Letter from Director YFC Winnipeg

April, 2006


Dear Friends of David and Lisa McGrath:

We have been recruiting for over a year, trying to find the right person to serve as Director of Operations for our Camp Cedarwood ministry www.cedarwood-yfc.com. We are thrilled to announce that David and Lisa have agreed to be missionary candidates for this ministry appointment.

We have been through a detailed application / interview process complete with references as well as having David and Lisa conduct an on site visit to the camp in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada where they met with me the Executive Director, our camp staff and a board representative. Our invitation to invite David and Lisa comes from a strong sense that they would be an excellent couple who have a ministry calling on their life that matches this ministry opportunity.

David and Lisa would truly be missionaries. At Youth for Christ Winnipeg we are passionate about reaching teenagers with the gospel and encouraging them to open their lives to Jesus and become His lifelong followers. The camp is one of 15 programs we operate and is a very powerful effective ministry that reaches teenagers who have never been to church in their lifetime. Camp will be their first exposure to the gospel.

Following summer, the camp operates year-round, largely as a spiritual renewal retreat centre for youth groups but also during the week for schools who come for “outdoor education” retreats. For most of these school kids, this is their very first exposure to Cedarwood and a great opportunity for us to invite them to return for summer camp.

We believe David and Lisa would do an amazing job. David has prepared himself for a ministry / missionary placement having spent the last four years at seminary. He has such a passion for God and is anxious to find a place to serve the Lord with his gifts and abilities. His past management / leadership experience in business will be a huge asset as he leads a team of 13 staff. His references affirm his strong work ethic and character as well as his giftedness to oversee and manage this portion of our ministry.

Lisa has such an obvious gift of hospitality and equally lives with a passion to serve the Lord. While she would continue her “mother” responsibilities, when the children are in school, there would be significant opportunities in hosting / hospitality and mentoring of young women staff missionaries. We see them partnering together in serving at Cedarwood.

We are impressed with David and Lisa’s willingness to make substantial sacrifices to be available to come and fill this position. They have demonstrated that God’s will for their lives is at the top of their list. David and Lisa are “missionary candidates”. They have been chosen for the position, but their appointment is conditional on adequate financial support being in place to care for them while serving. We have a huge desire to have David and Lisa on our staff missionary team. Here is the remaining challenge.


The only way we can add David and Lisa to our staff of missionaries is to invite family, friends, acquaintances and churches to consider providing the needed financial support for us to be able to appoint and care for them.

I have no way of knowing whether or not you are in a position where God has blessed you with the ability to give towards David and Lisa’s possible ministry placement. My purpose in writing to you is to make you aware of our need and David and Lisa’s availability and to ask you to seriously consider whether or not you can share in making it possible for David and Lisa to join our missionary team in Winnipeg.

David and Lisa will need to find a group of monthly supporters to cover their basic needs in order to join Youth for Christ. We have put a preliminary budget together and have set their support goal at $2500/mth. If you have the ability to contribute, please prayerfully consider doing what you can to meet this ministry need as well as provide David and Lisa with the opportunity to serve. I am enclosing a response card and would appreciate your reply, if possible, within the next week or so.

Please do not send any money at this time. We are simply asking you to let us know what you are willing to do towards this opportunity. We will total the pledges to determine whether we can move ahead with their appointment. A pledge is simply what you will plan to do as God enables you. Youth for Christ Winnipeg has an arrangement with YFC/USA that enables all gifts to be receiptable for tax purposes. Your support will be designated in its entirety to David and Lisa’s support, which cover their employment expenses.

It takes very special faith and humility to make oneself available as David and Lisa have done. If you are unable to support them at this time, there is no need for embarrassment. We simply want to communicate how important this is to both the ministry of YFC and to David and Lisa and to encourage those who can give to do their best to make it possible. We are enclosing a 10-minute video that highlights the YFC Winnipeg ministry. It might be helpful as part of your decision process. We will be praying for God’s provision knowing that with David and Lisa’s coming, many more teenagers will be impacted and come to know Christ.

Sincerely,

John Courtney
Executive Director