CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

Every December Forgotten Youth Ministries hosts a special Christmas program as a way of showing and sharing the love of Jesus Christ with youth in detention. Our annual Christmas program provides an opportunity to explain the TRUE meaning of Christmas and why Christians celebrate this time each year. 

Many children spend Christmas locked up in the juvenile center. This is a very depressing and discouraging time for them. However, incarcerated youth learn that they are not forgotten at the annual FYM Christmas program. Once they assemble in the gym, the program begins with live Christian music.  FYM volunteers share their testimonies offering encouragement to these hopeless children. FYM volunteers serve pizza, pop, and homemade Christmas cookies and cards made especially for them by area churches and/or youth groups.

A special Christmas message is shared with an emphasis on the real meaning of Christmas and the reason God sent His Son, because of His great love for us. Children in detention are shown the love of Jesus by receiving Christmas gifts such as gloves, hats and journals.

It should be noted that most teens are very depressed to be locked up over the holidays. However, for a few, this is the best option to celebrate the holidays and be able to enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. For those children, it is not uncommon that they violate their probation around the holidays to purposefully be in the detention center at this time.