Stories
Short Testimonies & Quotes
Stories
Short Testimonies & Quotes
A Place at the at Table leads boys outdoors, away from distractions, where they can relate one-to-one with a man they admire. We seek boys and girls aged 7 to 24, who urgently need male role models. We reach them through single mothers, eager to give sons a father figure – a role they cannot fill alone. We charge them nothing – we are funded by charitable sponsors and participating churches.
We do require a three-year commitment (one year at a time) from participants, to provide constancy.
We strive to impart unshakable faith in a Heavenly Father who will never abandon His children.
Like The Fathers in the Field program, A Place at the Table works to achieve three important goals:
Once the father is gone, abandoned boys are left to follow the path of darkness and carry the many deep and soulful wounds around for a life-time, unless godly men stand-up and step-into a boy’s life and mentor him in the knowledge of their Heavenly Father’s love for them.
Children from fatherless homes account for:
• 63% of youth suicides
• 71% of pregnant teenagers
• 90% of runaway or homeless kids
• 85% of youth sitting in prisons
• 71% of high school dropouts
• 75% of teens in drug treatment
Research shows that mentored children are:
• 46% less likely to use drugs or alcohol
• 33% less likely to resort to violence
• 59% more likely to get better grades
Personal Interest! Belonging. Acceptance. I feel like she watched over me, like a mom. She was a safe place for me” — anon
"We all want to be a part of a community” — anon
"He would benefit greatly from being in a setting where he sees kindness and hospitality modeled” — anon
"Filling in gaps” — anon
“Is there a need? A thousand percent there is! The parents of any of the kids I have ever fostered all say the same thing: “I just want my family together because I’ve never had that”. Unfortunately, they don’t usually know how to create a healthy family environment because they didn’t ever have it modelled for them. I think it is a good prevention program for a lot of things. Having a safe place to belong reduces the need to seek belonging in unhealthy places. I can think of a few people I wish could have been a part of this program before they hit a certain point.” — foster mom
Just what I needed.” — anon
“What I desire is for my son to be connected to a Christian family.” — single mom
“It actually lead us to think of the young people we know in our life who have do not have much of a father presence in their lives. Our babysitter (grade 9 girl) is from a single mom household so we have had the thought of inviting her and her younger brother along for times when we go out skating or xc skiing as a family. This really us to be mindful of those without dads/from fractured homes.” — Christian couple
"He saw his dad in a certain light a limited one. Who is going to model to him how to treat a wife” — anon
“Thank you so much for sharing the dream you’re carrying—to support families as they welcome young people into their extended family circles and give them a meaningful place at the table.
Your emerging ministry has already sparked genuine enthusiasm among our staff. It’s come up in several conversations since you left, and we are praying for you as you take your next steps.
I also wanted to share a picture that settled in my heart after our time together. I saw you sitting in our upstairs lounge, mentoring staff like Brian, Brooklyn, Bryce, and Ross. One of the things that excites me about the potential for partnership is how naturally it would place you in close proximity to a new wave of Christian leadership—and how powerfully your presence, experience, and gifts could shape and encourage them.
On top of that, I can see real opportunity for us to support your ministry as we continue strengthening the administrative backbone of Youth Unlimited Calgary for the road ahead.
I share all this with the same open-handed posture we talked about last night, but I also wanted you to know just how excited we are about the possibility of partnering together and having you woven into our team now and into the future." — Evan, Executive Director, Youth Unlimited (Youth For Christ) Calgary