Youth Alive Thriving in Arizona Community
Steve and Candace Reid help resource and coach Youth Alive in Prescott. They moved to Prescott in 2001, and since 2015, have been active at Prescott Life Church, where Steve currently serves as associate pastor. Senior Pastor Dave Groff led Steve Reid to the Lord nearly four decades ago as his youth pastor, and that investment has led to many more young people following Christ.
A personal experience several years ago opened the Reids’ eyes to the need for ministry among local students. Following an unwise choice by their then-teenage son, Candace began checking on Christian fellowship opportunities at school, where she found only a couple of students participating in a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) group. However, she also discovered that Youth Alive was active in Arizona, with encouragement at the district level for restarting a former Prescott High School group.
The Reids asked their church to pray, and personally committed to prayer and fasting as well. Hoping their son Micah would experience a renewal in his spiritual walk by becoming invested in the club, they asked him to join in their prayer efforts.
Arizona Ministry Network Superintendent Jeff Peterson recalls first meeting Steve Reid shortly after returning to Arizona in 2017 to serve in the district. At that time, they prayed together specifically about concerns for Steve’s son. Candace talked to the two FCA participants about helping with Youth Alive, and the students were on board—along with their son, they became officers for the new club.
Candace admits being nervous about the undertaking—as a detail-oriented person, she tends to worry about what could go wrong, but says she felt the Holy Spirit prompting her to do it anyway. The group began with an 8:00 a.m. meeting for bagels and coffee; it was a hit with the young people, and word spread. The group grew, with students remaining committed to prayer even through the restrictions of Covid-19.
Youth Alive now meets weekly, serving pizza during two lunch periods with students taking charge and presenting the devotional. Fifteen student leaders have been raised up, two of whom qualified to present in speaking events at the 2025 Assemblies of God National Fine Arts Festival in Orlando.
“Youth Alive has changed my life,” says Eden Carmen, who will serve as club president for the upcoming school year. “Not only does it provide fun during a long school day, but when you go to Youth Alive you meet other young people who want to live for Jesus. It provides inspiration and hope, and laughs shared between friends, all while learning how to build confidence and share the Gospel.”
As the group grew, the students became involved in See You at the Pole and in various service opportunities, and through those connections, they learned of the older adult group that had been praying. Although some of those adults have since passed away, several continue to pray and assist however they can.
Steve and Candace are thankful for those faithful prayer warriors and remind other senior adults that their prayers are vital to building a new generation in the faith. Other faithful partners have helped with practical needs for the group as well.
Some of the students’ parents are not involved in church and do not permit their teens to attend, so for those students, weekly “church at school” and “anointed pizza day” are a lifeline of Christian fellowship. Area youth pastors are also invited to attend meetings in order to build relationships and help those needing a church home to get connected.
Two spin-off groups, located at Bradshaw Mountain High School in Prescott Valley and Chino Valley High School in Chino Valley, are now meeting, as well as a middle school group getting started this year in Chino Valley. Youth Alive also presents an annual “Ignite” event off campus each spring that includes a worship band and an evangelistic message.
As the club developed, the Reids have been careful to keep school administrators in the loop with the various student prayer groups, and school officials have responded favorably to activities and service projects.
Along with regular “testimony days” and “prayer days,” the student leaders have set a goal of distributing 200 Bibles. A prayer box is located in a main hallway; adult and student leaders pray over the requests regularly. When an occasional negative message finds its way into the box, those are not shared with the students, but adult leaders and prayer partners pray over them. “The students writing those messages need prayer, too!” says Candace.
During Peterson’s first year as district superintendent, the Prescott Youth Alive group was one of six featured “wins” in a celebratory highlight video presentation at the network conference, and he says it has been a privilege to watch their impact in the community, which is located north of Phoenix.
And that family issue that started the Reids’ Youth Alive journey? Their son’s personal walk with the Lord began to grow during those family prayer times and with Youth Alive; now at 24, he is a graduate of Southeastern University, serving in ministry and continuing his ministry education.
The Reids are excited about the continuing growth of Youth Alive in Prescott and are eternally grateful for those early prayer warriors who helped lay the foundation. “It’s God’s favor,” says Steve. “None of this would have happened without the grace and mercy of the Lord.”
