The ARYF center can easily be mistaken for just your average youth center on the outside, from its tattered cross blanketed in layers of handwritten prayer requests to the vibrant and youthful wall patterns, it may look like the group at ARYF is just another youth group. However, this youth group is a lot more than your generic brand of church-goers. Not only does our fusion of Ethiopian roots and American culture make us different and diverse, but it has also brought us to a place where we have had to decide how we are going to identify ourselves as a group. We were once caught between a rock and a hard place. We weren’t completely “Ethiopian” in the way we did church, but not completely “American” in our upbringing. We believe God has brought us to the perfect hybrid of the two cultures, all stemming from one Christian culture. The name ARYF serves as an example of the unique blend of “cultures for Christ” that is our youth group.
The word, oftentimes confused as a misnomer on the back of our group hoodies, is Amharic for “cool,” while, at the same time, an English acronym for what we hope to stand for as a new generation of Christ followers (an Anointed Radical Youth Fellowship). From football games before services, to lock-ins on the weekends and hiking trips over the summer, this youth group has a great time. No doubt ARYF is a fun place where we understand we were made to love and fellowship, but at the heart of this youth group is a strong desire to know God and to make Him known.
At the heart of this youth group is a banner we grew up with inscribed with the words “for me to live is Christ.” At the heart of this youth group is a cry to God saying, “here I am, Lord, send me,” after witnessing His heart for the lost.
At the heart of this youth group is a commitment to raising money for The Cause that no one expected we would even begin to raise. 
At the heart of this youth group is a bond that had us on our knees praying for one another, pleading for each other at the foot of the cross at the annual Dare2Share conference we attend. At the heart of this youth group is a desire to live out the words of Proverbs 21:8 boldly sketched on the main wall of the ARYF center. And, most importantly, at the heart of this youth group is a desire to know the very heart of Christ Himself, and to make His glory known throughout the globe. We have a strong desire to seek after God and find Him in all of His majesty, and we have seen this being displayed in a multitude of ways in our youth group, despite the adversity it has had to face at times. We are so excited to see how God will move and reveal Himself to us next.
