I recently went to a training on Adverse Childhood Experiences. One of the things that stood out to me is how science has proven that having just one supportive person in your life makes a dramatic difference in a person’s overall wellbeing. It literally reduces everything from depression to cancer. I’ve seen the reality of one caring adult in a kid’s life can mean the difference between life and death.

 

One girl I worked with years back is now 19. She’s had a massive amount of Adverse Childhood Experiences, bouncing from one foster home to another. She recently contacted me out of the blue sharing she was in an abusive relationship and about to go to Planned Parenthood. I asked if she might be pregnant. She said there was a good possibility. I told her I know a better alternative and got her in touch with Teresa, our 71Five Parents Coordinator who works with teen moms. Teresa picked her up, got her to the Pregnancy Center, moved her into a better home, and spent the entire day with her. The girl is pregnant, but now she’s excited to have her baby, is surrounded by people showing her the love of Jesus, and is hearing the Word of God weekly. She recently posted on Facebook, “I’m doing better than ever!”

 

Just like those scientific studies have found, a trusting relationship with a caring adult really can change a life. Are you ready to change lives? Visit us at www.71Five.org to get involved.

 

 

I had been more careful than most throughout the pandemic, but recently I contracted Covid-19. I’m the Coordinator for 71Five Campus – North Medford youth center and working with a lot of youth every week exposes me to a lot of potential risks. The virus soon worked through my household except my oldest son. It wasn’t pleasant for anyone, but none of us had to be hospitalized and we got through it ok. During my quarantine, I relied heavily on volunteer staff to run the youth center. I’m thankful there are people willing to sacrifice their time to come week after week to minister to young people. Most of my volunteer staff come help at club right after an exhausting day of work. They have plenty of other things they could do, but they choose to do things like clean a youth kitchen, clean up after messy kids, serve food, and vacuum carpets. They demonstrate Jesus to young people who don’t know Him. They don’t get paid for their service, they hardly ever get thanked by the youth they serve, but they are definitely heroes in my book! Volunteer staff are the backbone of our ministry to lost and hurting youth.

 

Young people come to know Jesus because volunteer staff step up, even when they have had long hard days of work. I’m super grateful for all the volunteers who’ve committed to being Jesus to young people and are relied on in times of quarantine. Are you willing to get involved and serve young people? 71Five is looking for people with a heart for sharing the good news with lost and hurting youth. Please give us a call at (541) 779-3275 and we’d love to talk about how you can get involved.

 

TIM HARDY   71Five Campus Coordinator – North Medford    (541) 779-3275   tim@71Five.org

 

“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 icb

Last night, Jonathan, one the high school boys at the 71Five Campus Monday Night Club came up to me after our group talk on who Jesus is and his kingship. He asked me, “Is God ok with the death penalty?” I did my best to answer his question and follow up questions. It probably wasn’t the most life changing encounter, but overall, it’s been a pattern of our relationship. I’ve known Jonathan for years now and we have a trusting relationship where he feels free to ask questions about God or anything else. Jonathan is learning about God and getting answers from someone who knows the Bible and has a relationship with Jesus. That’s something that most kids don’t get in our culture today.

 

Thank you for making authentic trusting relationships like these possible. Through caring adults, kids like Jonathan are coming to know Jesus because people like you give, pray, and volunteer. If you’d like to get involved, call us at (541) 779-3275 or visit www.71Five.org. TIM HARDY   71Five Campus Ministry Director and 71Five Campus – North Medford Coordinator   (541) 779-3275   tim@71Five.org

 

The pandemic has changed a lot of the things we do, and with Youth 71Five Ministries, we have had to change as well. At 71Five Campus – North Medford Youth Center, we immediately started doing online clubs as soon as we could no longer meet together. Kids found comfort in the fact that despite all the doom and gloom in the news, they were still able to come together with caring adults and friends, even if it was online and not face to face. Through the online ministry, we were able to share Jesus several times a week with some kids who don’t know him. Through video we were able to meet kids right in their homes, and create new ways of sharing the gospel with kids who need him. In fact, this week one of the college and career girls was baptized at her church on live stream.

 

God is still at work in young people’s lives here at 71Five… even through a pandemic! We thank you for your continued giving, prayers, and time in reaching out to young people. Kids lives are being changed thanks to you. If you want to get involved, please give us a call at Youth 71Five Ministries. There are kids who need you! TIM HARDY 71Five Campus Area Coordinator – North Medford  (541) 779-3275 tim@71Five.org

 

“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 icb

It was only Ari’s second time in the North Medford Youth Center. Our new College & Careers group that she came for had only been running for about 1 or 2 months. She came because my wife, who she trusted, invited her. We taught her and the few others how to play a fun new board game. After the game, as is our tradition, I gathered everyone into the living room of the youth center where we did our “talk”. We pass out Bibles and show them how to get to the passage we are covering that night… Matthew 4, the temptation of Jesus. Using a Bible was new to her. I showed how Jesus used scriptures as he was tempted. Afterward, Ari wanted to talk more. She started asking my wife about how to read the Bible. She saw its importance and wanted to try to understand it but was overwhelmed by how big it was. My wife called me over and soon the two of us were showing her how to get started reading her Bible which led to us sharing what the Bible was all about. Eventually, I asked her if she knew how to go to heaven. She didn’t but really wanted to know. Ari accepted Jesus as her personal Savior that night at 71Five Campus! There were lots of hugs and Ari had an enormous smile on her face as she realized that her sins were forgiven and that she now was part of the family of God. What started as a trusted relationship with my wife led Ari to a relationship with Jesus.

 

Thank you for making these relationships possible and being a part of the team of people that reaches young people that need the hope found in Jesus. TIM HARDY 71Five Campus Area Director – North Medford  (541) 779-3275 tim@71Five.org

 

“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 icb

As a parent, it is hard to imagine that in only a few months my 14-year-old son will be allowed by the state to start driving me around the city with real people on the roads. As much as I love my son, the question keeps coming to mind, “Is he ready… or not?” As the 71Five Campus North Medford Area Director, I feel this way with a lot of the kids I work with. These kids are about to be released into the world and will be our next leaders or our next burdens on society. I would prefer they are followers of Jesus who will help correct many of the wrongs in our community. I often fear we may get instead: drug addicts, porn addicts, and alcoholics desperately searching for jobs they don’t qualify for. These kids are about to become “something”.

 

I’m thankful we have the transforming love of Jesus to share with these kids. I’m thankful for the few volunteers who step up and invest in the lives of these young people helping them make the right decisions. But, it often feels like it’s not enough. We desperately need more volunteers. We need more people who will help make a difference in the lives of teens. Young people are being formed into “something”… will you help transform them into Jesus followers?

 

Give us a call at (541) 779-3275 or visit our website at 71five.org to find out how you can make a difference in the life of a young person. TIM HARDY 71Five Campus Area Director – North Medford  (541) 779-3275 tim@71Five.org

“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 icb

Back in November, Rogue Valley Youth for Christ became Youth 71 Five Ministries, an independent organization after 54 years with Youth for Christ. It wasn’t an easy decision, but one reason for the change was we felt we could reach more youth by continuing to reach elementary age kids. This has been shown true in a family that lives in my North Medford neighborhood. It started with an eight-year-old named Selina offering to do some yard work for me. I invited her to a 71Five event, and she brought her ten-year-old sister. As they continued to get involved, I learned they had a pregnant 16-year-old sister, a 14-year-old autistic brother and are good friends with many other kids in my neighborhood. Through the relationships I forged with the younger girls, we were able to get help for their pregnant sister through our 71Five Parents ministry. Now, the two young girls are involved in my church’s AWANA program where they’re learning the Bible every week and the teen mom has been overwhelmingly thankful for all the help we are giving her family.

 

I rarely know the rippling impacts of reaching out to a particular kid; but reaching out to Selina, my eight-year-old neighbor, has had a huge impact already. I’m thankful with Youth 71Five, I still have the opportunity to reach these kids. Would you like to see ripples grow in your community? It doesn’t take much. At 71Five, we have many ways for you to have an eternal impact in the lives of kids and your community. Are you willing to get involved? Give us a call at (541) 779-3275. TIM HARDY 71Five Campus Area Director – North Medford  (541) 779-3275 tim@71Five.org

 

 

Every year I take kids to Middle School Camp… And this year I also brought a high school boy named Jaiden to work in the kitchen. Jaiden’s been to camp and in my cabin the last 4 years and a week with Rosy in the kitchen changed everything. Rosy’s a woman who obeyed God’s calling to cook food for massive amounts of kids at camps. Rosy’s not particularly young, an expert on teens, or anything like that. Rosy oozes Jesus and wants to use her talents. You can’t get near Rosy without hearing about Jesus and her love for him. Rosy has pain in her body as she works harder than anyone else at camp but she doesn’t let that stop her. It’s abundantly clear Rosy loves kids. Kids knew they were well loved because when Rosy went places, kids cheered for her and chanted “Rosy, Rosy, Rosy!” While Jaiden spent the week working like a slave earning a new nickname “Dish Boy” he saw it clearly. Despite only being able to go to one chapel due to being in the kitchen, Jaiden, along with many other kids, accepted Christ. I really don’t think it was the message that led Jaiden to Christ—I think it was Rosy—he saw Jesus in Rosy. You see, last year a young girl had a very similar experience. When kids spend time with Rosy, kids get to know Jesus.

At Youth 71 Five Ministries kids come to know Jesus because of caring adults. It doesn’t take a youth ministry degree, being young, or even to have raised 12 teenagers like Rosy has… Just a willingness to go where God leads and let kids see Jesus in you. Are you willing to show them Jesus? Give us a call at (541) 779-3275 or visit our website for more information: www.71Five.org. TIM HARDY 71Five Campus Area Director – North Medford (541) 779-3275 tim@71Five.org

 

“Lord God, you are my hope. I have trusted you since I was young.” Psalm 71:5 icb