Denver / Colorado / United States
Urban Youth Ministries was founded in 1982 by Dr. Kent Hutcheson. He felt led to help at-risk youth in Denver spiritually turn from being "victims" to "leaders", a ministry he had successfully implemented in a politically-hostile environment in the Philippines. To accomplish this goal, Dr. Hutcheson brought minority youth leaders and Christian businessmen concerned about the hopelessness of the inner city together to set up a way to make positive changes in the urban environment. The core offering of the program they came up with consisted of meaningful relationships with the Urban Youth Ministries staff and young people in the community. These staff-student relationships were enhanced by partnering with local like-minded organizations and churches. Together, this successful pairing - relationships and urban partners - provided a solution to helping kids face their struggles and find a positive way through. By 1988, there were 150 kids involved in the program, and currently there are over 3, 000 youth in its caseload. Urban Youth Ministries currently meets with twelve urban churches and serves over 550 kids in Wednesday night Bible studies. The spiritual vacuums that urban students face are successfully being filled with meaningful relationships, spiritual guidance and love.
