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Andy
Stanley in his book “Visioneering” says, “Vision
often begins with the inability to accept things the
way they are. Over time that dissatisfaction matures
into a clear picture of what could be. But a vision
is more than that. After all, what could be is
an idea, a dream, but not necessarily a vision.
There is always a moral element to vision. Vision
carries with it a sense of conviction. Anyone with a
vision will tell you this is not merely something
that could be done. This is something that
should be done. This is something that must
happen. It is this element that catapults men
and women out of the realm of passive concern and
into action. It is the moral element that
gives a vision a sense of urgency.”
Fortress
Youth Development Center is not just a good idea, it
is a God idea. The vision is something that
could, should and must happen.
Fortress
YDC strongly believes that we have God-ordained
vision to break generational cycles of poverty in
oppressed communities by providing opportunities,
resources and hope in Christ. That vision
includes a holistic approach to ministry, addressing
the lack of social/ emotional, physical, spiritual
and educational training and development tools.
As we
grow, we will impact and ignite powerful change in
the lives of more children and youth in our current
programs. To be more effective, we will grow
new programs down in age, building solid foundations
in every aspect of our holistic approach. Two
key elements of our vision for the next 5 years are;
1) Start an early learning program for ages 2-5 and;
2) Build larger, more functional facilities.
Building Blocks Early Learning Center
In the
fall of 2008, we plan to begin a new program called
Building Blocks. It will start out 2 days per
week from 9:30 A.M. – 2:00 P.M., serving 12 children
ages 2-5 years. This program will initially be
staffed by volunteers. I n 2009, we plan on
increasing enrollment to 18-24 children. Our
vision is to evolve this program into a 5 day per
week school upon completion of new facilities.
Capital Campaign/New Building
All of
the Fortress Youth Development Center’s programs are
near full enrollment capacity. We plan to
launch a capital campaign in the next year or two in
order to build a new facility that will allow us to
expand our current programs and begin new programs.
We envision facilities that will allow us to:
-
Increase our after school enrollment to over 100
children and youth and at least double the
number of children and youth served in Sunday
and Summer JAM
-
House a 5-day a week pre-school for ages 2-5
-
Have
a gymnasium for community sport leagues, fitness
classes and multiuse space
-
Have
a commercial kitchen for the thousands of meals
we serve each year
-
Have
space to host community events and meetings
The
great news is that we already have a donor that has
pledged $1 Million to help make this happen.
So, what
needs to happen to make this vision a reality? I’m
glad you asked. Here are a few things that
need to happen and can be done today to help us
achieve this vision:
1.
Before we launch a capital campaign, we would
like to have at least $10,000 of new monthly pledged
support to cover current and projected increase in
overhead expenses. The board of directors and
staff are committed to be good stewards of the
resources entrusted to us, and as in the parable
principle in Luke 14.28, we want to count the cost
and prayerfully plan. We are taking great
strides in sharing what God is doing and inviting
His followers to invest in His ministry to the
“urban poor” of our community. Prayerfully
consider partnering with us as a monthly financial
investor.
2.
We are seeking partners to come alongside us
that can provide professional guidance in the
planning and construction of a new building.
We currently have a few folks in the construction
business that we’ve started discussing partnerships
with and we would like to start all the preliminary
planning as soon as possible.
3.
Lastly and most important, we need prayer
warriors to commit to praying for what could be.
For more info on the Fortress Prayer Team, contact
Stacy Kocur at
[email protected] and check out our prayer blog at
www.prayforfortress.blogspot.com. |