WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT

R. Steve Lowe - Founder/President

Year 2007 represents Pacific Youth’s twenty-second anniversary. Today, as this ministry celebrates more than two decades of fruitful labor in the difficult vineyards of correctional facilities and high-crime neighborhoods, my staff and I have been spending time reflecting on God’s faithfulness as well as His plans for us in the near future. We have asked implementation questions that force us to candidly assess whether Pacific Youth continues to be a movement of God, and whether or not we have stayed the course in these twenty-some years of ministry. And most importantly, youth directly impacted by our ministry have been consulted for effectiveness feedback. In this re-examination process our goal has been simple yet profound: God please be the moving force behind this ministry and lead us in the direction we should go.

God is clearly directing Pacific Youth to sustain its original, foundational vision. We exist to be a chaplain-placing ministry primarily for county juvenile facilities.

As a result of this organizational reflection, our vision statement is clarified to succinctly signify God’s purpose for creating this ministry’s non-negotiable reason for existence: Pacific Youth Correctional Ministries will glorify God by serving to fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. A separate mission statement clarifies exactly how we will fulfill our God-given vision: Pacific Youth Correctional Ministries will create or facilitate model chaplaincy ministries with at-risk and incarcerated youth through intervention, prevention, and continuity of care.

Pacific Youth exists as a chaplain-placing ministry to provide timely help for a life in peril and is designed to marshal God-given resources to effectively intervene in, and/or prevent, a criminal career path by training and placing chaplains, para-chaplains, and Christian institutional and community volunteers to provide effective correctional ministry.

As Pacific Youth fulfills the Great Commission with incarcerated youth and adults the result will be changed lives, lower recidivism rates, cycles of pathology broken, reduced criminal expenses to the community, and a new generation of contributing citizens. We will continue to mobilize and train a modest army of correctional ministers and volunteers to serve in juvenile halls, camps, ranches, and prisons worldwide. We will equip local churches to provide continuity of care to released juveniles and adults. As Pacific Youth demonstrates effective proven results, we will work to motivate criminal justice agencies to enhance religious programming in their comprehensive treatment planning as well as improve the professionalism of correctional ministry. Lastly, Pacific Youth will impact correctional and legal legislative bodies to improve human rights, religious freedoms, and faith-based solutions.

Pacific Youth is the right ministry for the right time. Please prayerfully join our collaboration to intersect lives in crisis with the transforming grace of the Gospel of Christ.

In His service,

R. Steve Lowe

Founder/President