Antonio and a Long-Term Investment
| Good News Ministries has been serving homeless men in Indianapolis since 1950, providing shelter, hot meals and hope through the Gospel message. In 1994, the ministry expanded to include underprivileged youth living in the surrounding neighborhoods. Seeing kids wander unsupervised in potentially dangerous areas prompted our leadership to begin what is now the well-established Good News Youth Center. Five days a week the doors are open to welcome kids to our after-school program during the fall & winter, and our all-day program during the summer. We share the Gospel, teach them the Bible, maintain an environment of structure, love & encouragement, help them with homework, give them a safe place to play, serve nutritious meals and provide godly role models! These are long-term investments that we have seen pay off countless times in this ministry’s history.
One teen boy in particular has shown that the investment is worth the effort. Antonio has been attending our Youth Center since 2013. He lives in a small apartment with his single mom and younger sister, Arkaysia. One day on a drive down Washington Street, Antonio remembers seeing our playground and it quickly grabbed his interest. He asked his mom if he and his sister could play there, and she agreed to sign them up for our program. They have been faithfully attending the Youth Center ever since! In 2017, while Antonito was attending our after-school program, he was presented with the Gospel and felt compelled to address the issue of his salvation. After speaking with our Youth Center Director about what was on his heart, he made the decision to accept Christ as his Savior! When asked about his time at the Youth Center, Antonio had this to say: “This Youth Center isn’t like the other ones in the area, they have fights and are not very safe. Here you get to hear preaching and they are leading kids to the Lord. Plus, it’s actually free! I love in the summer when we have the activities like turning the playground into a water slide. And I also enjoy being on the Defenders basketball team, going to games and playing basketball with my friends. I know what I want to do after I graduate high school; I want to be an automotive technician! I really love cars. That way I can stay in the area to learn and go to church and still stay connected with the Youth Center.” Kids like Antonio and his sister Arkaysia are the reason the Good News Youth Center exists, to make long-term investments in the lives of inner-city kids, share the Gospel, and help them learn to grow into the successful young adults God would have them to be. |