Long Island Christian Youth Mentor and Child

Core Values

We depend on the Spirit of God to help us discern people’s core needs and assist in meeting them. We seek to do so in a way that encourages a dependence on God, His church, and His biblical mandate to work to sustain ourselves and to serve others.

  • Jesus Christ is our only hope for salvation, maturity, and eternally useful service.
  • All ministry is begun, empowered, and directed by God as we seek His will in prayer.
  • The Bible is God’s authoritative Word.
  • The Church is God’s earthly institution, ordained to minister in His name. In her every endeavor, she points to Jesus Christ.
  • Everyone is created by God in His image and, therefore, each one is valued by Him. Out of the above biblical truths naturally flows the ministry of Long Island Youth Mentoring as we assist the local church in her ministry to children and families who may be lost, oppressed, or experiencing troubling circumstances.
  • We believe that the best way to communicate God’s love, truth, and righteousness on this mission field is through personal one-to-one relationships.
  • All who receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord should have the opportunity to be welcomed into His church and discipled in His love and truth.
  • We depend on the Spirit of God to help us discern people’s core needs and assist in meeting them. We seek to do so in a way that encourages a dependence on God, His church, and His biblical mandate to work to sustain ourselves and to serve others.

The History of Long Island Youth Mentoring

Long Island Youth Mentoring is a ministry to fatherless children which was established in 1981. It was called Long Island Youth Guidance at the time, the mission was (and still is) to assist the Christian Church on Long Island to responsibly reach out to fatherless and orphaned children who are in need of hope through caring and consistent one on one relationships. Over the past decades, we have refined our systems of operation in order to provide safe and effective ministry to thousands of children, teenagers, and their families. These systems are now, in many ways, considered the gold standard of Christian mentoring nationwide and abroad.

  • In 1992 we added our first new program to our One to One ministry to the fatherless. It was called Partners To Potential. It is now called The Homework Club. This ministry enables a church to work with the local school district to provide educational as well as emotional help to children who are struggling in school. Some are struggling because there is no one at home who can help with homework because of language or time barriers. Others are struggling because of an array of family challenges. The children are usually in grades one through five. The first hour is taken up with one on one homework help and a snack. The last half hour is filled with moral instruction where the Bible is our only text. Bible stories are told and life application is discussed. Throughout this time the Church is able to listen, understand and invest in young lives in a time of need and opportunity.
  • In 2003, we responded to frequent requests to help others start their own mentoring ministries by starting the Christian Mentoring Institute. In 2005 we changed the name to The Christian Association of Youth Mentoring. Using our proven systems, materials and training we have helped launch over 300 new ministries located all across this country and as far away as London and South Africa! The Christian Association of Youth Mentoring  is now a separate national ministry, operating with its own Board of Directors, on which our Executive Director serves.
  • In 2008 we added a new focus called The Bridges Ministry. This ministry focus is to children and teens in group foster care homes. New York State tells us that 60% of the teens who leave these homes at age 18 end up populating the homeless statistics. These homes house children who are orphaned or have been removed from their homes for many different reasons. We are currently working in 19 of these homes.  Some of these homes have been ‘adopted’ as mission fields by local churches. Church adoption is our ideal model. Scripture makes it obvious that it is God’s will for His Church to care for the Fatherless, Orphan and Widow. Therefore a home that houses 8-10 orphans is a perfect mission field focus for one church. It is part of the call and it is very doable.  In all 19 of these home we seek to match each young person with their own Christian mentor. These mentors meet with their assigned youth on a weekly basis. The goal is to build a relationship that acts as a conduit through which God’s love and direction flows.