One Foot in Front of the Other
by Chuck Sailors (KCUYC CEO)
After running for nearly 2 hours with the wind at my back, I turned a corner to find that I was on my way uphill—and facing yet again the cool, fierce Oklahoma wind. I was so close at this point. I found myself desperately looking ahead to see where the race returned to its downward slope! Somehow, though, I also managed to remember to breathe—and remember that I was on the verge of completing something for which I had been training for some time; and so, I pressed on, continuing to put one foot in the front of the other to make my way to the finish line of my first half-marathon.
At the KC Urban Youth Center, it sometimes feels like we are running a never ending marathon! Some days the wind is at our backs and we feel as if we are coasting downhill; we may be tired, but we press on because we sense that we are on the verge of something big. This is indeed how I would characterize the past several months for our KCUYC family! We’ve come so far the past four years as we have been offering hope, community and wholeness to students and their families—we are amazed time and time again as we see young people working hard to meet the challenges that often stand in their way. Even in the midst of new obstacles and challenges, we are reminded to together, keep putting on foot in front of the other.
A few of the Center’s student leaders accompanied my wife Marsha and I to Oklahoma City that “marathon weekend” in April—they spent some time visiting and investigating a Christian university there. I was encouraged to see these two young ladies ready to pursue new paths of higher education that will no doubt continue to prepare them to care well for those around them. Throughout this trip, we shared stories of how far we’ve all come these past four years; we reminisced about our highs and lows and shared some dreams for the future. One evening, as we visited and shared with some members of our extended KCUYC family who live in OKC, one of these young student leaders, Morgan, began to sing Amazing Grace, expressing beautifully in song the overwhelming sense of God’s mercy and love that she has personally experienced. Her testimony brought smiles and tears all around, as we celebrated together the sense of faithfulness and belonging we’ve all found at the KCUYC.
And the KCUYC’s journey/marathon continues…We daily see glimpses of a community of young leaders, like Morgan, that are caring, faithful, empowered, hopeful, and eager to learn and lead. It is a privilege to see these students grow; and truly we are not just serving them, but they in turn are offering hope, community and wholeness to us and to their families and their community.
One of the next big steps on the KCUYC’s journey includes increasing programming space—and reach. We are doing this in a few ways:
First, at our current/original site, the warehouse facility that has been generously leased to us for $1/year by our friends and partners at Nazarene Publishing House: this facility should be ready for use in the next few months (it is located next door to the community room that is our original/current site). We have been overwhelmed by the hundreds of volunteers who have offered their time, talent and expertise in order to ready this 3,000 square foot facility for our KCUYC family—more than $85,000 in labor has been donated by various individuals to date! In addition, the new ownership group of Courtyard Apartments (our current/original home) has shown great enthusiasm in partnering with us to continue to serve families in the community. They too, have offered us a very reasonable lease ($1/month!) and will allow us to remain in the community room of the apartment building. In addition, they have asked us to work with them in selecting/placing families in the apartments! We are incredibly excited about the additional students we will be able to invite in as we increase the amount of program space available to us in our community!
Second, as I have shared with you previously, the KCUYC has been invited to expand our programs to a second site at East Hills Village Apartments—located about 15 miles away from our current/original site at Courtyard Apartments. Relationship-building began with the families in this community in January. Our first step was to conduct a thorough needs assessment of the neighborhood as a means to get to know students and their families in this new area. We are already partnering with East Hills Village by providing support staff for existing programs, and will begin providing KCUYC programming there, three days a week, this month (July 2008).
Through mentoring and nurturing relationships with students, we are able to see that the KCUYC is providing hope and sacred space for hundreds of students. It is in these glimpses of hope for the days and seasons to come—in these hopeful moments—that we clearly see that the KCUYC family IS making a difference.
As I ran that day in OKC, I had a great deal of time to reflect on the part that so many like you have played in the journey of the KCUYC. I am personally grateful for the prayers, time and resources you have shared with us along the way; without your partnership, the life-changing ministry of the KC Urban Youth Center would not exist.
I hope we can continue to count on your prayers and financial support. Would you make a gift today (online or via mail to P. O. Box 280414, Kansas City, MO 64128) and partner with us in offering more students Christian hope, community and wholeness?
Your support will assist us in helping our students continue to put one foot in front of the other…sometimes the encouragement to stay on the journey is all any of us needs.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
Grace and peace,
Chuck Sailors
Founder and President/CEO