was a chance for the kids to run off some of their energy and work together as a team. Many of our kids liked it and asked for more sports related activities so be prepared! This summer we were blessed to be able to send 65 youth to Stoney Creek and
Kids Across America Christian camps. These camps are, without a doubt, the highlight of the year for our youth and are truly life-changing experiences for them. We were able to send more youth this year than in the past through the generous support of one our ministry partners - Second Baptist Church. On behalf of the youth and everyone at HFY, THANK YOU!!!
Welcome to our new board members.
Save the Date for our Fall Gala!
We are excited to announce that, Diane Davis, Wendy Toups, Kevin Smith, Erica Jones, and Tiyona Taylor have joined our board of directors. We are excited to have them join the team as we work to develop and expand the ministry of Hope For Youth. We also want to thank Webb Crunk, Rachel David, and Javier Ayala for their faithful service over the years as they roll off of the board.
On Thursday, October 30, 2014, Hope For Youth will be holding its annual fundraising dinner at the Junior League of Houston. Please plan on joining us for an evening of fun and the opportunity to support Hope For Youth! For more information, contact Jerry Reeves (jerry@hopeforyouth.org).
My First Time at KAA by Sharne Chen, Ministry Coordinator On August 2th, 45 HFY students and 7 volunteers travelled to Golden, MO to attend Kids Across America (KAA) summer camp for one week. KAA is a Christian camp designed to “Transform urban youth to impact their communities for Christ.” Throughout the week, the youth are immersed in various sports activities such as tubing, basketball, and zip-lining. Most importantly, however, throughout the week they also experience the love of Christ through the teachings and leading of speakers and camp counselors. Over the years, KAA has been a key summer highlight for many HFY students and volunteers. I had heard so many good things about KAA trips in the past and was so excited for what God had in store for us this year! At KAA, God taught me a lesson about making assumptions. Many of the kids that went to KAA were students who regularly attend the HFY events and small group meetings so I assumed that these students were already saved. On Wednesday we had an event called Crosstalk, where the gospel message was presented in a very visual and compelling way. This particular presentation is one of the key events of KAA. The students got to see a representation of Jesus’ crucifixion and were given the opportunity to accept Him in their life or recommit themselves to Him. At the end of the presentation, when the invitation was given, I was surprised to see a particular student stand up and give his life to Christ. I had assumed that this young man was saved already because he regularly participates in HFY programs and activities. Obviously, I was wrong! God taught me an important lesson that night about not making assumptions but instead, making the extra effort to get to know these kids on a personal, spiritual level so that others won’t fall through the cracks and miss out on the opportunity to know who Christ really is like this young man almost did. At our HFY events, I’m doing a billion things and frequently don’t get a chance to sit down and just talk with our students. At KAA, there is a set block of time for us to talk with the youth and get to really know them. I had the chance to pray with some of our girls and I was able to see the transformation of Christ in their lives. For me, KAA was an awe -inspiring, life-changing experience and I can’t wait for next year!!
Thank you Brianne!! This summer we were pleased to have Brianne Farrell work with us as a summer intern. Brianne is a sociology major at Texas A&M. She joined the Hope for Youth staff as an intern for college credit in June and stayed on to work with us through the summer. While we were happy to have some extra help, we had no idea how much God had blessed us with Brianne! Her enthusiasm and passion for the mission, as well as her creativity and work ethic enabled her to play a key role in making Jesus ‘N the ‘Hood such a great success! Additionally she’s assisted with data entry, student communication, and the planning and execution of several other summer events and activities. On top of it all, she is a genuine delight to be around!! We are thankful and blessed to have had the privilege to work with Brianne and pray God’s richest blessings on her in her future!
Fall Schedule of Events September 5 - Friday Night Live September 11– Small Groups Resume October 14—New Volunteer Orientation October 30— Fall Fundraiser Dinner November 1—Saturday Night Live November 15—Thanksgiving Luncheon
Hope For Youth