No Lying! COBYS Is Turning 30 - COBYS Family Services

(continued from page five)themselves fully to theircounseling practice, the newCOBYS Board of Directorsemployed Executive DirectorGlen Faus to guide the fledglingorganization. Glen would leadCOBYS for the next two decades.Another key leader during theformative years was AmosCunningham, who labored forseven years on the committeethat gave birth to COBYS andthen served as Board Presidentfor the first six years. While COBYSstruggled to get established inthose early years, Amos had ason who was going throughsome growing pains of his own.COBYS initially set up shop indonated office space at theHempfield Church of theBrethren, in East Petersburg,before moving in February 1981to a Graystone Road propertynext to Root’s Market, nearManheim.Writing in the first issue of theCOBYS newsletter in February1981, Hempfield Pastor GalenBrumbaugh wrote, “The Churchof the Brethren Youth Services is aprogram whose time has nowcome. . . . COBYS is in its infancy,with a strong future ahead.Evolving out of years of studyand planning by the AtlanticNortheast District, it today hasbecome a creative response toa specific need in our society.”Brumbaugh’s prediction of astrong future proved prescient.Since that time, COBYS hasgrown from its infancy with threestaff, a bare-bones budget, anda single program housed in arented house, to an organizationemploying more than 80 fullandpart-time staff, with abudget of $3.3 million, servingthousands of children andfamilies each year through sixprograms in multiple facilities.A lot has changed in 30years, but much has remainedthe same. COBYS still iscommitted to serving childrenand families in Christ’s name,and continues to respondcreatively to needs in our society.And there’s at least one morepoint of continuity. That son ofAmos Cunningham who grew upwith COBYS? His name was Mark,and he is now the ExecutiveDirector of the organization thathis dad helped create.COBYS Family Services1417 Oregon RoadLeola, PA 17540Non-ProfitU.S. PostagePAIDPermit No. 52Leola, PAAddress Service RequestedHey, we make mistakes! Please mail us the label from thispage with corrections if:• Your name or address is inaccurate.• You would like to be removed from the mailing list.