Birthed in 1943, Youthfront was originally connected to the national Youth for Christ organization as Kansas City Youth for Christ. It was founded and led for many years by Al and Vidy Metsker. In the KCYFC ministry’s first decades, it focused on large rallies and worship events for thousands of students at its auditorium and opened two youth camps, Circle C in 1970 (which would become Camp West) and L-Bar-C in 1982 (which would become Camp LaCygne).
In the 1990s, KCYFC transitioned to become Youthfront and moved from a parachurch model to a church assisting organization, while continuing to directly serve more than 5,000 young people and families through its local camps each summer. Centering on the foundational practices of prayer, community and service, Youthfront nurtures environments for congregations and young people to discover, explore and experience God.
At the end of the 1990s, Youthfront’s camp emphasis broadened to assisting, resourcing and expanding a network of partnerships with congregations, and training church youth workers, children’s ministers and pastors. With more than 1,000 acres of camp property, Youthfront provides programming and ministry to more than 6,000 youth and families a year, and interacts with and provides training to more than 200 churches a year, frequently inviting in theological scholars to help us learn and grow.
Youthfront’s mission has been expanding since the early 2000s to include a broader focus on children and parents, grandparents and families. YF Camp now offers overnight and day camps for kids first through 12th grade. Rather than structuring camp around a topical methodology, YF Camp curates a theological playground for contemplation and communion as a safe place for young people to seek and explore. Camp is shaped around a rhythm of morning, midday and evening prayer. Adults – from paid staff to volunteer cabin leaders – are trained to engage kids in conversations that foster wonder and encourage curiosity. Scripture is read with imagination, doubts are embraced and exploration is encouraged. Children and youth are seen as ministers, called to participate in God’s ministry in the world.
With YF Neighborhood, young people and families have the opportunity to form friendships across social and economic divisions by leaving familiar neighborhoods to meet new neighbors different from themselves. YF Neighborhood offers hands-on ways to make life better for all our neighbors and learning experiences to imagine a world without walls. From a “shared table” meal to neighborhood-designed projects or Missional Journeys, YF Neighborhood’s programs are intentionally designed to cross the boundaries that divide us, and remind us of our fundamental connection to each other as human beings loved by God. Individuals, families, youth groups, church groups, schools and businesses partner through YF Neighborhood in unique experiences that transform strangers into neighbors.
Joining YF Camp and YF Neighborhood, Youthfront’s newest ministry area, YF Family, provides support and resources for parents, grandparents and families. Youthfront’s in-house affiliate, Presence-Centered Counseling, is housed here, offering therapy for families, youth, adults and couples, as well as play therapy for young children. Youthfront is committed to a holistic view of the person, a deep understanding of our calling to participate in God’s restorative work in the world, and a view of discipleship as a life-long journey we take alongside each other, in communities of equality, mutuality and reciprocity. This is lived out in YF Camp, YF Neighborhood and YF Family.
