Jubilee Youth Center

The Problem

"The average expected experience of childhood now includes living in the absence of one’s natural father." (1) This includes a staggering 72% of African American and 53% of Latino children being born out of wedlock. Moreover, the number of Caucasian children born out of wedlock has grown by 300% since 1975. (2)

Consider the devastating impact of fatherlessness:

• Fatherless children are 4x more likely to live in poverty and 2x more likely to end up in jail.
• 71% of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes
• 71% of teen moms come from fatherless homes
• 90% of teens in gangs come from fatherless homes (3)

The need is urgent within the inner-cities of America. Brokenness abounds in many forms—fatherlessness, poverty, crime, poor quality education, spiritual lostness. And far too many young men and women in our neighborhood have no one to walk with them through these challenges.

The Solution

Jesus brings good news to the poor and brokenhearted. He pardons iniquity, frees captives, comforts mourners, and provides for those who grieve. He gives beauty instead of ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of a faint spirit. He gives new life, new hope, a new future. Jesus then works through His rescued ones to rebuild, restore, and renew what sin has devastated for many generations (see Isaiah 61:1–4). We believe that Jesus is still doing this work today as His Spirit-empowered followers make disciples.

Our Approach

Our goal is to help followers of Jesus disciple urban youth through life-on-life relationships. Because of this, we run several programs that provide a context for these relationships to develop: