Calling all dads!
Seventy-five percent of the children in our city live in homes headed by a single parent. 75%! More often than not, these are fatherless homes. There is no man in the house to bring stability, discipline, boundaries, security, confidence, play and masculine love. That has a devastating impact on our children.
At Youth For Christ, we feel strongly led to do something about this issue in 2021. Fatherlessness is at the root of so many of the problems we face in our society. Our children need fathers, and this is particularly true for boys. We all know it, and now is the time to do something about it.
“It’s time, we’re ready, let’s do it!”
– Pastor Mike Peace, Bethel Express
Over the past couple months Youth For Christ met with many pastors and church leaders in our community to discuss this epidemic of broken families and begin to work towards finding a solution. Out of those discussions the Fatherhood Initiative was formed.
The response so far has been very encouraging. Over 20 men and women joined a recent Tuesday-night planning meeting in the sanctuary at YFC. All of us understand the urgency of the situation; none of us want to see another generation lost. Together, we can stand in the gap and become part of the solution.
From Executive Director Mike Hennessy
In our end-of-the-year newsletter we described our vision to make the YFC building at 1 Favor Street the hub and spoke for all things youth in our region. God has blessed us with a strategic location at the center of our city and region, both geographically and spiritually. Our challenge is to make the building hum 24/7 with Godly YFC programs and expanded partnerships with churches and others who are doing the work of the Lord.
The Fatherhood Initiative is the “first fruits” of that vision. Going forward, Youth For Christ would like to offer an expanded slate of Father/Son – Mentor/Youth activities, including:
- Basketball nights
- Weekend Camping Trips and other outings
- Royal Rangers or Christian Service Brigade
A long term goal is to establish a team of men ready, willing and able to do outreach on a regular basis into our city’s high schools. Right now we see church groups and agencies making a difference in our elementary schools, but few if any focus on high school, where many boys will become fathers themselves.
We also want to build closer ties to our State and Federal Social Service Agencies and programs. They can refer children to us and we in turn can help the kids in our programs find the help and services they need.
How You Can Help
During that Tuesday night planning meeting many men spoke movingly about the effect of fatherlessness on their own life. One man said that very often, “Moms raise their daughters, but the boys just grow up.”
If they don’t have a Father in their home, boys (and girls) will gravitate to whatever male role model they can find. Too often that is an older boy, or the men on the street-corner, many of whom had no father themselves. Our children’s lives are at risk. Boys need men to learn how to become men.
If you were blessed to have a faithful father, imagine how your life would have been different without him. Think of what it would mean to a boy without a father if you brought some discipline, confidence, stability, and love to his life.
Are you hearing the Lord’s call on your life to be a mentor to our youth? Email us or call (585) 256-5050.
Read all about it in our latest newsletter – click here.
