"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

- Proverbs 22:6

For more than 50 years, Youth for Christ has committed to youth evangelism and biblical Christianity to see every young person around the world make a decision to be a follower of Jesus Christ and become part of a local church.

Their ministry became a national effort when YFC leaders gathered in Winona Lake in 1944. A young preacher from Chicago, Billy Graham, was hired as the organization's first full-time worker. In 1945, YFC International was officially formed.

Today, "Youth for Christ is an international ministry," said Indiana Lakes Area YFC Executive Director Cindy Reinholt. "We have over 127 chapters across the world."

Locally, Youth for Christ is responsible for reaching out to youth ages 11 to 19 in Marshall, Kosciusko and Fulton counties. They have ministries only at Warsaw Community High School, Lakeview Middle School and Edgewood Middle School, but that may soon change thanks to changes in their governing board.

"We've always had a board. We recently brought in new members and had a retreat to set our goals," said Reinholt. There are 11 members on the board made of local leaders who volunteer their time.

"Our goal would be to expand our ministries to local campuses," she said. YFC also wants to implement the Youth Guidance Program, a referral service through the juvenile justice system that provides mentors for troubled teen-agers throughout the county.

With the school shooting in Littleton, Colo., a month ago, Reinholt said, the need for organizations like YFC is evident.

"I really do think that when you look at the reasons why, it's due to a moral decline," she said.

YFC's national headquarters is eight minutes away from Columbine High School. Reinholt said she has kept in touch with officials there after the school shooting.

"They've seen a great revival. It's really been student-led. Students are trying to reclaim their school and are praying (for their school). There's just story after story about how kids are stepping up," Reinholt said.

A local panel was held by the local YFC with county youth from all different types of backgrounds. They discussed who was to blame for the shootings.

"The kids had a really good gauge on that. They said not one source could be blamed. They talked about how they can step up themselves," Reinholt said. Accepting others and not judging was also a point of discussion on the panel.

"They really felt like they wanted to begin that process for their school(s)," she said.

As the summer begins and classes end, YFC activities are less structured. Groups of members go paint balling or take trips.

"It'll be more fun-oriented and more time for (Campus Life Director Jeff Van Houten) to hang out with the kids," Reinholt said. "Hanging out" with the kids is called "Building Time," Reinholt said, which allows Van Houten to get to know YFC youth better.

At an average high school meeting during the school year, there are 80 youth present. A JV Club meeting, for junior high youth, averages 40 youth in attendance.

"It may be about the same (as previous years). The kickoff we had in the fall was larger than in the past," Reinholt said. "We hope to see those numbers go up."

YFC is currently looking for new local headquarters. They now meet at the Winona Lake parks building. New headquarters will give teen-agers a place to meet and will provide administrative offices.

Reinholt said, "We're just excited about the future and the impact we can make with our kids." [[In-content Ad]]