Give Hope to the Youth…
#GivingTuesday 11.30.2021
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Youth 71Five Ministries
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 icb
Relational Ministry
We exist to share God’s story with young people through trusting relationships in any relevant way.
Find out more about each of our unique youth ministries by clicking the button >>>
““Wisdom begins with respect for the Lord. And understanding begins with knowing God, the Holy One.” — Proverbs 9:10 . Powered by BibleGateway.com.
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TRUST TO HOPE
Youth 71Five Ministries provides many opportunities for loving, caring, Christ-following adults to engage in the lives of lost and hurting kids. We aim to bring hope through relationship; providing a safe place to belong and sharing the message of the Gospel. There are a number of ways for you to be involved in the work God is doing in the Rogue Valley – there is a place for you on our team! Young people desperately need your friendship and the love of Jesus in their lives. Through your involvement and God’s power, we will see young lives transformed.
kids need a safe place
Too many kids lack nurturing homes and a sense of belonging. At our 71Five Campus Youth Centers, 71Five City Community Center and 71Five VoTech Training Centers, kids find a safe, fun place to relax and caring adults who take the time to know them. 71Five Campus programs provide opportunities to discuss life lessons from a Christ-centered perspective. 71Five City is an effective ministry model to transform the lives of inner-city youth, their families and the neighborhood communities that they live in.
kids need hope and encouragement
Many young people make poor decisions related to drugs and violence. These kids often end up in Juvenile Detention Centers feeling broken and hopeless. And our 71Five Connect Workshop reaches kids with a powerful resiliency program in local schools. The 71Five Justice and 71Five Connect staff and volunteers offer listening ears and the hope and encouragement found in a relationship with God.
kids need someone to imitate
Kids are always looking for role models to imitate, but many are growing up in relational poverty where they have no good role models to follow. Our 71Five Justice, 71Five Mentors, 71Five Parents and 71Five VoTech mentoring programs provide young people with long term trusting relationships with adults that form the foundation for healthy influence.
we are unique in our work
Although we offer fun and helpful programs for kids, our real work is building the relationships necessary for kids to thrive. By providing places where youth feel secure, by delivering a message of real hope, and by being people kids can truly count on, we are seeing lives transformed.
We mobilize responsible caring adults to be engaged in authentic trusting relationships with at-risk youth. These relationships are pivotal to building the foundation for guiding young people by helping them to develop the mental, physical, social, and spiritual components of their lives.
Youth 71Five Ministries Includes:
Youth 71Five Ministries exists to share the hope found in God’s story with young people through authentic, trusting relationship in any relevant way. We believe that influence happens best through healthy, authentic, and trusting relationships.
Within these ministries, 71Five Camp, 71Five Campus, 71Five City, 71Five Connect, 71Five Justice, 71Five Mentoring, 71Five Parents, and 71Five VoTech; We mobilize responsible caring adults to be engaged in authentic mentoring relationships with at-risk youth. These relationships are pivotal to building the foundation for guiding young people by helping them to develop the mental, physical, social, and spiritual components of their lives.
71Five Events:
Youth 71Five Ministries is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization supported through the generosity of individuals, foundations and businesses like you. Check out these great ways to participate and fundraise for a great cause!
Youth 71Five Ministries Involvement:
Oregon Business magazine announced Youth 71Five Ministries is a 100 Best Nonprofit to work for! Youth 71Five Ministries is not only a workplace to grow and develop professionally, it’s a place that will change you personally. Our organization is also proud to be a GuideStar Platinum Nonprofit Profile participant. Platinum lets us show quantitative metrics on the progress we’re making toward our mission. We thank God for your generosity and we promise to use your financial gift wisely. Youth 71Five Ministries depends on the involvement of caring adults to accomplish our mission—to reach local teens with the message that God loves them and has a plan for their lives. We are asking God to raise up an army of caring adults who will establish relationships with the youth in our communities. We need volunteers who will serve directly with students, mentoring advocates, intercessors, financial partners, and administrative help in the office. Wherever your gifts and talents lie, you can make an eternal difference in a young person’s life.
you can get involved
Operating in Jackson and Josephine Counties: (5) 71Five Campus programs, (3) Youth Centers, (2) Community Centers, and (2) Training Centers. Additional mentoring through 71Five Justice, 71Five Parents, and 71Five Mentors initiatives. 71Five Connect youth resiliency workshops for Middle School and High School students and teachers. 71Five Camps for Middle School and High School kids in the summer.
Ready to volunteer? Give us your info and we’ll be in touch.
Life Change Kid Story Blog:
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19
Oct '21
his name is Jeffrey
19
Oct '21
During the lesson, there’s always one kid who raises his hand. He doesn’t raise his hand because he has a question, he raises it because he wants to share his contradictions. His name is Jeffrey and he’s an agnostic. Jeffrey has been attending club and field trips for over a year now. Even though he doesn’t believe in God, he loves everything about 71Five and always participates in our activities. One day at club I pulled Jeffrey aside. I told him, “Instead of spending all of your time trying to disprove there’s a God, you should shift your focus to trying to prove that there is one.” He just shrugged his head to confirm he heard me. Several weeks later while sharing the lesson, sure enough his hand went up but I didn’t call on him. After I finished he came forward to talk to me. I said “I know, I know… You’re going to try to disprove there’s a God.” He responded, “No, I’m passed that.” I asked him, “Passed what?” He said, “I’m passed trying to disprove there’s a God. I believe there is one now. I actually took your advice and now I want to learn more.” I looked at him in disbelief, told him I was going to cry, gave him a big hug! I invited him to bible study, and he said yes.
As 71Five leaders encourage young people, hope is offered through a relationship with God that will make an eternal difference in that young person’s life. Thank you for making this possible!!
FARRAH GUTHRIE, 71Five Campus – Grants Pass Coordinator
(541) 840-6544 | farrah@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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08
Oct '21
tatts, fun hair, and Jesus
08
Oct '21
I recently had a conversation with Anie; a young lady who began attending 71Five Parents Night in her first trimester. Anie expressed herself through her appearance in ways that were not openly accepted by the conservative church she grew up knowing. We were talking one day, and she told me that she had never met someone like me; “You have fun hair, tattoos, and really love Jesus.” Anie wanted to be all in with Jesus, but she also wanted the freedom to express her style. We continued to talk about who Jesus is, what He has done, and who we are in Him. It has been a blessing watching God take her through the journey of seeking Him more.
“71Five exists to share God’s story with young people through trusting relationships in any relevant way.” Sometimes its “fun hair, and tattoos” that allow us opportunities to share who Jesus is!
TERESA TONINI, 71Five Parents Coordinator
(541) 941-1143 | teresa@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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04
Oct '21
not a fan?
04
Oct '21
Cody doesn’t hide his hesitation towards God. We’ve been getting to know Cody throughout the summer. He comes to almost all of our club nights and events. We have seen that Cody isn’t the most interested in the activities at club and he has shown us that he is not a fan of Christianity. He doesn’t always want to be involved in games, has walked away during prayer, and has rolled his eyes and become audibly irritated when we say it’s time for the message. Although Cody does these things, he still shows up week after week. You can tell that he feels loved and cared for by the leaders because he is sad and asks about them when they aren’t around and is affectionate when they are around. At the end of every club we ask for prayer requests. One week, Cody had remembered that one of our leaders knew someone battling Covid and he brought up that we should pray for that person. Cody went from walking away irritated during prayer, to suggesting we pray for someone who was struggling.
It is amazing to see the way God moves in the hearts of young people. The kids don’t often tell us how their lives are being transformed by God, but we get to witness it in moments like this.
MELANIE CIENFUEGOS, 71Five Campus – Phoenix Talent Coordinator
(916) 671-4128 | melanie@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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28
Sep '21
What 3 F’s?
28
Sep '21
At 71Five City – West Medford I asked the youth why they liked Thursday Night Kids Club. Without hesitation Kylah shouted, “The three F’s.” I challenged her by asking, “What three F’s?” She quickly responded, “Food, Faith and Fun,” as she referred to the format of our weekly time together. Every week we sit down to enjoy a family style dinner with Kylah and almost 20 other young kids in the West Medford community. We spend time catching up with each other as we prepare for a night of fun and games, but, before we transition, we always take time to discuss our faith. While some kids seem to be impatiently tolerating the conversations, Kylah is totally engaged, raising her hand before we can even finish the questions. When I asked which is her favorite part she explained, “Faith, it’s fun to talk about God.”
Thank you for sharing the hope found in Jesus with Kylah. Her faith is growing because of your faithful partnership.
KEN RUIZ 71Five City – West Medford Coordinator
(916) 519-4679 | ken@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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20
Sep '21
Come to Jesus Moment
20
Sep '21
Summer brings 71Five Camp. This year I had a small group of boys that just kind of flocked to me. The small group camp setting cultivated a space for these boys where they could be real and genuine about anything in their lives. We had some goofy moments and other times the conversations went extremely deep which created a tight bond between us. We had several great bible conversations with a lot of breakthrough moments! The highlight for me was on the last day when I asked what God had done in each of their lives while at 71Five Camp. The response from one of the boys was perfectly said, “Being able to meet other people with as many problems as I have and who want to come to Jesus.” He comes from a very dark and rough background, like so many others, yet here he is saying he wants to come to Jesus!
This is a huge step in the life of this young man and I am so very excited to watch God work in his life! Thank you for caring for the youth and providing kids like this the opportunities to go to 71Five Camp.
DANIEL PETERSON, 71Five Campus Coordinator – Gold Hill
(541) 761-7589 | daniel@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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13
Sep '21
“Beau! Your food is on me tonight!”
13
Sep '21
What a great way to be greeted at Mod Pizza when you walk in the door! Clayton is a kid I met in detention a couple years ago. He was transferred to Barriers to Bridges, a 6-month residential program at the detention center and participated in 71Five Justice’s Break the Cycle bike program every week. When we politely tried to refuse his generosity, he said, “I really want to do this for you, you have done so much for me, I want to pay it forward! And you know, you can give me a hug now if you want to!” After a big hug, and lots of smiles all the way around, we got our food and he asked if he could join us for his break. He told us how grateful he was for Youth 71Five Ministries during his time in the program and we made plans to connect.
What a blessing to build these friendships and have such a powerful platform from which to share the hope that lies in the gospel! Thank you for all that you do to ensure this work continues in these trying times. May God bless you all richly.
What a blessing to build these friendships and have such a powerful platform from which to share the hope that lies in the gospel! Thank you for all that you do to ensure this work continues in these trying times. May God bless you all richly.
BEAU JESKA, 71Five Justice Coordinator
(541) 601-9631 | beau@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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08
Sep '21
“I’m an Atheist”
08
Sep '21
“Hi, I’m Joe and I’m an atheist.” That’s how one of my students started his “testimony” of how God had worked in his heart at 71Five Camp. There were a lot of impactful testimonies shared that night. We heard time after time of tragedies that God turned into a redemptive story. But Joe’s story was different. He started with being clear he’s still an atheist. Joe went on to share how, despite his being an atheist, he sees how much love he gets at 71Five from “you Christians and your God”. Despite the fact that Joe doesn’t believe in God, he sees a difference in us. He knows we love him unconditionally, even though we don’t agree with him. Wouldn’t it be nice if the rest of society worked like that? Joe found safety and love at Youth 71Five Ministries, like a lot of kids do. Joe hasn’t found Jesus yet, but he’s honest with us about where he is spiritually.
Thank you so much for helping kids like Joe see there is a difference in the love that God gives vs. the rest of the world. Thanks for allowing us the opportunity to be Jesus to kids in need. We can’t do what we do without faithful volunteers, financial donors, and prayer warriors. If you would like to do more to change the lives of young people, I’d love to talk with you.
TIM HARDY, 71Five Campus Ministry Director
(541) 840-0960 | tim@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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30
Aug '21
God is good . . .
30
Aug '21
Over a year ago I wrote about Seasons and how we all were experiencing a season like no other with the COVID virus and an uncertain economy. I wrote about how the needs of young people have only increased during unsettling times and how uncertainty can produce huge amounts of fear in us requiring wisdom, faith, and courage. Wisdom, to understand reality. Faith, to trust God and take appropriate action. Courage is always a part of faith because we must act on convictions of things unseen. I mentioned how young people need you as well, how they rely on 71Five and 71Five relies on your faithful and courageous investment in the work.
A year and a half later all of us have faced challenges, some great and some small. At 71Five we experienced loss, things haven’t always gone our way, and work has been harder than we thought. I wrote the words above even before the hardship of the local fires. But… I can tell you… God has been so good! We’ve seen huge numbers of kids involved with our programs, we’ve literally saved lives of kids considering suicide, and our building projects are completed despite huge cost increases and delays due to the pandemic and fires. Best of all, young people are experiencing the eternal and indestructible hope found in Jesus. Please hear me when I say thank you! Thank you to God who has been so faithful and to you for being the way in which He provided so much!
BUD AMUNDSEN, 71Five Executive Director
(541) 301-0897 | bud@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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23
Aug '21
How could I not be happy?
23
Aug '21
At 71Five’s Middle School Camp, we had small group discussions in our cabin after Chapel. During one session, I shared a few pertinent details of my testimony. Sometimes you never quite know if kids are listening, but you just hope they are. Shortly after, I walked by Natalie and she shook her head saying, “I just can’t see it…I just can’t see it.” I laughed and curiously asked, what can’t you see? She said, “I just can’t see you like that…and now, now you’re just so…happy!” Her tone was that of confusion and happiness together. I laughed with her and said, “I know! Even though I didn’t really know God in my youth, He was protecting me and helped me find my way to Him where I found forgiveness, redemption, peace, and true happiness. So how could I not be happy?”
The next morning Natalie so sweetly asked if I would be the one to baptize her that day. I was excited for her and honored to be a part of her story! Sometimes when you think you’re not making a difference in a young person’s life, God has a way of showing you the truth and blessing you along the way. Thank you for making 71Five Camp happen. A place where kids can feel safe, relate with others, and find the Way, the Truth, and the Life… where they can find Jesus.
DARLENE HARPER, 71Five Mentors Coordinator
(805) 202-9125 | darlene@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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18
Aug '21
Where are you?
18
Aug '21
While at 71Five VoTech, one student, Thom, was very open to share his love for Jesus with the other students. Admittedly, his bible knowledge was sometimes a little off, but he told me that he felt called to help anyone that needed to hear a good word. I usually didn’t correct him on the spot as I knew his heart was in the right place. I realized I hadn’t seen him for a while, so I shot him a text. I asked if he would like to come to my house for dinner sometime. He texted me right back saying, “Yes, how about tomorrow?” The next day I called him. So, where are you, I asked. He said he was downtown walking. I asked if I could swing by and pick him up. He agreed and as we drove, we talked. I found out that he moved out of his house and was living in the laundry room of a family that took him in. Also, he was working almost full time and trying his best to do well. At our house we had dinner and watched a little TV. Then on the way home he started to talk. He shared how important God was in his life and he new that God was there taking care of him. As I let him out in the middle of town, I told him he can come over anytime. He smiled and thanked me and as he turned to go, with tears welling up, he told me that I was a very special person in his life. As I drove off, noticeably harder to see and the wipers were no help, I thought back and answered my own question. I know where you are Thom. In the center of Gods love.
You my friends are the reason there is Trust that leads to Hope for so many youth who have no meaningful adult relationships. Thank you for continuing to build these trusting relationships.
LARRY LICATO, 71Five VoTech Coordinator
(541) 890-1819 | larry@71Five.org
“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 ICB
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