Juvenile Justice Ministry
In Kansas City, Youth For Christ’s Juvenile Justice Ministry is passionate about reaching youth who feel overlooked in the justice system. They look for humble and authentic volunteers to be the hands and feet of Jesus. This is so young people feel seen, heard, and valued. In some situations, it can be easy to feel neglected or forgotten. The goal is to have volunteers who are ready to come alongside youth and support them through this pivotal time that makes all the difference in the world.
Outstanding Volunteer
At YFC Serving Kansas City, one volunteer went above and beyond to reach youth in the justice system after a challenge from his local church. Bob is a retired police officer of 40 years. He approached YFC Serving Kansas City Executive Director Alex Mathew. With that said, he asked what a former police officer could do for the organization. Bob had a heart to serve, and under YFC’s training, he began to connect with youth who are incarcerated in his own community of Kansas City.
Mathew remarked on Bob’s willingness to serve: “What’s really powerful about this is to see how God can use someone that was a former police officer to reach kids in the system. Kids care about how big your heart is. Bob’s posture is in the right place. He is concerned about what the youth would think about his career, so when kids ask him what he did, he often says he was in social services. This was because he doesn’t want to make his career a barrier. However, in the past, when some youth found out that he was a former police officer, and they actually respected him even more.”
Volunteer’s Calling
Through his training with YFC, Bob received a prayer card of a student and felt the Lord calling him to minister to him. Bob began a mentoring relationship with the student. After he was transferred to a state facility, Bob drove over an hour each way to stay connected. At the student’s high school graduation in the state facility, Bob was there with family to celebrate. The student’s family does not speak much English, but at the graduation celebration, words were not needed to feel the love Bob had for his friend.
Mathew commented, “They can’t communicate many words to each other. However, you can see God working despite that. Some people believe that there are too many barriers to fully love. I feel like we have to turn off the news, start loving our neighbors and stop thinking about the excuses because Bob didn’t— Bob never had an excuse. You can look at the impact he’s had on this community.”
Bob is now the YFC Juvenile Justice Ministry Site Director at a county facility. He also continues to recruit more volunteers from his community and his church.
