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YOUTH MINISTRY

What Every Church Should Know about Youth Service Fund

What is it?

Youth Service Fund is an organization which collects donations and distributes them in support of mission projects focused on youth, locally in the East Ohio Conference as well as nationally and throughout the world. It is administered globally by the Division on Ministries with Young People within the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church; and locally by the East Ohio Conference Council on Youth Ministries (CCYM).  YSF provides a way for youth to be in real ministry with each other-not only do youth contribute money and receive the money for their ministry projects, but they also decide which projects are chosen. Youth Service Fund really is youth in ministry!

How does it work?

Each year at a district youth meeting, your district nominates one senior high and one junior high to run for the YSF committee within the CCYM. Each nominee then gives a speech at Youth Annual Conference (YAC) and a vote by the entire body of YAC determines who will serve on the YSF committee.  The YSF committee reviews all the project grant applications at their March meeting, and proposes a budget at YAC in June. Upon approval, the budget becomes the financial goal for the fiscal year beginning the following January.

Where does the money come from?
YOU!  The largest form of funding comes from benevolent giving from the local churches.  In addition, the YSF committee has fund raising activities including the sale of merchandise at special events like Youth Annual Conference.  Click here for an YSF donation form.

What can YOU do?

• Plan regular fundraisers for YSF in your church. 
• Challenge your youth group to give a Biblical tithe (10%) of the money they raise for their own activities to YSF.
• Encourage individual youth to pledge-Did you know that if every United Methodist teenager across the nation gave 50 cents to YSF every 3 months, we would raise $1,500,000 from that source alone! 

YSF Sunday!

At the 2008 East Ohio Annual Conference, a motion from Youth Annual Conference was approved asking each local church to hold a special YSF offering sometime throughout the year.   If your church has a Youth Sunday, that is a good time for an YSF offering.  CCYM can also help provide youth speakers to explain YSF and talk about youth ministry in our conference. 

What if our church has a project that could use YSF support?

East Ohio CCYM accepts applications each March for funding requests.  Please watch this page, the East Ohio ENEWS, and the WINDOW mailing for updates. 

Here is a list of programs that we are currently raising money for:

The YSF Financial Goal for 2010 is $15,000

For more information on YSF, visit http://www.gbod.org/youngpeople/grants/ysf/default.htm