Calendar . Volume 07 | Issue 11

Volume 07, Issue 11

Youth For Christ
by Michael Catt

Warren and Betty Wiersbe just returned from a reunion of over 100 who served in Youth For Christ in the early days. When you think about the impact of Youth For Christ nationally and internationally, it can only be explained by the power of God.

The Reunion was held at Winona Lake, May 31, June 1 and 1. The program included former YFC leaders like Jay Kesler, Warren Wiersbe, and Paul Robbins with Teen Team musicale.

Here’s a little history from the YFC website.

“Since 1944, Youth for Christ has had a distinctive history of youth evangelism. In the early 1940s, during World War II, many young men, mostly ministers and evangelists, were holding large rallies in Canada, England and the United States. As the hunger for God’s Word grew it became evident that there needed to be someone to coordinate this movement, providing leadership, strategy, and coordinating speakers, musicians and locations. Beginning in dozens of cities at the end of World War II, YFC quickly organized into a national movement. Billy Graham became YFC’s first full-time staff member.

Starting with Saturday night youth rallies in the late 1940s and early 1950s, YFC’s ministry methodology turned to Bible Clubs in the late 50s and 60s. It was in this period of ministry that the concept of teen to teen evangelism was birthed. Then in the middle sixties and early seventies Campus Life and Campus Life/JV ministries to senior and junior high youth began to be the thrust of YFC ministry.

Throughout YFC’s history there has been an unwavering commitment to youth evangelism and biblical Christianity. One of YFC’s slogans over the past fifty years has been “Anchored to the Rock, Geared to the Times”-the message of the gospel will never change and YFC is flexible to creatively communicate this message of hope, grace and love in the context of different cultural settings.”

We should all be grateful to God for the vision of YFC and those men and women who paved the way and reached thousands of young people for Christ.