Many new immigrants come to Queens, New York each year. For a newly-immigrated family, the parents usually need to work long hours to make a living and cannot spend enough time with their children. In addition, many parents do not have a proper knowledge of the English language, and the American school system and social environment. The parents cannot help their children face their new challenges and the children feel that they are lost and neglected. As a result, many teenagers start to cut school, misbehave, and eventually become problems for the community.
Mr. John Bowne(1627-1695), a Quaker preacher, was a forerunner of providing community services in Flushing, Queens area. In remembrance of Bowne's contribution to the society, John Bowne High School in Queens was named after him.
In view of the tremendous need to help young people and with a deep impression of Bowne's dedication to the community, Pastor Carleton Chyn and his wife started a ministry in 1995. The mission of this service was to help young people, without the distinction of sex, race and religion, to live right and work hard and eventually benefit society. During the past years, Carleton and his wife have taken youths out for church retreats and conferences, picnics, sports, and other activities. They also helped the youths in ESL, Chinese language, SAT preparation, college application, career advisory, emotional counseling, and financial assistance.
In 1998, a group of youth formed a Christian Club in John Bowne High School. This student-initiated club has helped new students meet the challenges in school and engage in fund raising and toy drives for charities and other community services.