A safe place to play

MOSES LAKE - It's Monday night in Moses Lake and most of the stores lining Third Avenue are closed except for one building.

It's alive with activity.

Upstairs, tables and chairs overlook the basketball court, and a couch is arranged in front of a television set and Xbox video game system. Downstairs, teens can relax around a countertop, where snacks and drinks are served, or they can sink into one of several couches.

For two hours on Monday nights, this is where teens come to hang out.

"I think it's like a better way to get kids off the streets," said Stella Neal, 18.

Youth Dynamics is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping teens find Christ. When teens show up Monday nights, they are greeted with activities, snacks, and ministry.

When staff member Sean Sallis was a teenager, Youth Dynamics was new to Moses Lake, having opened in 1996.

"When I was a kid it was a place of serenity, I guess," Sallis remembers.

As an adult, Sean Sallis and his wife Cassandra Sallis now help the same organization, though it is housed in a different location. Teens at Youth Dynamics participate in different ways. They can play basketball, pool or air hockey, or they can play cards, study, or just hang out, Sallis said.

Approximately 15 to 30 teens show up each week for the activities, housed at a building funded by the community, said staff member Dave Oliver.

During the night, youth gather on couches to hear from a guest speaker, such as a pastor.

"Youth Dynamics is about introducing students to Christ and then plugging them into different churches here in town," Oliver said.

Oliver invites teens to Youth Dynamics. He said a lot of things happen outside the building, such as mountain-biking trips, rafting trips, rock-climbing trips, and in the past, backpacking trips. Oliver hopes to restart the backpacking trips, which require six to eight youth.

"It's like accelerated friendship building," Oliver said of the trips.

Volunteer Kyndra Wright, 20, found Christ through Youth Dynamics during her teen years. Wright said she began volunteering because she used to be in the same situation as some of the teens and could offer insight.

"I can just relate to all these teens," she said.

Some of the teens, if not all of the teens, are from broken homes, Wright said.

Wright echoed Oliver's sentiment that much of the work from Youth Dynamics happens outside the Monday-night gatherings - As an example, one teen called her up at night for help, and she was able to provide assistance.

Neal described the atmosphere of support at the organization.

"No matter what, there's always someone to help you," he said.

Neal started coming to Youth Dynamics when she was 13 years old.

"I come here and it feels like everyone here is part of a family," she said.

There is no pressure to become Christian - volunteers and staff just talk about it, Neal said. When they tell her about God being there to help her, she feels better no matter what.

Friends introduced her to Youth Dynamics five years ago.

"Some of them are in college now, half of them who didn't even want to finish school," Neal said.

Neal and Wright mentioned some parents do not allow their children to come to Youth Dynamics because of former problems with gang activity going on outside the building. They said gangs no longer gather behind the building, and they both believe the image of the organization is moving in a positive direction.

"(Youth Dynamics) is actually keeping them out of getting in trouble with the law," Wright said.

Cassandra Sallis said the organization has a rule - once a teen leaves the building, they cannot come back in the same night.

"It helps keep a lot of stuff out that we don't want," Sallis said.

Sallis was not at risk during her childhood, and she is surprised by some of the stories she hears from teens.

"It makes me realize that God can use anyone," she said.

Once a teen at Youth Dynamics accepts Christ, they are usually not allowed to return to the teen nights to prevent the organization from becoming a youth group, Oliver said.

Sean Sallis said when the organization is fully staffed, Friday nights could be reserved for students in junior-high school.

Youth Dynamics, located at 106 E. Third Ave., is open to teens ages 12 to 19 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday nights. For more information, call 509-765-4184.