TEES VALLEY

UK-USA has a long-time partnership with Tees Valley Youth for Christ. Each week, TVYFC has teams of youth workers volunteering in local schools and supporting youth work happening in churches and community projects all around Teesside. Mission teams coming to Teesside will engage with local churches and organizations to partner in the work God is doing across the Tees Valley!

Our focus is to be:

Relational: We focus on building positive relationships with young people as a way of seeing their lives transformed for the better.

Relevant: We connect with young people through things that interest them, and we adapt as new opportunities arise.

Intentional: We purposefully search for ways to impact young people; we do things with integrity and pray about everything.

Incarnational: We live life in local communities and join people in their current situation. We support churches and schools while helping however we can. Ultimately, we’re about seeing young people’s lives changed by Jesus.

Over the past 15 years, we have seen God do some amazing things; lives changed, communities impacted, churches investing in youth ministry and thousands of young people hearing the Gospel. We are so thankful for those who have gone before us, who had vision for what we continue to do today, and who have unashamedly shared the good, life-changing news of Jesus Christ.

Our mission is to see young people’s lives changed by Jesus. We remain committed to communicating the life and love of Jesus relevantly to every young person in the Tees Valley through partnership with local churches, schools and communities.

The main ministry focuses for TVYFC and UK-USA Ministries mission weeks take on three forms:

SCHOOLS

We are passionate about seeing young people reach their full potential and believe that gaining a quality education increases their ability to succeed. While students grow academically, schools provide young people with the opportunity to mature individually and gain skills for a lifetime.

Each week, our staff volunteer in primary, secondary, and collegiate schools across Teesside, providing support in and out of the classroom. Tees Valley Youth for Christ staff serve the schools in a number of ways.

CHURCHES

We partner with the local church to help facilitate youth work, as well as to pioneer new initiatives. Our desire is to see churches working in unity to impact the young people in this area. We desire to be a resource to local churches, and to provide support for their youth work however we can.

COMMUNITIES

While working with young people is our primary focus, we know that they are part of families and communities with a much wider age range. If we want to see lasting change in young people, we need to see change in their environment as a whole. To effect change, we try to spend time with young people’s families and neighbors. If they have physical needs, we try to meet them. We offer help with homework, provide positive activities, and talk to them about the God who loves them. We see engaging in communities as a vital way to impact the lives of young people by looking at the big picture.

GOD STORIES:

Grace’s Story:

“My summer in England was truly wonderful. I did not know what to expect, all I knew was that God was pulling me over the ocean to love others and serve Him. As soon as I got to training camp, I felt euphoric joy, knowing that God had led me directly to where He wanted me. I remember going to bed one night and thinking, “I am across the ocean and I have never felt so at home and at peace.”

Once I got to my location in Teesside, it felt like the missing puzzle piece to my story. It was the thing that God had always placed in my heart, and I had felt it for years, and there it was right in front of me! Over the summer, the Lord developed my spiritual gifts more and I became very secure and content in Him.

I had always loved both counseling and missions, but I never knew how to combine them. Over my summer in Teeside, I got to meet many wonderful people in GEM member care and God has encouraged me in that direction. He did so much in my heart, I would classify them as little miracles. Little visions He gave me, little moments I had with Him, He continued to confirm my calling and how much He loved me. I came home so secure and joyful in the Lord, and knowing specifically what He was telling me to do. It was truly the best, most life-changing summer of my life!”

-Grace R, Teesside Ten2 Project Intern

Ainsley’s Story:

“I don’t think I realized just how much the summer doing the @ten2project would completely change my life. There are countless things that the Lord did this summer. I saw kids come to know Jesus, I experienced his peace and presence more evidently than I ever had before, and experienced the Lord teach me and guide me while serving this summer.

We were encouraged at training camp to pray audacious prayers. I did so and saw that the Lord truly will do immeasurably more than I could ever ask or imagine. Even through my worries and hard days, the Lord showed his faithfulness. I truly fell in love with Teesside this summer. I never thought that in just eight weeks I would feel that I had gained another home and family across the ocean. I am so thankful the Lord directed my path to Teesside and I can’t wait for the day I get to go back!” -Ainsley K, Teesside Ten2 Project Intern

OUR PRAYER

We are praying for the Lord to send forth laborers to His harvest field in the Tees Valley and beyond. We are praying for Jesus to be revealed to the hearts of the young and the elderly and everyone in between and that revival would break out and true discipleship would occur.

Would you prayerfully consider how you can be apart of the exciting work God is doing in the Tees Valley?

Ministry in and around the Tees Valley