Our history
International Youth for Christ
The story of the National Youth for Christ (NYFC) begins in the very first edition of The Way of the Cross Messenger, published in 1954. That May, the paper carried a short account of how the organization came to be.
In February 1954, the Young People's Union at the Mother Church in Washington, D.C., went through a season of reorganization, and from that effort, the National Youth for Christ movement of the Way of the Cross Church of Christ International was born. Guided by Sister Isabell Ford, the eldest daughter of Bishop H.C. Brooks, founder of the Way of the Cross Church of Christ, Inc., the young organization quickly found its footing. A planning committee worked closely with her, mapping out future meetings and imagining a program that would speak to the interests of the church's youth. (The Way of the Cross Messenger, May 1954, Volume 1, copy no. 1, page 3.)
"We petition youth in this church and elsewhere to unite with us in this endeavor to put Christ first and foremost in their lives." So recalls Bishop John E. Williams, a charter member of the NYFC. In the years before the organization took shape, youth activity in the church had grown quiet. The Young People's Union, the auxiliary that came before the NYFC, was aging into a group that mostly served young adults and young married couples, and the younger members had begun to drift away. Sister Ford, fresh from the youth meeting of a prominent national organization, came home inspired to build something that would meet the fuller range of a young person's needs, spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and recreational alike.
Bishop Williams remembers that she reached out to a number of young people and invited them to take part. They agreed, figuring the new activity might spare them from the regular tarry meetings. They were wrong. The first thing Sister Ford did was gather them upstairs in the old women's choir room to pray and tarry. Only after the prayer meeting did she turn to the kinds of activities that would keep the youth engaged. Later that year they held the first annual convocation over the Fourth of July holiday, inviting youth from the other Way of the Cross churches to join them.
Later issues of The Messenger trace a steady climb. The December 1955 issue notes that, three days before that year's general convocation, Youth for Christ held its 2nd Annual Convention, with representatives from eleven affiliated churches in attendance. The April 1955 issue had already praised Sister Isabell Ford for continuing "to provide the courageous, efficient and inspirational leadership needed to carry this auxiliary on to certain success in the aim to place Christ first and foremost in the lives of the youth in the church and surrounding community" (The Messenger, volume II, copy no. 2, page 2).
On July 5, 1957, Deacon Samuel Carson welcomed visiting delegates to the 4th Annual Convention of YFC in Washington, D.C. Presiding officer Elder Benjamin Wells opened the gathering, and a full slate of activities followed: a panel discussion, a talent program that gave every church present a place on stage, a platform service for young ministers, and several evangelistic services. Elder Leroy Cannady, who would go on to become presiding prelate of the Way of the Cross Church of Christ International, delivered the closing sermon. The officers elected that year were Elder Benjamin Wells, president; Sister Isabell Ford, supervisor; Deacon Samuel Carson, executive secretary; Sister Mae Wooten, recording secretary; Sister Jessie Brooks, assistant recording secretary; and Sister Leone Davis, treasurer.
The 6th Annual Youth Convocation in 1959 drew speakers from across the region. Minister Willie Hunter of Newport News, Virginia opened the meeting, joined by Sister Helen Easton of Calvert County, Maryland; Sister Magdaline Persons of Franklinton, North Carolina; and Sister Mazie Washington and Brother Alphonzo Brooks of Washington, D.C. Their messages carried titles like "Love," "Brotherly Love," and "In the Shadow of the Cross," and Deacon Samuel Carson gave a presentation on the missionary journey of the Apostle Paul. That Saturday's lunch was a yard picnic served camp meeting style. The August 1959 edition of The Messenger records the national officers appointed that year: Sister Isabell Ford, national supervisor; Deacon Samuel Carson, supervisor's aide; Sister Mae Williams, executive secretary; and Sister Leone Davis, treasurer.
By the late 1950s, the youth wanted to gather more than once a year, and a fuller schedule took shape. Mother Ford suggested calling these meetings "jubilees," trusting that they would be seasons of great joy. The original plan called for three a year, but a crowded national calendar soon trimmed that to two, one in late October and one in late February. Since Washington, D.C. sat centrally and usually hosted the NYFC convocation, the group decided to hold one jubilee in the north and one in the south each year. Over the years that plan carried NYFC meetings to Kittrell and Williamston, North Carolina; Newport News and Martinsville, Virginia; Hartford, Connecticut; and New York, New York.
In August 1963 the NYFC held its 10th Annual Convocation in Washington, D.C. The Messenger reported that the organization had made "great strides," meeting several of its goals under the leadership of National President Elder Willie Hunter and his staff of national officers and committee chairmen. By then, the paper noted, the youth jubilees had grown so large that they rivaled the general convention in attendance, scope, and national participation.
By the 12th Annual NYFC Convention in 1965, national officers were no longer held to one-year terms. That October, during the fall jubilee, Elder Willie Hunter of Newport News, Virginia stepped down as national president. At the spring jubilee on February 12, 1966, national advisor Sister Isabell Ford announced that Deacon John Kearney of New York had been appointed acting president. The Messenger later reported that, under the steady guidance of Sister Ford and Deacon Kearney, the national youth convocation and the year's other projects proved both spiritually enriching and financially successful.
At the Saturday afternoon business meeting of the 13th Annual NYFC Convention on August 12, 1966, Bishop H.C. Brooks named Elder John E. Williams of Philadelphia as the new national president. Rounding out the elected leadership were Deacon John Kearney of New York, once again first vice president; Elder Samuel B. Davis of Hartford, Connecticut, second vice president; Brother John Cooper of Newport News, Virginia, third vice president; Brother Booker Yelder of Washington, D.C., executive secretary; and Deacon Leroy Washington of Washington, D.C., national treasurer. Elder Williams then filled out his slate of appointments: Brother Alphonzo Brooks as parliamentarian, Elder Samuel Davis as editor of The Messenger, Sister Deborah B. Ford as hospitality chairperson, Brother Tertius Foster over publicity, Sister Emily Crandall over membership, Minister Robert Watts over nominations, Sister Constance Thompson as director of music, Brother John Cooper over programs, and Sister Ruth Alford over fundraising.
Deacon John Kearney holds a distinction all his own as the only person to head two national auxiliaries, having also served as chairman of the National Deacon Board. A faithful presence at national meetings for many years, he made his home in Henderson, North Carolina.
On June 12, 1967, the whole Way of the Cross family suffered a great loss when its founder and presiding prelate, Bishop Henry C. Brooks, passed suddenly and unexpectedly. Bishop John L. Brooks was chosen as his successor at the General Convocation that year. The following year brought a brighter moment: one of the highlights of the 16th Annual NYFC Convention in 1968 was the crowning of Miss Youth for Christ. The officers elected for the 1969-1970 term included Elder John E. Williams as president, Minister Alphonzo Brooks as first vice president, Deacon Robert E. Dargan as second vice president, Brother Allen Easton as third vice president, Deacon George Hatfield as treasurer, and Minister Terry Hicks as chaplain, with Emily Crandall appointed acting executive secretary. For the 17th Annual YFC Convention, the group chose Ransom Way of the Cross in Henderson, North Carolina, where national evangelist Elder Walker J. Foster was serving as acting pastor.
Under Elder Williams, the NYFC built out a more formal structure, electing a president, vice presidents, executive and recording secretaries, a treasurer, and a parliamentarian. Committees both standing and appointed took charge of the many moving parts of a national meeting, from programs and membership to hospitality, music, fundraising, and publicity. Around this time, many felt the NYFC and General convocations fell too close together on the calendar, so the youth moved their meetings to the last week in June, where they remain to this day.
Elder John E. Williams, Sr. served as the 4th president of the NYFC from 1966 to 1972. He was later appointed the first auxiliary bishop of the NYFC in 1979 and, in 1995, became co-vice bishop of the Way of the Cross Church of Christ International. Bishop John E. Williams, Sr. passed away on December 8, 2008, at the age of 74.
Having served as first vice president, Elder Alphonzo D. Brooks of Washington, D.C. was elected president, and under his leadership the NYFC reached new heights. He sharpened the duties of the executive officers and set them down in the organization's first constitution and bylaws. So that the wisdom of past leaders would not go to waste, he created an advisory board made up of the national overseer and former presidents. In 1988, he launched the intermediate youth ministry to build programs and train leaders among young people ages 13 to 21. Brooks also set out on an ambitious plan to carry the convocation into parts of the country with no Way of the Cross church, and during his years the NYFC met in places like Baton Rouge, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Chattanooga, and Dallas, among others. In 1989, the organization recorded a live album titled "I'm So Grateful: Live in Chicago."
After nineteen years of service, Elder Brooks stepped down in 1991. He remains the longest-serving president in NYFC history, having led as its 5th president from 1972 to 1991. He later served as national advisor to the NYFC and, in 1995, became co-vice bishop of the Way of the Cross Church of Christ International.
In 1991, District Elder Earley Dillard of Martinsville, Virginia, was elected the 6th president of the NYFC, the first president from the South in more than twenty-five years. He worked to widen the geographic reach of the organization's leadership, and during his tenure, Sister Delphine Easley of Baltimore, Maryland, became the first woman elected to the rank of vice president, serving one term as 3rd Vice President from 1993 to 1996. Under Dillard, the youth gathered in cities like Dayton, Ohio; Charleston, West Virginia; and Orlando, Florida. He also broadened the fellowship side of the organization, adding a national basketball tournament, trips to nearby amusement parks, and, in 1993, a semi-formal gala for the intermediate youth.
Elder Dillard led the NYFC from 1991 to 1996 and was elevated to the office of bishop that same year. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of the NYFC in 2002 and served until 2009, then rose steadily through the church's highest ranks: 2nd vice presiding bishop in 2010, 1st vice presiding bishop in 2015, and presiding bishop in 2021, succeeding Bishop A.D. Brooks. In 2026 he became presider emeritus and was confirmed an apostle in the Way of the Cross Church.
In 1996, Elder Keith Nesmith of Andrews, South Carolina, was elected the 7th president, having come up through the ranks at the local, diocese, and national levels. In 2000, he commissioned the NYFC's first website and revived The Way of the Cross Messenger. Two years later, working with the parent body, the organization established the Mother Isabell Brooks Ford Scholarship Fund, and that same year the NYFC recorded its third album, "So Many Things About Jesus." During his tenure, conventions were held in Washington, D.C.; Norfolk, Virginia; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Martinsville, Virginia.
After six years, Elder Nesmith stepped down in 2002. Though only forty-two at the time, he felt a duty to open the door for younger men to lead. In 2008, he was elevated to the office of bishop and went on to serve on the national ordination committee and the national trustee board.
In 2002, Elder Melvin Easley of Baltimore, Maryland was elected the 8th president. As the first non-pastor to hold the office since Deacon John Kearney, he was free to travel from church to church, leading youth crusades and revivals that strengthened local youth departments. During his administration, the Daughters of Destiny and Sons of Zion were established to pour into the young women and young men of the NYFC. From 2004 to 2007, the youth conventions were combined with the General and held in cities such as Alexandria, Virginia; Greensboro, North Carolina; and Henderson, North Carolina. Easley led the organization through its 50th Golden Anniversary in 2004, designed the national logo still in use today, and helped establish a church in Greensboro in 2005.
Elder Easley served as president from 2002 to 2007. In 2008, he was elevated to district elder and appointed national evangelist for the Way of the Cross Church of Christ International. He was elected IYFC advisory board chairman in 2013 and consecrated a bishop in 2017.
In 2007, at just twenty-nine, Elder Travell Travis of Martinsville, Virginia, was elected the organization's 9th and youngest president. His roots ran deep. He had been part of the NYFC since age thirteen, serving as Intermediate Youth Vice President from 1991 to 1993, Intermediate Youth President from 1993 to 2000, and Second Vice President from 2000 to 2007. His administration broke new ground, launching a young adult ministry for those aged eighteen to thirty, a national Bible bowl tournament, an essay and oratory contest, an ambassador's award, and a national academic recognition service. The team leaned fully into online communications, social media, and electronic giving. In October 2008, the NYFC hosted the first live webcast of a national meeting, letting people around the world watch jubilee services as they happened.
Under Travis, the organization changed its name from "National" to "International" Youth for Christ, reflecting its growth into Nigeria, India, and Haiti. Jubilees reached at least one district, including a crusade in Alaska in 2013 and a mission trip to Nigeria in 2017. These years also brought deep loss, with the passing of three former presidents: Bishop John E. Williams in 2008, and Deacon John Kearney and Bishop Keith Nesmith in 2018. The wider church also saw a historic transition. When Bishop Leroy H. Cannady retired as presiding bishop in 2015, our 5th IYFC president, Bishop A.D. Brooks, became the new presiding bishop, and our 6th IYFC president, Bishop Earley Dillard, stepped in as first vice presiding bishop.
In 2017, Elder Johnathan Mintz of Orangeburg, South Carolina, became the 10th IYFC president. His election brought a record number of women onto the executive board, among them treasurer Sis. Ebony Johnson and 2nd Vice President Dr. Sherina Travis. Only a few months into his term, a global pandemic swept the world. Deaths mounted everywhere, and churches were forced to cancel in-person services, move outdoors, or lean on a small team to stream and broadcast to the wider membership. The 2020 convocation went virtual, as did the jubilees in October 2020 and February 2021. With careful precautions, the convocation returned in person in 2021 at National Harbor, Maryland, with the Fall Jubilee in Henderson, North Carolina.
Undeterred, the team turned to social media, video conferencing, and live streaming to keep the youth connected through a perilous and uncertain season, and even grew both the size and the number of scholarships offered. The Mintz years also carried heavy loss. May 2023 brought back-to-back grief with the passing of Presiding Bishop Emeritus Apostle Leroy H. Cannady, Sr., followed in October 2023 by the passing of our 8th IYFC president and advisor, Bishop Melvin Easley. Bishop Easley's homegoing led to an unprecedented cancellation of the Fall Jubilee so the church could gather for his national celebration of life. In 2024, our 9th president, Bishop Travell Travis, was appointed the new IYFC advisor. During these years the combined youth conventions were held in Baltimore, Maryland; Mobile, Alabama; Columbia, South Carolina; and Charlotte (Concord), North Carolina.
History was made again in 2026, when a record number of women were elected as executive officers, including the organization's first female president, Dr. Sherina Travis of Richmond, Virginia. She grew up at Philadelphia WOTCC under her grandparents, Bishop John E. Williams, Sr., the 4th president, and Mother Cecilia Williams. Long before this moment, she had given herself to the work in nearly every capacity, serving on the registration team, as recreation coordinator, as play writer and director, as Daughters of Destiny chair, as scholarship chair, and as an essay and oratory contest judge, all while standing beside her husband, our 9th president, Bishop Travell Travis. In 2019, she became the first woman elected 2nd Vice President, and in 2026, the first woman elected president.
Dr. Travis carries forward a long line of Way of the Cross leaders. Her great-grandmother, Mother Sadie Williams, served as National Missionary President and helped establish Nesmith Way of the Cross Church. Her grandmother, Mother Cecilia Williams, faithfully served as National Missionary President for many years. Her father, Deacon Floyd Mason, served as Chairman of the Men's Ministry and now serves as Chairman of the National Deacon Board. She also stands in a legacy of IYFC presidents that includes her grandfather, Bishop John E. Williams, Sr.; her cousin, Bishop Keith D. Nesmith; and her husband, Bishop Travell Travis, Esq. Today Dr. Travis serves as first lady of City of Refuge WOTCC in Richmond and works as an educator with Henrico County Public Schools. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Liberty University.
These glimpses trace only a small part of what the NYFC has been over the past seventy-two years. Across that span, the IYFC has been blessed with leaders who went on to serve with distinction throughout the Way of the Cross body. Read together, their names form a kind of "Who's Who" of the Way of the Cross Church of Christ International. The youth group has proven a training ground for men and women who became bishops and presiding bishops, pastors, first ladies, missionaries, and deacons at the national, diocese, and local levels. At its founding, the organization chose a simple charge as its permanent motto: "Put Christ first and foremost in your life." It captured the aim of the work then, and it rings just as true today.
