Blog

End-of-Year Message: Youth Horizon’s President Robert Garner

Greetings,

I seem to express my appreciation in every setting I find myself while speaking about the needs of Youth Horizons. When I express gratitude, please know it is from my heart and it comes from a place of recognizing God’s faithfulness and his goodness to the ministry of Youth Horizons. This has been an exceptional year. From a fiscal perspective, our financial needs continue to be met. Your financial support has helped us to care well for the youth and families we serve. As a praying community, you have intervened. The answer to our prayers to open the Wren House for girls has prevailed.

Amid our blessings, the holiday season brings new challenges. The Christmas season is such a difficult time for many youth and families we serve. The youth in our residential program carry a heavy burden. They feel alone and rejected and long for their family. We are mindful of their state of mind and we do our very best to attend to them. Many parents of the youth we serve in our mentoring program express their burden of sadness. They wish they could do more. They want to provide gifts or simply be able to afford a holiday meal. Each year, God sends us individuals and the church community, providing meals, gifts and other kind gestures. Thank you, Pathway Church, for allowing us to host the annual Christmas Carnival on Dec. 10. The Christmas Carnival is our opportunity to share the Christmas story. It is also an opportunity for us to bless our families with gifts as a symbol of God’s gift to us. Thank you, Eastminster, Cross Road Church, Family Church, Country Acres and the “Commons” small group from River Community Church for providing gifts to nearly 160 families we serve in the Youth Horizons Mentoring program. You are a true blessing to our parents.

OUR NEEDS

As I think about the needs we have in 2023, I pray for more mentors. There are roughly 40 youth who remain on the list for a mentor. Please consider attending one of our Mentor Advocate Training Orientations. This orientation is simply the first step in the process but does not commit you to anything. I also think about the tremendous needs we have in our residential program at Kinloch Price Boys Ranch and Wren House. We need volunteers to visit the ranch as well as Wren and spend time with the boys and girls. The Wren House licensing phase is complete and we now have a license permit. It is exciting to have started the interview process to begin serving girls this month. Please prayerfully consider financially supporting the onboarding of this program.

YEAR-END PLEDGE

One of the ways we create our annual budget is by receiving year-end pledges. Whereas I do not question God’s faithfulness to provide for our various needs, I do appreciate creating a roadmap for ministry by using your commitment to give each month or as a one-time donation.

CALL TO ACTION

In reflection, this has been a refreshing and affirming year to lead Youth Horizons. I look forward to another year of helping make young people’s lives better. I look forward to engaging our church communities at a greater level. I look forward to speaking in the business communities in an effort to access the abundance of resources the Wichita community has to offer. Will you please stay connected with us? Will you think of us and offer up a prayer as the Holy Spirit leads you? Will you volunteer? Will you support us financially? The needs are great and we need you.