Past

In the early 1980s, a small number of Pentecostal community leaders from various New York churches came together over a shared passion for the rising generations of young people in the Malayalee community. They desired to offer a tool that would develop, nurture, unify, and spiritually enrich the youth in a way that Sunday morning church services could not do. The Pentecostal Youth Fellowship of America (PYFA), an annual youth-focused convention, was born out of this desire. While expectations were high for this vision in its infancy, none of its pioneers could have envisioned the multi-faceted, year-round organization that PYFA would become.

With over forty affiliated churches from the tri-state area (consisting of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut), PYFA has experienced dramatic growth and development. Over the years, PYFA began to offer additional programs such as the Youth Retreat and Sports Days which are now fixtures of the event calendar. Along with these, the 2007 leadership team started new programs such the Talent Competitions and will sponsor the upcoming Women’s Conference. Noted preacher and teacher, Devin Wallace, will address the question, “Are You Content?”

Aside from the event calendar, the face of PYFA leadership has changed as well. Originally, just three passionate pastors directed PYFA; now, over forty passionate young people (one from each church), under the guidance of the executive committee, are directly involved with the coordination of this organization.

As more youth joined the leadership team, the focus of PYFA underwent a surprising change. Although it’s still mainly youth oriented, they have programs for adults as well. This year, PYFA hosted the first ever Malayalam Coffee House. Featuring a Malayalee band, the event was a great opportunity for adults from all churches to have fellowship.

Regarding the present role of PYFA, Peter Alexander (PYFA President) said, “[PYFA] is not only a youth organization. It is a community organization. It is bridging the gap between the generations. It brings churches together; it brings youth together; it brings families together.”

When asked to comment on what makes this organization different, Peter responded, “It’s the love that members, participants, and leaders have for PYFA—even if they’ve moved away. You know, it’s not an organization without its problems—its hurdles—but God is with us and continues to see us through. There have been so many people that have said to me, ‘I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for what God did in my life through PYFA.’”