Welcome, Welcome One and All and We Hope This Will Not Be the Last Time You Honor Us With

The ElectricCity Update

Young Life of Great Falls

Young Life of Great Falls Committee

Welcome, welcome one and all and we hope this will not be the last time you honor us with your reading of the Electric City Update. Yes it has finally happened; Young Life has come to Great Falls, MT. I believe the proper response up in these here parts is either YYEEEEEHAAAAWWWWW or Killer Dude, depending on whether you ranch or thrash. Either way we are thrilled to be here and excited about what God is planning for Great Falls.

Welcome to our new Area Director

After much searching and prayerful consideration, the Great Falls Young Life committee is thrilled to welcome the new Young Life Area Director to Great Falls! Jimmy Yoakum and his family arrived in time to experience -30 degree Montana winter weather. Traci, Jimmy's wife, was rapidly reassured that she would not have to deal with below-zero temperatures all winter. The Yoakum's two sons, Jay (age 10) and Josh (age 8), were ready to tackle the Montana cold when they requested to walk to their new school, Meadowlark Elementary. Faith, the Yoakum's 14-month old daughter, did not experience the cold temperatures as the parents had her wrapped up like a mummy.

The Yoakum's come to Great Falls from Maryville, Tennessee, where Jimmy served as a volunteer Young Life leader for 2 years with the Blount County Young Life. Jimmy's full-time job was as a Sheriff's Deputy (most recently acting as the High School Resource Officer). Traci is a professional family and household engineer, in other words, she is a great Mom and, according to Jimmy, nothing would get done without her. Traci hails originally from Alliance, Ohio, and moved to Tennessee after receiving a scholarship from EastTennesseeStateUniversity to run track. Jimmy and Traci met at ETSU and, after Jimmy graduated, they moved to Ft. Bragg, NC, with the US Army.

Jimmy is very thankful for your prayers and support of the Young Life program in Great Falls and would like to personally meet you. Please feel free to contact Jimmy and Traci. Their home number is 406-761-0796; Jimmy's current Young Life office number is 406-727-1601, or you can reach him on cell at 406-788-5515. His e-mail is .

Good Bye to Good Friends – Mike and Julie Phillips

In other news, the Committee is sad to announce that after much thought, and serious discussions with friends and family, Mike and Julie Phillips, who have been on the Young Life committee from the beginning, have decided to pursue an opportunity that is closer to family in the Midwest. "It has been a pleasure working with such a great organization. We cannot say enough wonderful things about Young Life and about all the people we've encountered during our service. God has really blessed this ministry in Great Falls and the community has asked for this type of outreach to youth who need more caring adult role models in their life."

The Beginnings – Our Committee

Mike and Julie Phillips were instrumental in bringing Young Life to Great Falls and Mike was serving as our Committee Chairperson. Young Life has much support in Great Falls with a large group of Christians who have dedicated themselves to prayer for the program and other individuals want to help in many ways but do not have the time to serve on the Committee.

The one other Committee member who has been actively involved since the group formed is Nancy Knauff. Nancy and her husband, Jerry, have lived in Great Falls since 1995. They met and were married in Helena, MT, moved to Colorado Springs, CO, in 1993, and returned to Montana in 1995. They have been blessed with two daughters, one wonderful son-in-law, and two grandchildren. Jerry is a real estate appraiser, and Nancy recently “retired” from the President’s Office at the University of Great Falls. She now helps Jerry in the appraisal office. In addition to serving Young Life of Great Falls, Nancy is a member of the Montana Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, is a Governor-appointed member of the Martin Luther King Commission, is active in the food ministry for the homeless through Set Free Ministries, and is a Bible teacher. Jerry is a mentor to men who are seeking release from substance abuse. Both are very familiar with Great Falls and the spiritual issues that the Great Falls youth face and believe that Young Life is good news for the youth in Great Falls.

With Mike’s departure, the Chairperson position became vacant. We thank the Lord for Steve Brueske who agreed to step into the leadership role. He and wife Leslie desire to help Young Life grow in Great Falls. They moved to Great Falls from Charleston, SC in October, 2002. This is the ninth state Steve has lived in over the last 20 years. Many of his moves occurred during his eight and one-half years as an Air Force officer. Then most recent move to Montana occurred when Steve accepted a position as Meteorologist in Charge of the National Weather Service Office in Great Falls. Steve and Leslie were both raised in northern climates; Steve in Minneapolis and Leslie in Upstate New York. Both are thrilled to live in an area with numerous skiing and camping opportunities. In addition to serving Young Life of Great Falls, Steve is an Elder at First Presbyterian Church and a member of the Montana State Emergency Response Commission. Leslie is a medical transcriptionist and a volunteer reading tutor for elementary school children. Both area excited about the positive influence Young Life will have on the youth of Great Falls.

Young Life in Great Falls still has many needs to really establish a first-rate Young Life program. All of us have very special and unique gifts that God has given us to use in His service. Young Life has opportunities ranging from committed and dedicated committee members to people who would be willing to invite Young Life to present at community functions. We need people who can identify potential donors or other Committee members and open the doors for Committee members to visit those contacts. Most of all, we need people who have a heart for the future of our youth and want to see this program succeed – people who can give their all, or a specific skill, to ensure the success of Young Life.

Matthew 9:37 reminds us that, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” God has opened many doors in Great Falls for the Young Life program, we ask that you pray and diligently seek His face on behalf of Young Life in Great Falls. Do you have a spiritual gift that could be used to reach “Every Teen, Everywhere, For Eternity”? Young Life’s success depends on the support of the Great Falls community.

Young Life of Great Falls Financial Status

The Murdock Foundation is an Oregon-based foundation that gives funds to many organizations, several of which are in Great Falls. Fortunately Dan Barnett, Regional Director for Montana, was able to contact the Murdock Foundation and present Young Life and what it can do to them. The Murdock Foundation agreed to give Great Falls a $90,000 start-up grant over the course of three years, to get Young Life up and running. This grant is a two-for-one grant with the Murdock Foundation matching every dollar Young Life raises with .50 cents. For the first year, the Murdock Foundation has promised $30,000 if Young Life of Great Falls raises $60,000. The Murdock Foundation will continue to provide their grant money for three years provided Young Life of Great Falls raises their required $60,000. The initial $60,000 needs to be raised by September 30, 2005 to meet the first year grant requirements.

Currently the Great Falls Area, MT45, has raised close to $8,000. We are planning a spring fundraising event, probably a golf tournament, as well as a Fall Banquet to help in the raising of the additional $52,000. This money is needed to establish a sound financial base that will allow Young Life of Great Falls to remain a strong and secure program for the teenagers of this city to be a part of. All this money will go towards things such as kid’s camp scholarships, office operating costs, committee training, and staff salaries.

The Young Life Great Falls Committee and staff are committed to being good stewards of the money given by donors to further the Kingdom of God and pledge to ensure all funds are handled in a Christ-like and spiritual manner. All donors will receive regular updates of the program’s needs and expenditures. Please prayerfully consider becoming a part of the Young Life experience.