Modern Teens-Insight from a Youth Ministry Director

Over the next few months we’ll be talking with staff members who minister in varying capacities at Youth for Christ/Western Illinois. This month YFC/WI Newsletter staff sat down with David Keck, Ministry Director in Macomb.

YFC Newsletter:  Now that you’ve been working with teens in Western Illinois for several months, what do you see as a primary challenge for youth in this area?

Keck: I think their generation as a whole is so well connected electronically that they feel they never have to leave their homes to hang out or socialize. Local teens definitely are subject to this. What I’ve found, though, is that even though teens are content just connecting through social media, there IS a longing there to belong to something more genuine.

YFCN: What are some of the things you offer through Youth for Christ Macomb that answer the need for genuine connectedness?

Keck: Campus Life is a great response to that longing. Campus Life clubs are about building relationships with other teens and adults who care. Our High School food events, Pizza Lunch and Pancake Breakfast, where we feed and hang out with teens, are always a blast too, with lots of new kids coming through from week to week. But the moments we have at our Campus Life club meetings have become some of my favorite memories.

YFCN: In what other ways would you say teen issues have changed since you were in high school?

Keck: It’s surprising to me how much the high school culture has changed in the past six years. Teens are much more open about big issues, like marijuana or sexuality; and while there have always been sensitive subjects that can easily offend adults, teens can be just as sensitive now.

YFCN: How does that affect the way you work with teens at Youth for Christ/Macomb?

Keck: You just have to love people, no matter where they come from or where life has taken them. I just try to love every teen who walks through the door. Like Christ we strive, not just to reach people, but to build relationships and walk with them.

YFCN: Where can you see Youth for Christ of Macomb going in the next 3-5 years?

Keck: We’re growing tremendously with more and more students passing through our building every week. In a school that has almost 600 students, we have seen more than 200 of them walk through our door in the last year. So we're in the process of transforming our program to take in such a high volume of students.

YFCN: How can people get involved in helping reach out to teens in Macomb?

Keck: We always need people to help with our food events: Pancake Breakfast every other Wednesday morning and Pizza Lunch every Friday! I'm also searching for a handful of Ministry Leaders to come in and build relationships with students.


To volunteer at the Macomb site: call 309-833-3026 or email yfc@macomb.com