Freedom for Youth Ministries, a local Christian non-profit serving youth with after-school programs and more, will be hosting “Freedom Quest” from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 29, at McKinley Park. Freedom Quest is a free family event with bounce houses, carnival games, prizes, food and music. The evening also includes the life-changing message of Jesus shared through skits and Bible lessons. There will be a second event hosted later in the summer on Thursday, Aug. 3, at the same time and venue.
Freedom for Youth Ministries launches youth centers throughout the state of Iowa, and the ministry is gearing up to start a center in Creston.
“We want to provide a safe place where youth can come and discover their gifts and talents and grow in the areas of faith, education, employment and leadership,” said South Central Regional Manager Christina Nichols.
Freedom Quest is a traveling ministry event scheduled to be in Chariton, Albia, Creston, Greenfield, Marshalltown, Newton, Boone and Jefferson twice this summer.
“We hope these Freedom Quest events will help us build relationships in the community and inspire the community to continue reaching out to youth in their own backyards,” Nichols said.
Founded in Des Moines in 2003, the organization is a statewide nonprofit on a mission to reach Iowa's youth with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The organization's home office resides at their six-acre campus on Hickman Road. With the help of hundreds of volunteers, they serve 600-plus people, kindergarten through 22-years-old, with free programs that help them stay in school, learn life skills, prepare for the workplace and develop healthy relationships. Programs include after-school activities, tutoring, skills classes and dinner and job training for high-school youth and young adults, all centered on the message of Jesus Christ's saving grace. In early June 2017, Freedom Blend Coffee, an enterprise of the ministry, will expand into a retail coffee shop that will serve as an employment training center for high-school students and young adults. To learn more, visit www.freedomforyouth.org.