Parachutes Teen Club

About Parachutes Teen Club

The product of years of discussion by local youth pastors, Parachutes opened in April 2003 as a ministry of Anchorage Youth for Christ (AYFC). In February of 2006, after a crisis at AYFC, Parachute Ministries, Inc. was born as an independent, non-profit organization. Parachutes has always held strong to the vision and mission statement it started with: Through relationships, Parachutes demonstrates the unconditional love of Jesus to teenagers by seeking to minister to their physical, social and spiritual needs. At Parachutes we welcome teens of all spiritual backgrounds and beliefs and are willing to discuss our belief in Jesus with anyone. Parachutes is a place where youth can feel safe from the hardships of life. The teens that stop in come from diverse backgrounds, but a common thread with many is that they have an unstable or unhealthy home environment. Teens that frequent Parachutes are often at-risk and street-involved. Some of the teens we know are homeless and most are struggling in school. Substance abuse issues are common along with broken family structures and failed community support. We use a four-tier approach to fulfilling our mission by: • providing a safe, social space where teens can get away from their family dysfunction, lack of relational support, and the Alaskan weather for a while; • building relationships through informal adult mentoring where employees and volunteers get know a teen’s story, share their personal stories, and share God’s story; • referring teens to agencies and services in the Anchorage area; • offering The Table where teens can eat together, discuss scripture, and engage in meaningful dialogue with each other and caring adults.

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