Investing in Youth
Vaughan and his leadership team of young adults and students take their group of 13 youth from our local community on a special monthly event to have fun and make some memories together, like ice skating in Bellevue as they did last November.
“Kids need to be kids in our busy, and complex world.” Vaughan shared this with me as he reflected on his motivation for leading our youth outreach ministry. When he was in junior high, his parents’ frequently fought, and his father battled with alcoholism, so he did not feel safe at home. He needed a place to grow and develop, which he found at a local church that not only offered him tutoring and basketball, but a safe place to feel like a kid. Through the support of mentors, Vaughan felt their genuine love and encouragement to keep going and to grow in all areas of his life, including in his school work, in his relationships, in his plans for the future, and in his faith.
Vaughan is personally motivated to reach the youth in our greater community. Just as God’s love became real to him through these mentors, he now seeks to create a safe place for all youth from all backgrounds to grow, to have fun, and to feel like a kid. So every Thursday afternoon, Vaughan and a team of young adults are bringing youth together from all cultures and experiences to do just that in the Lake Hills neighborhood of Bellevue. They call this group, “Casa Monarca” or “Monarch Home” because the butterfly is known for migration. And in our greater community, many families have migrated here and are looking to build a home in a place that feels unfamiliar. In fact, our foreign-born parents report how they feel between 30% to 50% less support than what native-born parents report feeling about their ability to help their teenagers thrive and grow. So at Casa Monarca, they are building a new home together that supports any and all parents , who are looking for a safe place that genuinely cares for their youth. Vaughan and his team believe in this work because they all know from personal experience how necessary and how much hard work it takes to build a caring “Casa” for the youth in our foreign-born community.
Bellevue’s Youth For Christ closed, but the needs remain. Last fall, Youth For Christ (YFC) as an organization ended in Bellevue, but their leadership asked us to help continue the work. So we believe that God has led our church into a unique opportunity to meet this need. Pray for our youth outreach ministry to grow as Vaughan and his team reaches out to the youth of our community. And let us know if you or someone you love would be interested to join! We welcome youth from all backgrounds, but have a particularly heart for the youth of our foreign-born families living on the Eastside of Seattle.