Youth For Christ Lubbock Introduces a Drive-Up Service that Provides Supplies, Emotional Check-Ins and Prayers
LUBBOCK, Tex. — Since 2007, Parent Life, a ministry of Youth For Christ Lubbock (YFC, www.yfc.net), has mentored teen moms and teen dads in Lubbock, Texas through weekly parenting support groups. For the last year, COVID has prevented the Parent Life ministry from meeting face to face for weekly group. The YFC Lubbock staff knew the families they work with often struggle with access to resources like diapers and food.
Concerned that Parent Life families would go without much needed resources while the group was unable to meet, the YFC Lubbock staff formed partnerships with local businesses, churches and individuals to set up a weekly drive-up service at the YFC ministry center where local teen parents and their families could pick up dinner to go, diapers, wipes and other baby items they needed.
“Being a single mom during COVID has been difficult,” said a Parent Life participating mother. “But knowing that Parent Life has still been there through all the changes and the hard parts has made a huge difference for me.”
Local Chick-Fil-A owner, Brandon Mulkey, is one partner who has helped YFC Lubbock’s Parent Life ministry continue meeting the needs of the local families throughout the unpredictability of COVID. Mulkey’s Chick-Fil-A donates dinner once a month to feed 50 parent Life families.
“We are so grateful for the many people like Brandon at Chick Fil-A who have partnered with us during our weekly dinner and diapers drive through over the last several months,” said Renee Morales, YFC Lubbock’s Parent Life director. “Not only are we able to connect our families to these physical resources, but it gives our staff a way to still connect with them on an emotional level in a COVID safe environment.”
Local churches and individuals in the community have also helped YFC Lubbock Parent Life ministry keep their baby boutique stocked with diapers and other baby essentials for families so they would not go without. Every Tuesday night, local teen parents in need drive up to the ministry center and leave with dinner and diapers for their families.
“We might not be able to meet in our weekly small groups, but when they drive up to pick up diapers and dinner, we get a quick moment at the window of their car to connect with each family,” continued Morales. “We can conduct a mini emotional health check-up. We can ask them how their week has been, if there is any help or support that they need. We can ask how we can be praying for them. The diapers and food are great, but checking in and offering prayers are really the tools that are enabling us to remain connected to our Parent Life families during this very isolated time in our city.”
YFC has chapters impacting thousands of communities across the nation that seek out and serve youth from all walks of life. Many teens are silently struggling through a variety of challenging issues—and now they see the living power of a loving God.
Youth For Christ staff and volunteers are encouraged by the YFC 3Story® concept, which is based on the belief that kids will be reached for Christ when met at their point of need—and as workers connect their stories with Jesus’s story. The ministry efforts of Youth For Christ are changing lives, one young person at a time.
Youth For Christ encourages staff and volunteers to be good news while also sharing the stories of the Good News of Jesus. It involves building relationships through the ups and downs of everyday life in order to lead people to Christ. For more information, visit yfc.net.
Youth For Christ has been a pillar of missional ministry since 1944, when the Rev. Billy Graham served as YFC’s first full-time staff member. Since then, Youth For Christ has continued to be both a rural and urban ministry on mission, and it is always about the message of Jesus. YFC reaches young people everywhere, working together with the local church and other like-minded partners to raise up lifelong followers of Jesus who lead by their godliness in lifestyle, devotion to the Word of God and prayer, passion for sharing the love of Christ, and commitment to social involvement. Youth For Christ operates in over 100 nations and has more than 160 chapters that impact communities across America.
To learn more about what Youth For Christ is doing in Texas, visit www.yfc.net/texas
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