Metro Maryland Youth For Christ

Metro Maryland Youth For Christ is a religious organization for young people in Maryland, United States.

Background

Metro Maryland Youth For Christ is a local affiliate of Youth For Christ USA which was co-founded by the Reverend Billy Graham and then-evangelist Charles Templeton. Graham was Youth For Christ’s first full-time staff member. Youth for Christ now consists of thousands of staff and volunteers who minister in over 100 nations and in 100 cities in the United States.

According to Baltimore's Afro-American newspaper reporter Beverly Richards, “Youth for Christ has been in Baltimore since 1946 and was then known as Baltimore Youth For Christ. In its early years, the group hosted a variety of rallies in stadiums and theatres throughout the country including the Lyric Opera House. The rallies featured speakers including the young Billy Graham, who happened to be one of the first national YFC staff members. In the early ‘70s, Baltimore YFC was changed to Metro-Maryland Youth for Christ. ‘And with that, came a format change to a club-style meeting focusing on fun, talking about issues that youth face daily and wrapping up with biblical wisdom on those issues. The Campus Life Clubs continue to take place in schools and parents homes and focus on reaching kids who do not have the opportunity to be a part of the church, said MMYFC Executive Director Robert Arnold.’”[1]

The Metro Maryland Youth For Christ Chapter works with youth in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, and Howard Counties and Baltimore City and provides a variety of non-denominational, para-church ministries that communicate the life-changing message of Jesus Christ including:

Ministries

Campus Life High School and Middle School Clubs

Campus Life High School and Middle School Clubs hold weekly meetings that provide an exciting and relevant venue for youth to create a network of friends and mentors, and discuss issues they face daily. Campus Life provides a balanced life approach to life to give teens the skills and hope they need to live in a turbulent world.

Hope for the Rejected

Hope for the Rejected (HFTR) is a Metro Maryland Youth for Christ Ministry that focuses on subculture people such as Goths, Punks, Skateboarders, the Hardcore scene and others. Hope for the Rejected holds frequent events to communicate the Gospel in a relevant way to subculture people such as the Unified Underground Conference, the annual Rootbeer Kegger, Christmas for Misfits toy drive and more. HFTR has a branch of ministry Kobra Klutch that holds shows/concerts each month to provide the music cultures with a venue to gather and enjoy music as well as a place where Christian and secular bands can share their beliefs from stage. The Asylum is another branch of ministry within HFTR that focuses primarily on the Goth culture to provide a place at music festivals for Goths to gather and a network through the Internet and phone conversations for those who need fellowship, counseling, and a shoulder to cry on or just a friend to be there for them. HFTR holds weekly Bible studies and discussion groups for the disenfranchised youth that would never darken the doors of a church.

The Net

The Net is a Metro Maryland Youth For Christ resource center partnering with the local community providing services and creative, cutting edge outreach programs for schools, community organizations, local government agencies (Baltimore Police Department) and churches.

Project Serve

Project Serve is the short-term mission trip ministry of Youth for Christ. Metro Maryland Youth For Christ has sponsored teams to the Philippines, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and areas of Baltimore City. Children’s Bible School, youth camps, community clean-up, construction projects and medical clinics are all part of this outreach.

Parent Life

The Teen Parents Youth For Christ ministry connects caring adults with pregnant girls and teenage parents in programs designed to help them make good choices and establish a solid foundation, not only in their lives but also in the lives of their children.

Events

Alive Middle School And Impact High School Conferences

Since 1990, over 75,000 students and youth workers have attended Metro Maryland Youth For Christ’s conferences held in Ocean City, Maryland. The ALIVE Middle School and IMPACT High School conferences have provided hundreds of churches and youth groups with high energy, inspirational weekends featuring outstanding national Christian motivational speakers, leadership trainers, musicians and performers. Among the speakers, musicians and performers: Darrell Scott, Bob Lenz, Joel Sonnenberg, Greg Speck, Mark Yaconelli, Steve Fitzhugh, Reggie Dabbs, Lori Salierno, Leonard Sweet, Josh Weidmann, Sharon Hersch, Brennan Manning, Robbie Seay Band, Kutless, Pocket Full of Rocks, Lincoln Brewster, Audio Adrenaline, Fusebox, Sandtown Children’s Choir, Skillet, David Crowder Band, Jars of Clay, Coastalrise, Jennifer Knapp, Supertones, Big Tent Revival, onetimeblind, Jesus Painter, Curt Cloninger, Taylor Mason, Dave the Horn Guy, Skit Guys, and more.

National speaker Darrell Scott was just one of many speakers who shared his inspirational story. According to Carl Whitehill, Staff Writer of the Ocean Pines Independent, “He gave them something to think about. It’s not often you find a room of more than 3,000 teenagers quiet, motionless and in the palm of your hand. How do you do it? You give them a message. Darrell Scott did just that. The father of Rachel Joy Scott, a student at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., had each and every person in the convention center in his grasp. He shared tragic details of April 20, 1999 – the day his daughter was shot to death by Eric Harris who ran the halls of Columbine with his friend killing 12 classmates and a teacher. Scott told a story of his daughter’s relationship with God and why it is important to him as he continues to mourn her loss. He spoke at Impact 2000, a Youth For Christ conference held last weekend at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City.” [2]

Avalanche Winter Retreat

Metro Maryland Youth For Christ sponsors the Avalanche Winter Retreat, a weekend of skiing, snowboarding, adventurous activities and meetings that encourage spiritual growth.

Encounter Room

Designed for Metro Maryland Youth For Christ Conferences as an interactive, sensory experience, the Encounter Room, through its artistry and imagery, provides a place for retreat and contemplation.

Unified Underground Conference

Started in 2007, Unified Underground has been a gathering place for the Christian Leadership of the subcultural community nationwide. Held in Annapolis, Maryland, Unified Underground is a conference for youth and young adults who don’t fit the mainstream churches’ mold. Punks, Goths, Hardcore kids, Rockabilly, Metal Heads, Skaters, etc. not only attend this conference, but are the speakers, the bands and the breakout session leaders. Unified Underground has had many speakers over the past few years: Jason Berggren (former front man of Strongarm), Shawn Jonas (former front man of Zao & Symphony in Peril), Pastor Joshua Stump (Pastor of The Anchor Nashville), Pastor Skip Brooks (Pastor of Rise Above San Antonio TX), Thom Green (Pastor of Tithemi Redlands CA & front man of Sleeping Giant), and David Dellman (Goth Elder, Founder of Gothic Christianity and Hope for the Rejected Staff). In addition, Unified Underground has had the pleasure of some of the best Underground Christian Bands performing at our conference: The Last Hope, Leper, Sleeping Giant, FBS, OCD War of Ages, Bridge Shadows and Plea for Purging. This conference is a unique gathering of Christians, particularly of those who may not fit the traditional mold.

The Voice, Get A Life! And Crossroads Summer Retreats

Metro Maryland Youth For Christ sponsors three summer beach retreats at Cape Henlopen, Delaware, with a variety of fun activities and meetings to help students grow deeper in their spirituality.

Support Opportunities

While each Metro Maryland Youth For Christ staff member is responsible for raising funds through a network of individual and business donors, a majority of support is raised through two community fundraising events:

Friends Of Metro Maryland Youth For Christ Fundraising Banquet

The annual Friends of Youth For Christ Fundraising Banquet highlights the works and accomplishments of YFC/Campus Life staff and volunteers and testimonies from teenagers and adults who have been positively impacted by the programs. The banquet has featured a variety of acclaimed keynote speakers among them: Multi-Grammy and Dove-Award Winning singers, songwriters and authors Vince Gill, Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith, Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, two-time Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Deborah Norville, Olympic gymnastics gold medalist and author Mary Lou Retton, Former U.S. Congressman and football hero J.C. Watts and world-renowned Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and best selling author Dr. Ben Carson.

Metro Maryland Youth For Christ Golf Challenge

Metro Maryland Youth for Christ holds The Annual Metro Maryland Youth For Christ Golf Challenge that is sponsored by local businesses. The Challenge is followed by an awards ceremony with highlights of the Metro Maryland Youth For Christ ministry and testimonials from youth and adults who have been positively impacted by the ministry.

Marcie Arnold Memorial Scholarship Fund

Marcie Arnold died at the age of 23. She touched many lives especially youth on the fringe who exhibited great needs and challenges. The Marcie Arnold Memorial Scholarship Fund’s goal is to provide financial assistance to youth who want to attend a Youth for Christ Conference.

Metro Maryland Youth For Christ Staff And Locations

Metro Maryland Youth For Christ Staff has a combined 250 years of experience in youth ministry in

Metro Maryland Youth For Christ Contact Information

8900 Belair Road, Perry Hall, MD 21236 410-529-4434 or Toll Free: 1-877-896-3802

References

  1. ↑ “Geared for the times: Metro-Maryland Youth For Christ,” Afro American newspaper, Baltimore, MD, 2007-05-19.
  2. ↑ “Father of Columbine victim offers touching message in OC,” Ocean Pines Independent newspaper, Ocean City, MD, 2000-04-05.

External links

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