At pivotal points in
biblical history, God
intervened to liberate
the poor and oppressed.
In Exodus 3:7-8.
He shows his love for
His people when He says,
"I have seen the
affliction of my people
who are in Egypt and
have heard their cry
because of their
taskmasters; I know
their sufferings, and I
have come down to
deliver them out of the
hand of the Egyptians."
One of the clearest
statements about Jesus'
identification with the
poor is found in Matthew
25. "I was hungry and
you gave me food, I was
thirsty and you gave me
something to drink…I was
naked and you gave me
clothing…Truly, I tell
you, just as you did it
to one of the least of
these who are members of
my family, you did it to
me."
Fortress Youth
Development Center
exists today because of
an aching need within
our community, and a
God-inspired passion to
meet those needs.
Michael Thames,
Executive Director, has
worked with inner-city
youth for over ten
years. His first
experience came at a
summer camp for
inner-city youth, where
he became aware of the
daily struggles faced by
children and young
people that grow up in
the urban poor
communities of America.
In the two summers
working at this camp,
Michael developed a
passion for engaging in
the lives of these young
people and had a
God-inspired calling to
work full-time among
urban poor children and
youth.
He began working with
Fortress Church in
near-southeast Fort
Worth in 1999, focusing
on the spiritual
development of at-risk,
inner-city youth. Great
strides were made in the
spiritual formation of
these youth, however;
when the time came for
them to function as
adults within our
society, many were not
equipped with the tools
needed to overcome their
circumstances.
In 2003, the first steps
were taken to create a
non-profit center that
would focus on equipping
inner-city youth with
the tools they were
lacking in all areas of
life. After much prayer
and hard work, Fortress
Youth Development
Center, Inc. began
operation in January of
2005.
