The Benefits of Serving

A new semester presents a new opportunity to begin investing in your community. YOKE launched at three new schools this year, bringing the total up to 30 schools across five counties. Since many leaders are college students, a new semester can also mean a change of schedule for some people. This can lead to some of teams needing a little extra help if some of their team members have schedule conflicts—but for others, a schedule change can mean some time freed up. Would you consider serving this semester?

Here are some of the benefits that come with becoming a YOKE Folk:

• You will gain valuable experience working with a team. There is a team of YOKE Folk dedicated to each one of our 30 schools. Each week, these teams are responsible for planning and leading an afterschool YOKE Club, as well as spending quality time with middle school kids outside of club. As a valuable member of a YOKE Team, you will be presented with opportunities that will challenge you and help you grow, with your teammates right beside you every step of the way.
• You will have the opportunity for lasting impact on a student’s life. Every child deserves a caring adult that will step into their life and be present through the good and the bad. From afterschool clubs to weekend camps, everything that we do is designed with the end goal of forming meaningful relationships between students and mentors, some that will last for years to come.
• You will have access to training and resources that will equip you for a lifetime of service. YOKE ensures that all volunteers have what they need to effectively impact middle school students. This includes training sessions, online ministry resources, and an annual Leadership Summit where YOKE Folk from across five counties gather to worship and learn together.
• You will become part of the YOKE Community. YOKE is more than a program or a volunteering opportunity—it’s a family. While YOKE Folk form valuable relationships with the students they serve, they also form deep bonds with the other leaders they serve alongside.

Jeff Bronner, a Team Leader at Northwest Middle School, was once a YOKE kid himself. Recalling his time in YOKE, Jeff said, “In every dark corner of my life, God held me fast, guiding me closer and closer to exactly where He wanted me.”

“I can’t imagine where I would have ended up without YOKE,” added Jeff. “This ministry is so much more than a mentoring program; it is a vessel that God uses to mend broken hearts and find lost souls.”

If you are interested in learning more about how you can get involved with YOKE, contact program director Eli Cockrum: eli@yokeyouth.com or  fill out an application on our website and someone will follow up with you soon.