Canada, New Hope Youth Centre
More than 10 years ago New Hope Fellowship Church in Thunder Bay, Ontario – a First Nations’ led church – founded a youth centre dedicated to serving First Nations’ teens. Most of the young people are from homes in Northern Ontario communities and have come to Thunder Bay for high school. New Hope Youth Centre (NHYC) provides a safe place to hang out, make friends, receive encouragement, and hear about God’s love.
Published January 10, 2022, 2 min read.
On October 28th at the “Hope Soars” Gala we were blessed to have Jim Keesic,* an elder at New Hope Fellowship Church in Thunder Bay, close off the event in prayer. (16 years ago, Jim worked with the Canadian Bible Society to translate the Bible into Ojibwe!) It was simply wonderful to have our Canadian church partner represented along with our other global church partners at this event.
Recently we received some good news from our Thunder Bay friends over at the youth centre. It’s open again! New Hope Youth Centre (NHYC) in Thunder Bay reopened on September 11th. And given the Youth Centre’s forced closure through much of the pandemic, volunteers have devoted the past several months to cleaning, organizing and refurbishing the space in anticipation of a fall reopening. And, we have some additional news to share with you today.
Starting Fall ‘21, New Hope Youth Centre (NHYC) will be operated by part-time staff, coordinated by a long-time volunteer who is now one of the three paid staff members. The two other people serving are both First Nations’ young adults who grew up attending the youth centre and are now taking post-secondary education in Thunder Bay. Between the three people, the Centre will be staffed 40-50 hours a week, and the Centre is moving from opening its doors each Saturday, to gradually adding a couple more days per week.
Each person brings different skills and availability, allowing for more variety in activities, especially for off-site activities including horseback riding, bonfires, sledding, etc. And New Hope Fellowship Church still plans to hire a NHYC full-time Director in the future, at the right time.
Please continue to pray for the kids, for the leaders, and for this incredible outreach to at-risk teens in Thunder Bay and keep New Hope Youth Centre in your prayers with these praise & prayer points:
*Jim Keesic, a beloved elder at New Hope Fellowship Church in Thunder Bay, went to join the Lord on December 6, 2021
Please pray for...
Please pray that the young people who have been coming out for the first time will find peace and hope from God at the youth centre.
Please pray that NHYC can get some more female volunteers. This will help New Hope Youth Centre grow its reach and open its doors more days per week.
About the New Hope Youth Centre
More than 10 years ago New Hope Fellowship Church in Thunder Bay, Ontario - a First Nations’ led church – founded a youth centre dedicated to serving First Nations’ teens. Most of the young people are from homes in Northern Ontario communities and have come to Thunder Bay for high school. New Hope Youth Centre (NHYC) provides a safe place to hang out, make friends, receive encouragement, and hear about God’s love.