About Us

Our Mission

Our mission is to equip Jóvenes with the knowledge of Jesus Christ

We formed our mission knowing that our purpose is to reach out to and minister to youth and young adults. Ephesians 4:12 provided inspiration for our purpose as an organization.

“to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up”

Ephesians 4:12, NIV

Our Story

Jóvenes for Christ had its beginnings in 2015, when a group of West Texas ministers gathered to engage a new generation of English dominant, Hispanic youth. The idea was to form a youth summer camp at Lubbock Christian University (LCU) with the hopes of encouraging students to seek higher education opportunities. Early organizers include Marcelino Banda (Lubbock), Salvador Gonzalez (Midland), Tomas Davila (San Angelo), and JuanRaymon Rubio (Lubbock). Major support was provided by LCU, Mountain View Bilingual Family Camp (Ruidoso, NM), and Colgate Bilingual church of Christ.

The first camp at LCU occurred in 2016. From 2016-2018, the event was known as the National Hispanic English Youth Conference or NHEYC, to reflect the goal of ministering to newer generations of Hispanics born in the United States who did not speak Spanish. Longtime attendees include Colgate Bilingual church of Christ (Lubbock, TX), Robinson Avenue Iglesia de Cristo (Springdale, AR), Highland Oaks Iglesia de Cristo (now Lakeview IDC), and Hidden Valley Iglesia de Cristo (Houston, TX). The event gradually grew from 70 attendees to 120.

In 2019, the camp rebranded as Jovenes for Christ and saw its highest attendance yet with 150 people. It was at this time we began offering $500 scholarships to help students purchase college textbooks or attend trade schools. Following a brief hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Jovenesreturned to LCU in 2021 to a changed world. Nevertheless, the new board focused on creating more than just a camp. We have given $2,500 in college scholarships, served a record 171 attendees in 2023, obtained 501(c)(3) status, and have hosted over 18 congregations from Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.Our hope is to continue serving bilingual and bicultural youth throughout the Southwestern United States.

Meet The Team

JuanRaymon Rubio

President

JuanRaymon Rubio is originally from Chicago Heights, Illinois, and has been associated with Jovenes since it was founded in 2016. He attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas and graduated with a master’s in architecture. After teaching youth for seven years at Colgate Bilingual church of Christ, JuanRaymon moved to Austin, Texas to pursue a profession in preservation architecture. He’s served at Nixon Iglesia de Cristo in Nixon, Texas and now works with Grove Avenue Iglesia de Cristo in San Antonio, Texas. JuanRaymon enjoys serving in bilingual ministry and visiting different congregations throughout the state. He lives in Austin, Texas with his German Shepherd Paco.