Mission - Barnabas Ministries is passionately committed to reaching high risk youth and families with the message of freedom, hope & healing in Jesus Christ.

Vision - To create an environment where hurting youth and families can discover their value in Christ, grow in that knowledge, and pass that knowledge on to others.

Description:
Barnabas Ministries' main target population are high-risk youth (11-18 year olds) in some type of crisis. In Allegan County alone, over 900 youth are high-risk and in crisis right now! (according to the U.S. Census Population Estimates for 2005).

Services for these youth include:
JUVENILE JUSTICE OUTREACH brings the Word of God into detention centers & treatment facilities, through weekly Bible studies, pen pal relationships, & chapel services. The Barnabas Team assists juvenile justice staff in providing essential positive youth development programming for the youth.

FAMILY MEDIATION assists parents and teens in learning how to resolve conflict and restore relationships.
MENTORS walk along side youth & parents to help make right choices in a one-on-one program. Barnabas provides training and case management for the volunteer mentors in all communities.
HANG TIME: an open door to youth in downtown Allegan. A safe place to hang out, do homework, ask questions, find help, & hope.

TESTIFY SK8: reaches out to skateboarding youth in the community with demonstrations & conversations that connect with their lives.

SK8 CHURCH: a follow-up to going out to the parks and streets. Offers skaters a church service aimed at them and their culture.

CRISIS INTERVENTION provides trained Crisis Teams for schools, churches, & other ministries. Crisis Training is provided for ministry personnel in other organizations, promoting partnership throughout the community.

BARNABAS SHELTER INITIATIVE is working to care for homeless, runaway, and throwaway youth in all three counties. Shelter Staff are partnered with other agencies to close the gap in housing services for youth in West Michigan.

BARNABAS PUBLISHING prints the truths of Scripture in simple, direct, understandable ways.

BARNABAS FUNDING - None of the youth or families served by Barnabas Ministries pays a fee for the services they receive. Even books, Bibles, and Discipleship materials are provided free of charge to those in need.
Barnabas Ministry Team members rely on Businesses, Churches, and Individuals who make financial contributions to the Ministry. Barnabas is a 501C3 non-profit corporation, register with the State of Michigan and the IRS.

FINANCIAL PARTNERS provide financial resources through sponsoring different fund-raising events, or by becoming a monthly contributor. Barnabas is seeking individuals, businesses, and churches to invest their financial resources each month to help us reach high-risk youth and their families. These partners will leave a lasting legacy on their community.

History:
February, 1995, the first Bible study was held at the Allegan County Youth Home. Again, Ministry Team members went out with a message of HOPE to those most cast-aside by society. From there the ministry grew to include Ottawa, Allegan and Barry Counties, outreach at schools, juvenile detention centers, and the community plus mentoring, shelter initiatives, training & seminars.

Barnabas Ministries serves as the State of Michigan Affiliate for Straight Ahead Ministries & their National Network of Juvenile Justice Ministries.

Barnabas is a member of:

Allegan County MACC

Allegan & Ottawa County Mentoring Collaboratives
Allegan RAP (Responding to Adolescent Problems) Committee

Barry County Resource Network

Barry County Continuum of Care

Barry County Transitional Living Committees

Michigan Non-Profit Association

National Chaplain's Association for Youth at Risk

National Network of Youth Ministries

American Association of Christian Counselors

Ottawa County Juvenile Community Justice Community Team

Ottawa County Building Restorative Communities Initiative

Zeeland Public School Crisis Response Team

Contact person: Kim Laaksonen, Allegan County Outreach Coordinator, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (269) 686-7101

Address:

139 Riverfront Plaza Allegan, MI 49010 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.barnabasmin.org