On a normal Tuesday during the school year team leaders are in and out of the YOKE house all afternoon. They come looking for balls to use for dodgeball club; they come looking for props and costumes for a skit; they come looking for a puzzle to use as an illustration for their talk. They walk upstairs to find all of these items and more organized on sturdy built shelves. These shelves also include an almost overwhelming amount of camp supplies.
Like most things in life we just assume the shelves have always been there and overlook what the attic would look like without shelves to stack all the supplies on. Without shelves there would be chaos. Without shelves we would not be able to fit all of our supplies in the attic. The strong wooden shelves were a wise investment! However, these shelves are not an investment YOKE made, but rather an investment someone special made in YOKE. Among other things at the YOKE house, a memorable individual named Charlie Roach invested his time and skills to help YOKE organize our attic space, among other tasks. But Charlie is not the only individual who invested in the ministry of YOKE in unique ways. Gentleman like Joe Searcy invested in YOKE by donating items such as sports equipment to use at our clubs and camps, as well as books to use as resources. Women like Anne “Babe” Schlatter helped raise funds for YOKE in her years on our Board. She would connect her friends to YOKE and they would give. One of Mrs. Babe’s friends included YOKE in their estate planning.
YOKE has a history of individuals who have helped YOKE in unique ways, including influential educators who have helped YOKE gain the positive reputation we have among current faculty and staff. From the principles at our first clubs at Christenberry and Northwest, to current administration that helps promote our goal to reach and minister to students, YOKE has been invested in through many different avenues. Our hope is that others will continue to invest in YOKE in new and creative ways.
Resources are not limited to cold, hard cash; rather, God has given each person a wide range of influence, skills and opportunities to serve His Kingdom.