Genesee* is no stranger to the church. Not just one, but two of her uncles are well known leaders who have worked with youth and are both known for their leadership using music. She has grown tired of being in her uncles’ shadows and has opted for Campus Life club since she was in sixth grade. Having just completed the eighth grade at Keithley, she will begin high school next year at Washington High School.

Two of her older sisters were also in our program at one time, so developing a relationship with this young lady was pretty simple. You’d think her commitment to Campus Life would be based upon her personal relationship with Jesus Christ due to the long history of Christian exposure and going to church as being a normal part of her background.

But the fact is, she is in danger of becoming a “done.” If you haven’t heard of this group, they are people who have had great experience and exposure with the church but for some reason or another they have dropped out, most likely never to return. “Done.” 

Her dark secret is that she often questions her belief in Jesus as Messiah. While talking today, she confessed that she considers herself to be a Christian, but she is questioning whether everything is what we say it is. That question pops up for her more and more as she gets older. It’s a pattern her older sisters took and sadly they’ve walked away from God and the Church. We are praying that we will keep Genesee close and active with us as we continue to love her and reveal the true Jesus.

She questions because she sees that she has so many relatives that are quite secure in their relationships with God, but it’s not working out in her immediate family. Her mom and dad used to invest their kids in church at some point because Genesee and her sisters have a pretty good understanding of the Bible, church doctrine, the Holy Spirit—things you don’t know unless you’ve spent significant time in church. But that is not enough. 

Her parents are divorced and involved in new relationships. They are participating in worldly pursuits. Their behaviors embarrass Genesee and, in her opinion, it adds up to being dealt a pretty bad hand.

Where is God in all this for her? She deeply loves her family wishing they were all together and “normal,” but instead she is stuck in a life she cannot equate with being blessed in any way. Her faith is waning.

How many more young men and women are like Genesee? 

They, and she, certainly need you to keep them in your prayers.  Without relationships like those built at Campus Life, what chance do they have of being introduced to what living a life for Jesus can look like? How do we win emerging generations and involve them in church? 

YFC is a “front line” ministry. Our leaders fight for kids like Genesee on a daily basis, relationally and spiritually. Kids that need hope. Kids that need leaders. Our direct involvement in their lives is the last bastion of hope for many of them. If we don’t have a YFC involvement, we risk losing them as a casualty of war as we sit on the sidelines to watch. The great tragedy would be watching these kids fall knowing that there was something that each of us could do about it. 

This is why we continue to do what we do.

If you would like more information on how you can be a part of the story of young people like Genesee across Pierce County, click here. 

*Teen name and image have been changed.