You Made 2025 Possible
Happy New Year, UYWI Family! As we step into 2026, our hearts are overflowing with gratitude. We pause to celebrate what God accomplished through your partnership in 2025. Because of your prayers, generosity, and belief in urban leaders, thousands of young people encountered hope, healing, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Today, I invite you to look back on your impact in 2025—a year marked by transformation, multiplication, and stories only God could write.
2025 AT A GLANCE
Throughout 2025, your partnership transformed leaders and reached youth in remarkable ways. The UYWI Certification Program operated 8 active cohorts, training over 80 leaders across the country. These leaders were strengthened in personal leadership, ministry planning, and community impact, with testimonies showing them becoming more confident, strategic, and spiritually healthy.
At the same time, we expanded leadership Coaching, supporting 51 high-capacity leaders through specialized growth pathways. Leaders reported increased ability to disciple youth consistently and lead teams more effectively.
Our Fuel Networks continued to provide vital connection and support, with 9 Fuel Networks active across the U.S with 175 active participants., providing connection, care, and collaboration opportunities. These networks engaged local youth workers through gatherings, trainings, and shared resources, creating communities of practice that sustained leaders throughout the year.
We had the opportunity to participate in several training opportunities across the country this year, including Legacy Conference. The Legacy workshops brought together 224 leaders for intensive training and development.
We also worked alongside 16 leaders in Congregational Leadership and 100 students through Whole Life Discipleship to create stronger discipleship structures and holistic youth ministry models, while organizational leaders strengthened vision, planning, and long-term sustainability.
YOUR IMPACT IN REAL LIVES
Throughout 2025, we shared powerful monthly stories highlighting leaders whose ministries were strengthened because of you. These snapshots represent the hundreds of leaders you empowered. Giselle's story stands as a powerful example. She grew up facing hardship, yet God shaped her into a leader who now equips over 400 youth leaders and supports 500 churches. Through UYWI's Certification Program, she found the tools and community she needed to lead with clarity, intentionality, and renewed vision. Her dream is that every leader in her district would experience UYWI's training. This is multiplication in motion, and your partnership made it possible.
In Long Island, Jose and Mayra watched their thriving youth group shrink to one student after the pandemic. But God wasn't done. With training from UYWI, especially Whole Life Discipleship, their ministry rebuilt step by step. Today they serve 42 students weekly, operate two programs, and have grown their leadership team from 2 to 6 leaders. Your investment made space for revival.
Their stories and those of the leaders listed below are just glimpses of the leaders whose lives and ministries were strengthened by UYWI in 2025:
Your support trained, strengthened, and sustained these leaders and countless others.
- Christopher, rebuilding a church and discipling emerging leaders
- Antonia and Elisaia, volunteer youth directors transforming lives in Long Beach
- Delmy, a young leader now discipling 35 to 40 youth weekly
- John, whose story of redemption now fuels ministry to hundreds
- Annika, disrupting harmful narratives with holistic discipleship
- Shawnie, a next-generation leader discipling teens through creative programs
- Taylor, leading the Los Angeles Fuel Network and empowering leaders in South LA
THANK YOU RESOURCE PARTNERS
Because of you, more leaders were trained. More youth received discipleship. More ministries were strengthened. More communities experienced hope. You are the reason UYWI can continue developing healthy, high-capacity, high-impact leaders who reach the next generation with the Gospel. We could not do this without you.
With deep gratitude,
TOMMY NIXON, CEO
Urban Youth Workers Institute
When you champion a leader, you're fueling a movement that reaches students, raises up disciples, and rebuilds communities across urban America.