WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT

R. Steve Lowe - Founder/President   

PUBLIC SAFETY AT GROWING RISK-THE PRESSING NEED  

After a welcome downward trend of lessening gang violence in the late 90’s, this societal sickness is again at dangerous levels. With the crisis of both our national and local economies, law enforcement agencies, probation and parole departments, and prisons are downsizing to reduce expenses. More felons are being diverted from incarceration or being released prior to completing sentences. In California alone, approximately 30,000 prisoners are scheduled for early release in the upcoming months. One criminal justice chief states:

“Essentially, I think for county probation we will be looking at several areas including but not limited to:  how prison releases impact community safety, need for medical and mental health treatment for prison releases, the strain on already overtaxed programs for our probationers, and how probation officers may find increased contacts with these released prisoners and the impact on efforts to steer our probationers away from criminal associates.”

Because of the dangers of potential violence and risks to public health, criminal justice entities are entreating the faith-based community to “please come” assist them in crime prevention, intervention, and aftercare. It is the right time for Pacific Youth to offer its expertise and services to collaborative efforts protecting society and re-socializing offenders.

PACIFIC YOUTH RESPONDS-COLLABORATION IN CRITICAL TIMES

To maximize kingdom impact services, organizations and ministries must combine talent, time, and treasure to multiply results. In each of our collaborative relationships, Pacific Youth remains evangelical in doctrine and Christ-centered in solutions. Who we are is not negotiable, i.e. we are a disciple making, kingdom building, God honoring ministry that desires to do what God wants in the manner God wants it done. Because leveraged collaboration is a cornerstone value of Pacific Youth, we work well with others to maximize resources and achieve mutual goals and strategies. Pacific Youth is a founding member of the Lives Worth Saving collaboration initiated by Orange County Chief Probation Officer Colleene Preciado in response to her deep concern over the spike in gang violence. Select Pacific Youth Protestant Chaplaincy Ministry volunteers within the Orange County Juvenile Justice Complex have joined forces with the Lives Worth Saving-Gang Intervention street teams, targeting the highest gang-crime area of Orange County .

Pacific Youth is a founding member of Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchins’ co-sponsored faith-based community collaboration Violence Prevention and Strategic Reentry Commission. VPSRC is mobilizing 50 churches for the express purpose of opening church campuses for entire days, allowing youth at risk to have a safe haven from the streets.

Pacific Youth currently joins forces with other entities, i.e. The Billy Graham Center, Wheaton College , Gordon-Conwell Seminary, the Hispanic Ministry Center , the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, The Spiritual Concerns Committee of San Bernardino County Probation, Tulare County Probation, We Care of Los Alamitos, and several others worldwide. In these collaborations, Pacific Youth conducts professional training, and provides consultation and organizational development.

Effectiveness and efficiency in collaboration means doing the right things as well as doing the right things the right way.

PROVEN METHODS and PROVEN RESULTS

Best Practices  

As funding sources shrink, criminal justice agencies are challenged to do more with less. Larger populations can be reached but only by using methods supported by research and development that result in improved outcomes. Because Pacific Youth is deliberate in the choice of our strategies, we have basis for the methods we design. Our proven methods are working, demonstrated by other correctional agencies adopting our chaplaincy and mentoring-aftercare designs as models.

Salience is “belief in action”: Criminological literature demonstrates “increased religious salience results in lowered rates of offending.” The obvious questions become: what is religious salience and how is it increased. Our ministry methods in conducting church services, Bible studies, biblical counseling, discipleship, mentoring, and aftercare are designed to make disciples, i.e. people of faith walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, thereby intentionally increasing a young person’s religious salience.

Learning: Our ministry methods of education are founded on solid learning theory principles, such as cognitive restructuring, experiential learning, and the use of action methods. These are three proven mechanisms to assist in the learning and application of biblical principles.

Wraparound Services: The George W. Bush White House conducted massive research on the importance of re-entry for released offenders. Wraparound services are essential if an inmate is going to withstand the pressures of old peers and old habits, coupled with the ongoing unwillingness of society to receive returning inmates as full members. Our ministry methods of aftercare mentoring (MatchPoint® Orange County-Mentoring Project), as well as the use of select volunteers and our professional clergy staff to assist with re-entry, are in accordance with Department of Justice research 

LOW OVERHEAD-LARGE RESULTS

Ensuring Direct Services

Our goal is having every dollar donated to Pacific Youth be a life changing gift. Donors want their valuable contributions to fund ministry that is both cost effective and direct. In the last 24 years, Pacific Youth has operated on an overhead budget of only 7%. A full 93% of our budget supplies chaplains, para-chaplains, and Christian Institutional Volunteers, who in turn provide needed institutional ministry as well as community outreach. The in-kind dollar value of our highly trained volunteers worldwide alone is of significant value.

Our outreach includes: American Southern region-Dallas/Ft. Worth Texas-Metroplex-Dallas and Tarrant County Probation and Sheriff’s Departments, and the California region -Orange County Juvenile Justice Complex-Probation and Social Services, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation-Department of Juvenile Justice, Santa Cruz Probation and Sheriff’s Departments, San Bernardino County Probation, and Tulare County Probation.

Each of these critical sites requires ongoing funding, training, and management to provide needed services. Pacific Youth provides these sites with our own chaplains or para-chaplains, or expertise for site development and management. We provide all of this at a very low overhead.

OUR CURRENT NEED

While a slowing economy has created increasing demands on helping ministries like us, it has also stunted critical funding streams. In 2009 individuals, mission boards, and foundations have informed Pacific Youth to brace for unplanned and unwanted reductions in their giving, resulting in a projected year-end deficit of $30,000. Therefore, there is urgency for raising necessary funding levels for operations.

Along with most organizations, Pacific Youth is adjusting to this recession. We are fortunate because we already have a very lean corporate structure. However, Pacific Youth stands at the lowest threshold and cannot retain or sustain current ministry levels with a year-end deficit. Operations demand raising an additional $30,000 by year-end.

In summary, opportunities for additional collaboration as a ministry of influence present themselves almost weekly. To capitalize on future opportunities, finish ongoing projects, and grow the ministry for increasing impact we need a one-year gain of $200,000 in 2010. To retain what we have requires closing 2009 with our budget threshold met. Immediate projects that need completion are our 4-book Getting to Know Jesus discipleship series and the distribution of our Chaplains Resource Kit CD worldwide. Future projects that will take Pacific Youth to the next level include the establishment of a permanent Pacific Institute of Correctional Ministry headquarters and essential re-entry funding for released youth and adults. These are necessary expenses in today’s efforts at crime reduction through prevention, intervention, and aftercare.

YOUR RESPONSE

Pacific Youth must raise both an additional $30,000 by 2009 year-end and an additional $200,000 in 2010 to insure moving this ministry to a higher level of influence and Kingdom impact. Your one-time, monthly, or yearly gift will help sustain us during this time of financial downturn.

Tax-deductible gifts can be made payable to PYCM:

If you wish to designate to a specific staff individual or project please specify with your gift.

THANK YOU

On behalf of our board of directors, the Pacific Youth team of chaplains, para-chaplains, volunteers and the target populations we care for, thank you for considering assisting us realize our potential in serving others.

May God richly bless you.

In His service,
R. Steve Lowe
Founder and President