Juvenile Justice Ministry (JJM)
The Youth for Christ Juvenile Justice Ministry (JJM) connects trained adults with at-risk young people in order to help them make better choices and establish a solid foundation for their future. Like every ministry of YFC, JJM seeks to engage these young people wherever they are found as life-long followers of Jesus Christ. It is estimated that 25% of our young people today are deemed "at-risk youth," according to the National Research Council Panel on High-Risk Youth (1995). The YFC national JJM department has defined an at-risk young person as a young person who has experienced significant damage and is likely to damage the lives of others. A "significantly damaged life" is defined as the presence of negative influences (or the absence of positive influences) that increase the likelihood of destructive life choices.
Currenty we have sixty volunteers who work with youth through our Juvenile Justice Ministry and in some cases their parents to help them make better choices, ideally making a decision to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Our staff are wonderful, dedicated people who are non-judgemental and have a strong desire to share the Good News of God's love with incarcerated young people. As the adults share their time and build trust with these hurting and rebellious youth, many realize that God is who they need and trun to Him.
Al Gaines is the Director of Juvenile Justice Ministries for Lane County Youth for Christ and Chaplin at the Lane County Juvenile Justice Center.
Al's Story:
I personally came through a rough childhood having a very abusive father. As a teen I began down a path leading to 15 years of drug abuse and hatred for all forms of authority. I was in a survival mode taking care of myself and I had no respect for any adult. I met my wife at this time and she had been heavily abused as well.
In 1972 we moved up to Eugene, OR and Oregon wasn't ready for us but we stayed. My wife, Kristina got pregnant and I realized that I was 28 years old and needed a job. I got a job as an apprentice welder/fabricator and the journeyman who taught me seemed to be happy all the time. I thought he was on some good drugs and I let him know that I wanted some of what he had. He said, "I'm not on drugs or alcohol, i'm on the Lord Jesus Christ and He has turned my life around." He and his wife led Kristina and I to the Lord and our lives were changed forever and He has blessed us.
Within a vew months we had stopped all drug use as we were higher on God then we ever were on drugs and it was legal! After finding a local church, going to bible school and evengelism school, I worked as the church sound man and was asked if we could bring our band into the old Skipworth Detention to play for the kids. That night God spoke to me out of John 4:35, "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for they are white already for harvest." I signed up to be a volunteer with YFC in 1988 and began sharing Christ with the youth in detention. Over the past twenty years our staff have led thousands of youth to the Lord.
