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OUr
story

Anchored to the rock.
Geared to the times.

In 1944 Billy Graham and Torrey Johnson held a Youth for Christ rally in Chicago. The ministry of YFC spread like wildfire across the US. As YFC was forming into an international organization, Head of the Lakes YFC was one of the founding chapters. The founding motto of YFC is as true to today as it was when it was coined "Anchored to the Rock and geared to the times." YFC has never veered from its commitment to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to lost and hurting young people.

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Since Head of the Lakes Youth for Christ's (HOLYFC) founding in the early 1950's, HOLYFC has faithfully reached young people with the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the Northland. Whether it has been through YFC's trademark high energy youth rallies, to Campus Life clubs in homes, or to visiting troubled youth in the juvenile detention centers. YFC has always had the reputation of going wherever young people are found to share the love of God through “Authentic Christ Sharing Relationships".


For the last 20 years, HOLYFC has been reaching skateboarders, concert goers, and sports enthusiasts through the ministry of the Encounter Youth Center in downtown Duluth. The Encounter was an amazing space that God used to reach many teens, but the number of young people using the space became less and less. What teens were into in 2001 compared to 2021 had changed drastically, and as teen culture changed, so must the way that we reach those young people. In July of 2022 HOLYFC decided, in the best interest of the mission and vision of Youth for Christ, to sell the Encounter and move in a new direction to reach a new generation of students. For us, it was never about a building, but about reaching young people at a pivotal time in life with the transforming message of Jesus.


Today HOLYFC is in a "new era" of reaching the next generation with the same Gospel message - that Jesus loves all people and desires a relationship with them.
Young people are hurting and lost, and we know that Jesus is the only one who has the power to give life, love, hope, purpose, and meaning to all who come. We are committing to coming alongside young people, to meet them where they’re at, and help navigate the pivotal years of middle school and high school.

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Currently HOLYFC has student leaders reaching young people at Duluth East and Duluth Denfeld through the ministry of Campus Life. Our Campus Life students are working to invite others into small Campus Life groups within their schools with the hopes to encourage, pray, and serve one another and their schools. Click on "Ministries" or "Events" to learn more. You can also follow us on our Instagram at duluth_area_campus_life.

Our Mission

YFC reaches young people everywhere, working together with the local church and other like-minded partners to raise up lifelong followers of Jesus who lead by their godliness in lifestyle, devotion to prayer and the Word of God, passion for sharing the love of Christ and commitment to social involvement.

STATEMENT OF FAITH

  • We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.

  • We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

  • We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

  • We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

  • We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

  • We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.

  • We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in Christ.

YFC’s National Ministries have proven, over time, to be transferable and reproducible in various settings across the nation.

CAMPUS LIFE HIGH SCHOOL: Ministers to lost students in local high schools. 

CAMPUS LIFE MIDDLE SCHOOL: Ministers to lost students in local middle schools. 

CAMPUS LIFE MILITARY: Ministers to lost military brats.
CITY LIFE: Ministers to lost teens in urban neighborhoods.
DEAF TEEN QUEST: Ministers to lost teens that are deaf.
JUVENILE JUSTICE MINISTRIES: Ministers to at-risk youth in juvenile institutions. 

PARENT LIFE: Ministers to pregnant and parenting young people.

YFC CORE: Mobilizes teams of Christian kids to reach their lost friends for Christ.

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Five Essentials

  1. Widespread Prayer - We deliberately engage lots of Christians to intercede on behalf of the ministry site.

  2. Loving Relationships - We consistently pursue lost kids & engage them in life-long relationships with Jesus.

  3. Faithful Bible Teaching - We accurately handle Biblical truth, regularly coaching kids to apply it in their lives

  4. Collaborative Community Strategy - We intentionally work together with local churches, agencies and other partners to provide sustainable youth and family ministry.

  5. Adults Who Empower - We strategically develop leaders to reach young people from every people group.

3Story® Relationships -
Our Way of Life

Youth for Christ staff and volunteers are encouraged and trained to live a 3Story life: A way of life that guides followers of Christ to BE good news while telling stories of THE Good News. It is a way of seeing how the relationships we have with other people and God can be connected and grown. 3Story is not an evangelism tool or method, it is who we want to be and how we want to live. In YFC, 3Story is our living operating system. Our hope is that it becomes our DNA.

 

For more information about 3Story,

click here.

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