YOUNG LIFE HAPPENS HERE

VIDEO NAME: Young Life Happens Here
LENGTH: 2:11

Note from Video Services: We made this video as part of the YL2020 Celebration in January. Remember that?!!!

CONTEXT 

●  Young Life kids and leaders all over the world tell us that Young Life Happens here

●  Wherever I might go, Lord, You are there. Is a main theme

• Illustrates how Young Life is all over the world.

This video was originally created for YL2020 but has the conference branding removed for general audiences.

SETTING FOR VIEWING 

This is a perfect video for several settings: 

●  Use in online or in-person events to showcase how Young Life cares about every kid all over the world. When you partner or join Young Life, you are part of the Kingdom. You are part of something big.

●  Share with new committee and volunteers so they can see that Young Life is not just in their town.

●Useful for recruiting volunteer leaders 

Leader Profile : College Student

VIDEO NAME: Leader Profile : College Student

LENGTH: 2:13

Note from video services: We made this video as part of a series of videos called Leader Profiles which also includes a WyldLife Mom,  Capernaum Leader and Young Professional

MESSAGE 

CONTEXT 

●  How being a college student and Young Life leader has led to a deeper walk with Christ and meaningful relationships with young students. Shows firsthand the legacy of a YL leader can have.

●  One of the leader’s students comes on at the end to affirm the leader

*Illustrates how Young Life leaders are worth investing in.  

This video is an oldie but goodie. Created in 2011 for a series of leader recruitment videos it still has impact and plays like a recent video.

SETTING FOR VIEWING 

This is a perfect video for several settings: 

●  Use with college students to show how meaningful being a Young Life leader can be.

●  Share with Committee to showcase the kind of volunteers we attract and desire.

●Useful for recruiting volunteer leaders 

HOW STARTING SMALL GETS BIG RESULTS

As We Move Into the Fall…

As you think about the fall, pause for a moment. Stop thinking about your calendar (and what you may or may not be able to put on that calendar.) Instead, think about the kids you miss most.

Who were you planning to take to camp? Who loves to laugh with you? Who asks great questions when you open the Bible? Whose circumstances have broken your heart?

Start by thinking about those kids. The friends God has put in your life and called you to serve.

Now think about what it could look like to live life and do ministry with those kids again.

Young Life exists to introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith. Our mission isn’t club or camp – those are tools we use to fulfill our purpose. What tools are available for you to fulfill our mission right now with that group of kids you miss? You can continue to build relationships and talk about Jesus.

Ask others on your team to do the same. Who do they miss? If each leader on your team spent the fall investing in their own small group of kids, you could still impact so many. Imagine the long-term dividends when you invest in their lives, both for kids and their school.

**************

Let’s think small to get big!

In the spring, many of us jumped into emergency mode, doing the best we could to replicate “normal” ministry tools in a virtual setting. As this season of uncertainty continues – and looks vastly different from country to country, state to state, and even city to city - it’s time to remind ourselves of our mission, take stock of what we can do, and create a new rhythm of ministry.

What if God gave you an entire semester to reset, recalibrate, and rediscover true north? What would you do? Here are some principles to guide you as you answer that question:

Focus on the mission.

Young Life exists to introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith. Our mission isn’t club or camp – those are tools that we use to fulfill our purpose. What tools are available for you to fulfill our mission right now? You can still build relationships with kids and have conversations about Jesus.

Invest in the few.

Give each leader a specific group of kids to focus on. At each school, assign leaders to a gender and grade of kids. A team of four leaders could go deep with 40 kids. Spend the fall semester casting vision, giving ownership and doing contact work with each small group. Imagine the long-term dividends in their lives and in that school and community.

Pour into leaders.

Meet with them regularly, one-on-one and in small groups. Study the Bible together. Read and discuss the Master Plan of Evangelism or another book. Create a culture of community as your team grows together in Christ and leadership.

Don’t worry about labels.

Spending time with a small group of kids this fall may look like a cross between club, Campaigners and contact work. That’s okay. Relational ministry in any form is what is most important.

Plant a contact work flag.

We still want to go where kids are. If you can’t go to schools or school events, you can likely find somewhere that kids will be. Maybe it’s the Starbucks or local park closest to the school. Once you find it, make sure leaders are there regularly.

Be creative with contact work.

Spend more energy thinking creatively about contact work than club. Let’s get excited about what we can do, rather than getting stuck in what we can’t do. No matter our circumstances, we can still find ways to build relationships with kids. And now, maybe more than ever, kids needs us to show up for them.

HOW TO PREVENT A DISRUPTION TO YOUR CASH FLOW

Your golf tournament is different, your banquet is canceled, and your campaigner kids are wearing masks! How do you adapt as the fall approaches? I can’t help answer all your questions, but here’s some direction on one objective:  FUNDING!

As the typical Banquet Season approaches, you likely need to answer these questions: 

1. How do we communicate the impact of our ministry?  

2. Can we Raise funds and balance our budget?

3. Will we be able to grow our ministry and develop a missional community?

This season, your community gathering may be smaller or virtual or an online event of some kind. These  are all great methods. If you are concerned about funding and the consistency of your cash flow  this year you may want to try a GIVING CAMPAIGN. The essential difference provided by a giving campaign is the narrow focus of its intention. Meaning, the online giving campaign has a laser like focus on identifying financial partners and acquiring financial gifts. Giving campaigns  grow ministry and develop community, but those are complimentary to your funding goal.

A few On-line giving campaign TIPS- 

Tip 1:  Keep it simple. Your donors are literally burning calories as they respond to your communication; every click, every minute of video, each line of text takes energy to process. Additionally, you’re going to ask them to make a decision and follow through with an action. All of this burns actual calories… which is simply a fun way to think of this question, as you plan:  are you honoring your donor?

Tip 2: Be very specific. What are you asking for? When are you asking for it? How does the donor respond? If and when you veer away from these details, you begin to lose the likelihood of a donation. You have permission to ask for money! Don’t apologize.

Tip 3:  Don’t be afraid!  We are quite aware that 2020 has been a wild ride for all, and has been a setback for many. However, it’s not necessarily your responsibility to know whether or not your donor is willing or able to give. YOu know your context the best.  Feel free to modify your message and request as needed.  There are many ways to give. 

Tip 4:  Be consistent.  In an age of information overload, realize that your request for funding may need to be more than a one time petition. Most campaigns  have a time-period ranging from a few days to a season. Be careful of ‘donor fatigue’ but also take advantage of the opportunity to highlight several different angles of the ministry from day to day. 

Tip 5:  Be creative.  Within the YL community a ‘giving campaign’ is relatively new.  Take advantage of the chance to utilize different social media platforms and methods of delivering key elements of a fundraiser.  Humor, a financial match,the pitch, testimonies and articulating the need all can be conveyed in new and creative ways. 

Got your mind racing?  Feel free to contact me (contact info below) or take 4 minutes and 33 seconds to watch this short video to hear about some of the things we are seeing around the mission. A Giving campaign can work in any context (From Small towns to International) and can address a pressing need while setting the table for a deeper conversation about the Young Life mission and how your community can participate.                  

Written by: Blake Raney (blakeraney@gmail.com)

EQUIP YOUR WYLDLIFE LEADERS LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Equip Your WyldLife Leaders

We are incredibly grateful for the hundreds of staff and volunteers who serve as WyldLife team leaders; this ministry does not happen without them.

In the United States, 75 percent of WyldLife ministries have team leaders who are part-time staff or volunteers. These leaders get to build relationships and share the gospel with middle schoolers – a unique group of kids who don’t see, feel or experience things in the same ways as high school students. So it is important that WyldLife team leaders understand how to meet middle school kids where they are.

During this stay-at-home season, we offered a series of online classes just for WyldLife leaders. More than 400 leaders from 42 states and 3 countries participated in the classes which focused on how specific ministry tools must be used differently when working with middle school kids.

Leaders learned about club talks, Campaigners, contact work, and sharing the gospel in a WyldLife setting. They also learned how to create a parent communication plan and how to connect with parents who are not as available – both important when working with kids whose parents manage their schedules, transportation and finances. In the final class, leaders learned how to build a discipleship program for high school students that gives them the opportunity to serve as WyldLife leaders.

The classes received a great response. One team leader said, “You did such a great job of packing in material about why middle school kids are unique. I can't believe how much I learned in 55 minutes.” She added that she can’t wait to share what she learned with the leaders on her team.

Another WyldLife leader said, “I loved hearing from the panel who have diverse and difficult experiences but have overcome and stayed so faithful.”

It’s not too late to train your WyldLife team leaders – or your entire WyldLife leadership team. The recordings of the Zoom classes and additional materials are available in the WyldLife Toolbox on Staff Resources. 

Tell us if there are additional middle-school-specific topics that would be helpful for your team. Send your ideas to wyldlife@sc.younglife.org. 

Written by: Julie Clapp

IS YOUR AREA TOO STAFF-CENTRIC ?

All throughout scripture God works within a community. People that relate to him through  trust and each other through love. In Young Life, we realized very early on that “It takes a community to reach a community - because when you do that, everyone is changed!”  By its very nature, Young Life is a call to live ‘on mission’ in your town. So what does that look like? 

A missional community (MC) is a group of people who are committed to living out the vision and values of the local YL area by taking ACTION. When the values and vision are shared, a vibrant ministry presence is born. When the local ministry is not owned by the MC it can make the local ministry staff-centric. Simply stated, a group of people committed to a common vision and serving in their gifting will outperform a lone staff person every time! Who are the red-hot vision holders in your context? If it’s just you –then it is time to start sharing the vision with others. Over the past few months, I have been involved as a YL +1 volunteer pilot. The goal of the pilot is to double the # of volunteers in a local area. It is a painfully simple exercise of discipline, ownership, and invitation. To be honest, fostering community ownership has been one of YL’s area’s of brilliance for decades.

Here is what we did:

1. Created a Matthew 9:38 List of potential volunteers.

2. Faithfully prayed for that list of people daily! 

3. Broadened  the ownership of the list to the larger Mission community. (team leaders, stakeholders, Committee, leaders, etc.) 

4. Personally invited others into volunteer service and living out their calling. 

Guess what? It worked! When Jesus asked the disciples to ‘Follow Me’ he not only required their presence, he implied a deeper and more compelling cost. As a global mission we are inviting people into the high calling of leadership. Where is your bar when it comes to volunteer leaders? Are you inviting people to a ‘come die with us’ type of community? Or are you setting the bar to the lowest common denominators? A transformative community requires a deep investment from the volunteers as well as those tasked with training, supporting and caring for the group. In Matthew 9:38 (MSG) Jesus says, “What a huge harvest!” Jesus said to the disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!” Matthew 9:38 msg. Each missional community begins with this realization – the NEED is huge & the workers are FEW. Jesus tells his disciples the key is PRAYER. May we begin with making a list of potential harvest hands and commit to praying for them?! We are called to have workers, not just one worker!

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF AND YOUR TEAM- 

Q.  Are we staff-centric as a YL Area? Who owns the vision? Who does the work? Who carries the message? Your answer to these questions will give you a clear sense of the broad ownership of the local ministry. 

Q.  What is our vision? Is it Clear? Compelling? God-sized? Comprehensive? Broadly owned? If not, what changes need to occur?

Q.  What are some ‘today’ changes we could make to foster ownership?  Who could we engage for input? How can we empower? What skills do we lack? Who do we need to invite into the room?

Q.  Who is on your Matthew 9:38 List?  Have one list that is kept by everyone. Pivotal moments occur in response to vision. Add to the list, pray, reference it constantly, and give God’s spirit room to move in your community. 

Lastly, we know that a missional community isn’t born overnight but you were never meant to do it alone. It can take years to build a team, catch a vision or shift a culture. Give yourself grace in the process. Write down the  wins along the way so that you  see God’s hand in the midst. When done well, you will have a mission that is Staff/Committee led, Community owned and  Christ-o-centric. 

Written by:

• Jayme Eichler  jayme.eichler@gmail.com

• Ken Tankersley Kenbtank@gmail.com

BOTTOM LINE... YOUR ZOOM CALL COULD BE BETTER

(Here Are 9 Zoom Upgrades)

Ask your attendees…

Q.  “Know how to download Zoom?”  ✅

Q.  “Watched the YL video tutorial to up your zoom game?”  (YL Zoom Tutorial) ✅

Q.  “Become a master of the Breakout room, reaction graphics, and polling questions?” ✅

Q.  “You can monitor the chat feature like a champ and can mute others at will?” ✅

So, you can send an invite and people attend (mostly) but the engagement seems to be...well...modest. If so, you may be ready to put some thought on how to add some Vroom to your Zoom call.  

The shear shift from attendance to participation may be harder to come by in recent weeks because of what has been commonly called ‘zoom fatigue.’  To go to the next level from participation to engagement may be even more challenging. The list below has come from over 25 Young Life US Regions as they have initiated zoom calls for their staff and volunteer Committee members. Although it is not exhaustive it may be a good place to start. Try a few of the ideas below and let us know how it goes.  

Going from...PARTICIPATION to ATTENDANCE to ENGAGEMENT

9 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR  ZOOM CALLS A ‘NOT TO BE MISSED’ EVENT

1. SET A STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE not PERFECTION:  Do the first things first and put in the work to make the call excellent. Make sure you have communicated clearly and timely. The call agenda is prepared, professional, and concise. Any necessary pre/post information/work has been communicated and subject matter experts and your team are ready to go. Your work is not in vain, because good preparation fosters healthy engagement.  Bottom line:  Do your best to think through every detail.

2. MODELING:  Enthusiasm around calls that we facilitate can wane because we aren’t that excited ourselves. No one needs to spend an hour on another conference call unless it is helpful, lifegiving, and serves its designed purpose. If you are truly excited about what you are discussing, then model that engagement in your preparation and delivery. Bottom line: Convince yourself of the value of the call first. 

3. IS THIS AN EXPECTATION?: Many things are optional in YL and that may be needed. However, as you choose the ‘hills to die on’ maybe these calls are part of an expectation of ‘on boarding’ of a role. Also, allow for attendees to assign a ‘proxy’ as their representative if possible. This will help broaden ownership and provide some flexibility. Bottom line:  Establish the understanding that attendance is an expectation for all participants. 

4. CONTACT WORK:  Simply, high engagement on a regular recurring zoom call will require contact work.  People may show up once or twice out of curiosity but will stay because of the relationship.  Do some contact work (in between calls) and watch the engagement shift. There are no shortcuts. Bottom line: The content of the call will be helpful but the relationships will win them over. 

5. BROAD OWNERSHIP:  Think strategically on how you can involve others on your team. Not all will facilitate, present, or get ‘air time’ but if the ownership is wider than yourself then the engagement will grow.  Ultimately the call will be better for it and will start  to be ‘our thing’ not ‘your thing’  Bottom line:  Do it as a team

6. MAKE A DECISION:  If your calls are significant gatherings where input is requested,  decisions are made, and initiatives  launched, then you will see a noticeable up-tick in engagement. Ownership can flourish through simple methods because if the opportunity to be heard presents itself- people come running. Bottom line:  Make 1 decision or provide an avenue for input on each call you host. 

7. INCENTIVISE:  Who doesn’t love FREE stuff?? Camp Scholarship, a dinner, a prize or recognition are not just tactics for engagement, they are a way of keeping the room's attention and having some fun while doing it. Bottom line, Surprise and Spoil your attendees. It will be well worth the cost! 

8. WE COMMIT TO WHAT WE CREATE:  Glean input on topics to discuss and involve others in big and small ways. If I helped create a discussion, then I am showing up invested and engaged.  Bottom line: If you can establish that those on the call will be asked to give their own thoughts and perspective then they will be more inclined to ‘lean in’ on each call.  

9. CULTURE TAKES TIME:  Celebrate small successes and incremental movements of the needle. Oftentimes change will take time and have some bumps along the way.  Attendance may ebb and flow and some of the participants on the call may not even be aware of this new expectation.  That is ok, stay the course and don’t give up.  Bottom Line: Keep working, engaging, and staying faithful to the principles you had regarding the need for this resource and win over hearts and minds over time.  Change is slow.

Written by: Ken Tankersley

THE FRIEND-RAISER

THE FRIEND-RAISER  OVERVIEW :  A Funding Option in lieu of a Large Group Banquet this Fall.  With many Large Group Gatherings being banned, let’s see this as opportunity. A Small Group Friend-Raiser may be exactly what our area needs right now. As we’ve been separated, this format will bring people together as well as be...more:

• RELATIONSHIP-CENTERED:  Guests are relaxed, and comfortable being in a friend’s home.

• ENGAGING:  Without the normal event fanfare, guests arrive with their hearts open to Young Life.

• CONVERSATIONAL:  There can be questions asked and clarity given.

• EFFECTIVE:  We have found more people are inclined to partner & gifts tend to be larger.

WHAT:

friend-rais-er /frend/räzer/

noun

an event that increases the amount, or strength, of friendships; i.e. individuals who act as supporters of a cause, by giving financial or other help.

WHY:  There are individuals in our communities who will never join us at a large group banquet  or as an adult guest at camp. Maybe it’s the size of the event, or misconceptions they have about Young Life, but the event may seem too big.

They may, however, agree to a small dinner party with friends, where they’ll experience Young Life in a new way. Imagine the potential leaders, committee members, donors and prayer warriors your area can develop by simply gathering around a table, sharing a meal while explaining your local vision for this mission. [See image below]

Large group meetings (e.g. camp or club) aren’t our only means of connecting with kids, so why are we okay with our Banquet being our one and only means of connecting with and sharing vision to adults?  Imagine - we wouldn’t dream of hosting Campaigners with 250 kids without breaking down into small groups and connecting kids with a leader.

We aren’t asking you to learn something new, simply we want you to see that what you do extremely well with kids, you can do extremely well with Adults. (… grown-up Kids)

Did you hear that? It’s the SECRET! We can do ministry with adults in the same way we do ministry with kids, all while multiplying our kid impact! From Inviting In to Sharing the Gospel to Celebrating Growth in Christ. It’s simply the same. So, perhaps, this fall will be the year when our Volunteer Teams grow, Committees grow.

HOW:  Begin with a host from your Committee and follow these simple steps:

1. Find a Date - identify a person or couple who will Host “Friendraiser Dinner Party” in their home. (You may wish to plan a Friendraiser every other month, or perhaps they will be quarterly, but start with one.)

2. Create a  List - Who should your host invite? How many? Your guest list should be friends of the host or your committee members who will be familiar with each other. *Note: you want to keep this dinner intimate, so invite no more than 8-12 people.

3. Personally Invite - Your host should invite, by phone, then followed with a text with pertinent information, and then a follow up phone call as the day approaches.

4. Order of Events - Partner with your Committee to create an order for the evening that includes good food, family time, storytelling, vision-casting, with an invitation to partner.

5. Follow Up - After sharing the Young Life story, sharing your vision, (& needs), and personally invite your guests to partner with you and your team! It is imperative to follow through with these relationships.

& (Another) WHY:  The reason we break down large groups of kids at camp (cabin time) or club (campaigners or small groups) into smaller groups, or even a one on one meeting is for relational investment as well as clarity in communication. We have seen, as we continue to develop Young Life’s Relational Centered Engagement [RCE], that the same is true with our work with adults in our community. The smaller the group, the more personal and relational the time is, has generally helped provide more Yes’s with greater impact.

This “Scale of Effectiveness in Asking” is from the Relationship Centered Engagement (RCE) training from Young Life’s Field Development team. It shows us that the more intimate the group, more people are saying yes with increased gift sizes.

The “Friendraiser” small group gathering may be exactly what your Area needs to add to your Financial Strategy to take your Area to the next level; especially in the aftermath of the recent pandemic.

Written by: Kent Williams

Global Volunteers July 2020

HAVING A VISION FOR OUR MOST VALUABLE RESOURCES- PEOPLE 

Outside of Christ’s presence in our lives and our calling to ministry, our people (staff and volunteers) may be the most important resource we have in Young Life. Leaders who learn to develop their people accomplish exponentially more and have a richer staff experience along the way. How can you develop the people entrusted to you? Here are eight ways…

Value “Who” before “What.” In her book Radical Candor, Kim Scott says the best leaders BOTH: Care Deeply and Challenge Directly. The staff who feel cared for by their supervisor are often the most motivated to follow a boss’s direction. Do your staff sense you care? How are you investing in them spiritually, emotionally, and personally?

Envision Who They are “Becoming.” “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you…plans to give you a hope and a future.”  Why does Jeremiah 29:11 inspire so many? One reason may be because it describes the sort of Shepherd we long for…one who has great plans for us, one who can prosper us and one who can lead us to a future we cannot even begin to envision ourselves. Throughout my career, God has blessed me with leaders who pointed me to who they could see me becoming. How would you fill in the blank for members of your staff…? “I could see you becoming ______________ one day?” Try things like: “a camp speaker, an area director, a great father.”

Teach to Swim…IN the Deep End.

Give Younger Staff a Voice from the Start. Have you ever noticed we have no Junior Varsity staff?  Everyone starts on the Varsity team and is a paid professional. While we have different roles, inviting each team member to weigh-in on objectives communicates value and helps achieve the best outcomes. Plus, if they weigh-in, they’ll be more likely to buy-in. 

Empower Staff with Great Responsibility BEFORE they think they are Ready.” This does three things:  shows tremendous faith in the person, calls something great out of him/her, and demonstrates the supervisor is not jealous for power or credit. It may scare them (and you) at first, but if you show that you’re in it with them, it won’t be long before the training wheels come off and they’re soaring.  

Train “Up” Leaders by Pushing “Down” Decision-making. While a supervisor is responsible for many decisions, it doesn’t mean she has to make them all. Pushing decision-making down the org chart, raises “up” other leaders by empowering them to help make big decisions.  

Give Honest and Clear Feedback in An Environment of Affirmation. If a team member knows how deeply you care, evaluations happen in a positive environment. Also, try to use the evaluation as a time to agree together on “next steps” in their development and identify new opportunities for them to grow.

Teach Your Staff to Depend on God – In EVERYTHING. Model dependence on God in how you pray, make decisions, structure meetings, and celebrate when He proves faithful. Teaching them it all depends on Him rescues from putting their identity in performance, comparison, talent or experience and challenges them to grow not just vocationally, but spiritually as well.

Remind Them What Matters Most – In a ministry filled with many responsibilities, teaching staff that Christ, kids and people matter most develops the best kind of people for our mission.

Written by: Scott Caldwell

A CAMP SPEAKER IN YOUR BACK POCKET

This summer is like none other, especially when it comes to the shared experience we all love, Young Life Camp. That said, Young Life Leaders across the mission are getting creative with how to design new experiences for their friends within local Covid-19 restrictions. Whether it is day camp, day hikes, a weekend at a cabin, or even nights around a backyard fire pit, leaders are creating their own summer shared experience. Wouldn’t it be great to have a camp speaker in your back pocket to leverage this summer with your kids? We have you covered! 

Young Life Camp, as I have thought about it with my team, I shared experience paired with excellent gospel proclamation. That gospel content is designed to set up the leader to have the deep and meaningful conversation we know and love called Cabin Time. We had a lightbulb moment and realized that this is something that can be created... even now!  

Introducing the 2020 Summer (although any season will do!)  Experience! This site has both discipleship and outreach speaker content available to areas and leaders to leverage in any restriction level. 

The Discipleship Experience offers two main speakers, topical seminars, recorded live discussions, and even a musical guest! This content can be used for Campaigners or a Campaigners getaway. There is simply content for you to use as you’d like.  

The Summer Experience brings together a diverse group of camp speakers sharing the gospel in our beloved camp style along with cabin time questions. We have Young Life and WyldLife focused speakers, along with additional resources around the mission for Capernaum and YoungLives, we even have a Spanish option! Each speaker is between 3 and 6 parts, you as a leader can choose what speaker best identifies with your kids.  

Guide To The Summer Experience

• Based on your kids, decide on an Outreach or Discipleship focus.

• If Discipleship:

  • Choose what main speaker most identifies with your kids or use both! 

    • Each speaker provides Cabin Time Questions for you to process with your kids.  

  • Choose what topical seminars your kids would benefit watching. 

• If Outreach:

  • Choose the camp speaker that best relates to your kids.

  • Each camp speaker offers a set of cabin time questions for you to use.

You are the shared experience professional in your kids’ lives, now you have content to leverage as you introduce kids to Christ and help them grow in their faith this summer.  

Pnwdiscipleship.younglife.org

Please let me know if I can help guide or brainstorm:

Andy Morman

Area Director

Sammamish/Issaquah Young Life

Andy@sammamish.younglife.org

Young Life Profile | Dolena

VIDEO NAME: Young Life Profile | Dolena
LENGTH: 1:57

Note from video services: We made this video as part of a series of videos we did for the Alaska region made possible by a donor in California. The donor gave video services some money to “buy gear.” After much prayer we believed God had other plans for that money so we approached the donor with the idea of “turning your money into more money” by making a video for a region that couldn’t afford a video. Together we selected Alaska. We made the first Alaska regional video and the day we released it publicly it helped raise 5 times what the donor had originally given…again, on the first day it was viewable. Our sweet donor friend couldn’t believe what God had done with his little gift. We did this profile from the footage that was shot for the regional video. It and the other Alaska regional videos represents God taking a donor by the hand and inviting them into the mess of kids lives and making a significant difference beyond what they ever imagined or thought possible.

Context:

• A Young Life kid in Alaska talks about darkness and light growing up where the sun goes away for months and what that does to a soul.

• Young Life’s methods of sharing the gospel are for every kid. Shows the need of a Young Life leader in the lives of adolescence.

• Illustrates how Young Life leaders are a light in the darkness

Setting for Viewing:

• Use to move the hearts of your volunteer leaders and facilitate a discussion. 

• Share with Committee to discuss the needs of kids in your area and how Young Life is uniquely suited to meet those needs.

• Send as a reminder to your larger mission community during this Season or as we seek to continue to find a way to reach the next kid. This video showcases the ‘why’ we need to keep going to the next kid and the next. 

• This video has been used in larger group gatherings easily and has been used as an ‘opening video’ for the start of a larger event. 

GROWTH IN UNEXPECTED PLACES

‘Made for….the HARDEST OF PLACES’

In Young Life, we believe that every kid deserves to hear about a God who loves them. In Kane County YoungLife, in addition to WyldLife and Capernaum, our committee is championing a vision which also means we are looking for ways to share the love of God with incarcerated teens at the local Illinois Youth Center (IYC).

While Young Life ministry at IYC has been going on for over two decades, it has really taken off in the past couple of years. It has grown from a single volunteer showing up once a week to have a Bible study with a small group of guys to over 20 men serving on teams multiple nights a week providing pizza, hanging out in cottages, hosting monthly birthday parties, working out in the gym, studying God’s Word and praying together. 

IYC – St. Charles, where we serve, is a Level 2 medium security facility. It houses juvenile males whose crimes include armed robbery, gang activity, drug offenses, school shootings, and murder. While some may have a bit of church background, most have little direction or hope in life. During a recent discussion one of the guys shared, “My life has no purpose. I am going to be locked up for the rest of my life.” 

However, change does happen. Earlier this year, we had the privilege of praying for one of the young men who was about to be released. He shared how his life had been dramatically changed while at IYC. He prays daily and has seen answered prayer. He knows he needs to make different decisions on the outside. He talked of getting involved in a church and being a good role model for his three younger siblings.

But not only are the kids being changed. Here is what some of our volunteers recently shared. 

- “A year ago, if you would have asked me could I see myself in a prison, helping with a ministry to felons, I would have said no chance. However, this has become the highlight of each week for me.”

- “Time just hanging with the kids is precious. They are really good kids who have made some bad decisions. Loving them with our time and resources and telling them about Jesus is a way to give back for the gift God has given us.”

- “Serving at IYC has been both a blessing and learning experience for me. Many of the incarcerated teens are just kids who have made some terribly poor life choices. And as kids, they need hope, encouragement and a belief that others care. If we can offer a small amount of that, then we are providing a glimpse of Jesus.”

There are about 50,000 incarcerated juveniles in the United States alone. They need to know that there is God who loves them more than they could imagine. Perhaps some of these incarcerated teens are near you.

For more information on lessons learned in Kane County Young Life, feel free to contact area director Dan Griebel (dangriebel@ylchicago.com) or committee chair Don Vanthournout (don.vanthournout@gmail.com).

Capernaum Leader Profile

Context:

• A Capernaum leader profile. 

• This is extraordinary love in extraordinary circumstances. Shows the depth of commitment our Young Life leaders have to the Gospel and kids. 

Uniqueness:

This interview was captured at a Young Life camp. The covering footage was gathered at many Young Life properties. Perfect length. Just over 2 minutes. This video represents Capernaum but showcases all leader’s hearts for kids.

Setting For Viewing:

This is a perfect video for several settings: 

• Use to inspire your volunteer leaders and facilitate a discussion. 

• Share with Committee to discuss the elements of a ministry of presence and what lengths our leaders will go to share the love of Christ.

• Send as a reminder to your larger mission community during this Season or as we seek to continue to find a way to reach the next kid. Use as a spotlight on Capernaum in your area or to help start Capernaum in your area.

• This video has been used in larger group gatherings easily and has been used as an ‘opening video’ for the start of a larger event. 

THE VALUE OF PERSISTENCE

Starting an area from scratch is something that doesn’t happen overnight. There are three principles that many Area Developers uphold: Local Ownership, Staff Supervision, and Incarnational Ministry. To have a good start to brand new ministry, you need to make sure all are in a healthy spot before you make big steps (like hiring staff) to launching.

Halifax County is rural community of 35,000 people on the North Carolina border in southside Virginia. People there do not experience lots of change. Getting buy-in to build local ownership would take time. It took three years to grow a fully functioning committee who decided to pursue a full time Area Director. Growing a full-time budget, in a small, economically challenged community, full of late adopters, takes time.

It also takes time to raise up the right leader for the job. The area did not see club for three years while informational meetings were taking place and the committee and donor infrastructure was being built. Volunteers started a club in years three and four. Years five through seven saw one of these volunteers’ step into a Teacher Staff role.  That teacher staff expanded the volunteer team that led to one of them coming on full time staff in year eight.

An important objective in the development of this Area Director was to model and teach Incarnational Ministry. Some communities cling to traditional ministry models thinking that all ministry takes place in the church. Ideas like “going where kids are at” and “earning the right to be heard” are strange to some. It took time to grow one of their own who could take the reins and lead the charge in Halifax. After seven years we finally had the staff supervision needed to ensure quality ministry AND to grow new clubs and start neighboring areas. Was it worth it to pour so much time and energy into one county? For seven years?

There are about a dozen counties in southside Virginia that are just like Halifax County. Rural communities with about half of the population being people of color. And Young Life has never been in any of these places. The hope, desire, and vision that fueled the 7-year start-up in Halifax is to have Young Life in all these counties.

What is your long-range vision? What are you persevering at? Caleb saw and tasted the promised land, was denied entry, languished in the desert for 40 years then asked for some of the hardest territory in the promised land which was still full of those blasted Canaanites! Is it the rocky soil of a kid’s heart? A subset of the school you have been doing contact work with but have yet to see them at club? The school next door that does not seem to have any adult interest in Young Life?

Be encouraged and keep 1 Thessalonians 5:24 on your mind and in your heart; “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

Written by: Steve Schmitt

INCREASING THE AMPLITUDE, AND ADJUSTING THE FREQUENCY OF YOUR CLUB MINISTRY

INCREASING THE AMPLITUDE, AND ADJUSTING THE FREQUENCY OF YOUR CLUB MINISTRY 

Young Life’s mission statement is to introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith. Too often we equate the motion of planning/prepping/running clubs with the achievement toward our ultimate goal of kids coming into a saving relationship with Jesus! There is freedom within this mission to modify the methods of ministry while still fulfilling the mission statement. 

AM/FM waves modulate their amplitude and frequency, and similarly we can modulate the AM/FM of our programmatic events. Modifying clubs in both their energetic feel (AM) and frequency (FM) can free leaders up to achieve our mission more effectively and broadly.

Amplitude Modulation:  Changing how amped up club feels. Three modulations can be Pep-Rally, Hang Out, and Service.

1. Pep-Rally - Traditional clubs feel like pep-rallies (lots of energy, loud, laughter, cheering) and they usually require a large crowd to feel right.  

2. Hang Out - This can be anything that best fits kids in your school (3-on-3 basketball tournament, fishing expedition, or a backyard bonfire with an unplugged guitar set). Any platform that offers a gospel proclamation can aid in reaching varying types of kids so that they can hear about Jesus in a more conducive setting.

3. Service - This has the least energetic feel but can work on occasion. Post-Christian European Young Life does this often and has had great success in their specific ministry field. This can also work for affluent highly entertained kids who are hard to impress, but service is universally agreed upon in culture as altruistic and good.

Frequency Modulation: Changing how often club occurs. Three modulations can be Weekly, Bi-Weekly, and Monthly.

1. Weekly - The traditional way in which most areas have run club. This works best when kids have easy access to transportation and the population is dense, so they can get to club in within 15-20 minutes. 

2. Bi-Weekly - This rhythm has benefits when transportation is a strain. In rural settings, kids face large geographical distances to get to a central club location.  Modulating the frequency of programmatic events might also help busy non-college volunteers. Areas can run a pattern of alternating weeks between Campaigners and Club to free volunteers to invest their time more wisely in the heartbeat of Young Life, incarnational evangelism.

3. Monthly - Once a month clubs become a don’t miss event. This might be longer than the typical club and can include food. This is for more extreme circumstances based on kids and leaders. For example, busy young professional leaders with families or kids in rural settings with huge distance obstacles.

This idea of modulating the amplitude and/or frequency of programmatic events can help achieve our mission better! Our goal is not to run the most pristine events, but it is to give kids a chance to hear the gospel and respond. 

Gospel proclamation should never be relegated solely to club talks and AM/FM modulation gives the power of evangelism to more of the one-on-one/small group settings between leaders and kids. By modifying the amplitude and frequency of clubs frees leaders to increase time to meet more kids and deepen already existing relationships. With this freedom to change the AM/FM of events the leaders can then intensify intentional gospel conversation in their contact work.   

Truly, the best Young Life is yet to be done!

-Mountain State Region

FROM ‘COME AND SEE’, TO ‘GO AND DO’ THIS SUMMER

During the summer of 2019 over 2,200 adults visited Young Life camps to better understand the mission of Young Life and experience changed lives.  They went back home saying things like this:

“Young Life gets the mission of introducing high school kids to Jesus Christ better than anyone!”

“Thank you so much for having us. It truly allowed us to get a bigger, clearer glimpse of Young Life and its impact. As an area committee volunteer I feel like I can talk even more confidently about Young Life and why it's so critical to engage other parents.”

“We were big supporters of Young Life before, but the camp experience really solidified our support!”

So what is it about the Adult Guest Program at camp that produces this type of transformation for adults? One word – EXPOSURE!  The Adult Guest Program provides an affordable tool to mission entities to invite guests to see, experience, and understand the Gospel and essence of the mission.  Quickly translated – it’s an invitation to “come and see” so that adults can “go and do.”  

And now to the question we’re asking about pretty much everything this summer – how do we have adult guests without camp? And WHY?

Let’s start with WHY. The health of a local area is a by-product of – you guessed it – the health of their adult ministry team. Committee, leaders, and donors serve as complementary partners and make it possible for staff to lead ministry. And yet, most areas would say that they need more adults involved in their mission community, and are constantly asking how to recruit more adults.

Let’s learn from the professional fundraisers of the world and turn to the Donor Engagement Cycle. Layman translation = turning potential donors from spectators of your work to participants. There are three crucial stages to execute before ever asking an individual for money (Shout out to Relationship Centered Engagement for more info).  

RECRUIT/INSPIRE LEARN ENGAGE

• RECRUIT/INSPIRE – This is your opportunity to excite folks! Provide a quick education, share stories, and communicate the importance of Young Life’s work in the local area.  

• LEARN – About the adult! What makes them tick; why are they interested in connecting with Young Life; what are they good at; how can they serve Young Life in a way that utilizes their gifts and brings them joy?  

• ENGAGE – let them serve! Engagement is the turning point in donor engagement.  It takes spectators and turns them into participants, which translates to years of committed service.  

Here are some ideas on HOW to implement this strategy this summer…

1. PRAY! For adults to join you, and with the adults who join you.

2. INVITE adults to be on your local camp assignment team. Let them make and serve food, set up events, hand out Bibles, etc. The #1 feedback we receive from adult guests at camp is that they wish they had been asked to DO MORE to make camp happen.  

3. COMMISSION a Committee member to serve as the Adult Guest Host and run a mini Adult Guest Program at your events. Invite, be intentional to teach/inspire while they’re there, and follow-up to learn more about them and how they can engage. 

4. DISCIPLE adults – have a Committee member run their own “cabin times” as your area walks through the summer, spending time in the Word, sharing the vision of the mission, and inviting them to participate.  

5. HOST a Friendraiser with other Committee members! Think of it as a cross between a mini-Banquet and Campaigners for adults. You’re pulling back the curtain on what/how you do ministry and inviting them to be Friends of Young Life.  

Then sit back and see what the Lord does. Because these are His people who He ordained to serve in this specific time. And in the same way that we think about students changing their schools, these adults were made to change their communities. We simply need to make the invitation.  

I can’t wait to see how we do this – Young Life is full of innovators who refuse to quit, so please share your stories of adult engagement here.  And email me (kclifford@sc.younglife.org) with questions or if you need a pep talk!  Finally, if you missed it, check out these 7 tips on how to turn adults in your area from spectators to participants.  

Adult Guest Host Bootcamp: Committee and Staff - join us for a Zoom Bootcamp to equip you to serve as an Adult Guest Host for your Area's 2020 camping experience, whatever that may be! July 1 or 7, 8:00pm EST. Email Kristy to register (kclifford@sc.younglife.org)

THE FAITHFUL 50 CAMPAIGN

IT TAKES A COMMUNITY TO REACH A COMMUNITY

I have heard it said that “It takes a community to reach a community...and when you do EVERYONE is changed.”  With the Global disruption that we have all experienced the last few months, the need for an invested mission community and stable funding plan to make our way through this next Season is paramount.  This has been the question/conversation we have been having as a local Committee.  Question:   How do we engage more adults in the community, foster greater ownership, and partnership that will lead to everyone experiencing God’s movement while helping us reach the next school, and the next kid? 

My observation has been that perhaps all involvement in ‘mission’ begins transactionally.  A desire to help, to contribute, to support. and to foster change. All partnership in mission shifts when it becomes transformational.  When we not only see change in our world but in our own lives because we have a role to play and a niche to fill.  I think that is what Jesus  intended  in  The Greatest Commandment in the 12th  chapter of the gospel of Mark.

...Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your HEART and with all your SOUL and with all your MIND and with all your STRENGTH.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. ...” When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”     -Mark 12: 28-34

To me, it's simple.   Love GOD (vertically).  Love OTHERS (horizontally). EVERYONE changes!  For the next few months, we are trying something different  in the YL  area where I serve as Committee Chair.  We are calling it the Faithful 50 Campaign.  We are committed to finding 50 households/Individuals  that will engage with Young Life in four simple ways.  

1. PRAY:  Faithfully join our area  by being a prayer partner - Heart

2. ATTEND:  Commit to participating in a few key events in the local area each year. -Soul

3. GIVE:  Give a financial gift  monthly at a level of your choosing - Mind

4. SERVE:  Be available to serve locally in some simple tangible ways when contacted. -Strength

Essentially, we want to live out the Greatest commandment of heart, soul, mind, and strength in our local area.  Currently we have 200 potential names on our list over the coming weeks the vision of going from transaction to transformation begins!  If your area has had similar conversations and you want to be part of the conversation- email  at  Kimberly Silvernale  and we can learn from each other.  I think the greatest proof of the existence of God is a transformed life. That has always been the business of YL. In the coming months, we will give an update on the Faithful 50 campaign in an upcoming 5 for Friday. Check out this LINK to see some of the documents we are using with our community.  

If you’re interested in being part of the conversation for your own area, please reach out and let’s continue the conversation. Email me at Kimberly Silvernale.

Written by: Kimberly Silvernale

Young Life in Motion

Young Life is a forward thinking, moving, engaging mission  Our ‘presence’ in the lives of teenagers is active and it is evident in every context. We are always actively looking and ultimately reaching the next kids in our communities.

Context:

• Each shot in here is from a different place, with different people who all share the same goal of meeting adolescents where they are. 

• This video has a long ‘shelf life’ and a timeless feel

Uniqueness:

•  No spoken words in this entire video. We have let the pictures and settings say it all.

• Perfect length.  Just under 2 minutes.

• This video represents the broadness of the mission in context and geography

Setting For Viewing:

This is a perfect video for several settings.  

• Use to inspire your volunteer  leaders and facilitate a discussion. 

• Share with Committee to discuss the elements of a ministry of presence 

• Send as a reminder to your larger mission community during this Season or as we seek to continue to find a way to reach the next kid.  

• This video has been used in larger group gatherings easily and has been used as an ‘opening video’ for the start of a larger event.

GOING AFTER THE ONE

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.” Luke 15:4-7

This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. It’s one many if not all of us have read, given Young Life Club talks on and shared with kids one-on-one. But recently it’s begun to take on an even more practical meaning for me.

I get to lead a ministry for kids who are or have formerly been homeless. They all live far below the poverty line, which means technology is spotty, at best, so when our current pandemic hit, our ministry initially all but disappeared. I was at a loss. I’d watch friends post about their Zoom clubs or campaigners with tears in my eyes, feeling like we’d lost all of our kids, and truthfully I wanted to give up. 

And then one morning I came across these words again. I started asking myself what it would mean to look for us to look for our lost sheep. As a team, we started 

• Making countless calls and texts. 

• Driving around to the various locations that have served as ‘home’ for a night. 

• Buying food and other essential supplies. 

• Filling in the gaps that were missing when the aid that they previously depended on became over-burdened and under-resourced. 

One afternoon I got into my car and just started to drive. It felt a little rebellious as we sheltered in place, but my heart wouldn’t let me sit still. I went to a store and bought food, drove to the area that some of our kids stay and sent a text to the team I work with. “I’m in Lemon Grove,” I texted, “Who lives near here?” One of my leaders responded with a name and address and I went there.

I knocked on the door and was greeted by ten family members. I told them I was there to bring them a present, after awkwardly explaining to them who I was and how I knew Jeremiah. They responded by all filing outside, into the courtyard of the apartment complex and we sat on the grass and talked. It was a little uncomfortable. And so sweet.

I was reminded that while the circumstances are strikingly different.  We may all be lost sheep.  I know that I was that lost sheep. I went through years of being all over the dang map; struggling with faith, doubts in that faith, and deep-seated insecurities that led me to make some very poor and dangerous choices in my earlier years.

But God never gave up.

He never stopped coming after me, showing me His face when finding me curled up behind life’s dumpsters and ditches. He never said, “Well shoot, looks like I lost her—but whatever, look at all these other wonderful children I have!”

I don’t know if anyone would have blamed Him if He had.

But He didn’t.

He kept looking for His lost sheep until He found her. She was messy and dirty and full of shame, but He didn’t care, he was just happy she was coming home where she belonged.  And because of that, we too are called to keep going, we get to keep looking for the lost ones who need comfort and hope in the name of Jesus. 

And the amazing thing is, we get to do the same. With the strength of our sweet Shephard, we too are equipped to go out, find, and care for the lost ones. To those who have been shunned or forgotten by many. To bring them into our arms and show them the goodness and grace of our Father.

It’s not easy work, this journey we are called to, but it’s precious and holy. Keep going.

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Psalm 27:13-14

Written by Rachel Karman

Making the Most of Summer Campaigners

If you ask middle school or high school friends about their favorite part of camp, you will hear an array of things.  For my friend Ruby, it was “the actors who made everyone laugh.”  For my friend Allison, it was the fact that she “felt like an adult” and didn’t have her parents “breathing down [her] neck all the time.”  For my friend Peyton, it was the fact that “the food was all-you-can-eat at every meal.”  But for my friend Sienna, it was the fact that “[she] got to talk about real life stuff and hear about how Jesus really cares for what is going on in [her] world.”  

Gosh, isn’t that what Campaigners is all about? Long after we pull out of Young Life camp and the “actors,” feelings of adulthood, and all-you-can-eat food are memories, we get to continue talking about real life stuff and learning about how much Jesus really cares.

Most often, we do this through Campaigners (the “help them grow in their faith” part of our mission statement). And, after eight years as a leader in three different areas, I am here to say that there are about as many ways to do Campaigners as there are stars in the sky. (Young Life staff are a go-the-extra-mile, try-something-new bunch.) BUT! There are two things that are consistent throughout every Campaigners gathering I have ever been a part of:

1. We read the Bible together every time.

2. We talk about real stuff.

Now, maybe more than ever, we have the opportunity to link arms (figuratively, at this point) with our middle school, high school, and college friends and invite them to join us in the transformational and missional life Jesus directs us to live (2 Corinthians 3:18 and Matthew 28:19). 

How might we do that in the coming months?  What does that look like?  

Since we are innovative and fluent in our spheres of ministry, I’ll share a few ideas, but leave specific answers (some of the hows and whens) to us individually. However, I hope that these questions provide a helpful and encouraging lens through which we can plan for summer Campaigners this year.

• What can we do this summer (because of our current reality) that we have not been able to do before? Let’s face it.  Our current circumstances have provided both us and kids with more margin than we have had in years. What is possible now that was not possible before?

  
  Perhaps it’s meeting in a small group every day for one week. Walk through one of the five-day studies on the Bible app. (Young Life offers several.) If week one goes well, ask kids if they want to try a second week. Or, move to a weekly model, with kids doing a five-day study on their own, using the app to chat with each other about it throughout the week and then coming together once a week to talk about it. 

• How can we read the Bible with our friends in a NEW way?
  Give your friends different opportunities to engage with Scripture. Try letting kids read the story like a play – one person playing the narrator and others reading the words of specific people in the stories. Ask them to imagine the scene or draw pictures of it. You’ll find other ideas in “A Dozen Ways to Bible Dive” by Crystal Kirgiss, Vice President of Discipleship.

• How can we incorporate fun and laughter?
  It doesn’t take much for us to see ways in which the loneliness and sadness of the world have crept into our friends’ lives. How can we use fun and laughter to break through the walls of sadness?
  
  Yes, the focus of Campaigners should be the Bible and real stuff, but it can include more. If you’re working with middle schoolers, it will definitely need to be more because they don’t want to sit still and talk for long. Bake cookies, play basketball, take silly photos. That’s not “throw-away” time in Campaigners – it’s intentional time to build relationships and trust with your friends.

If there were ever a group of people to enter into the lives of kids in new and creative ways during unprecedented and uncertain times, it would be you.  Over the last few months, I know you have worked tirelessly to come up with ways to continue to get middle school, high school, and college friends in front of Jesus.

I can’t help but think about the paralyzed man’s friends in Luke 5. They were relentless in bringing their friend to the feet of Jesus because they knew that He was exactly what he needed. They knew that Jesus really cared about what was going on in their friend’s world and that He would find a way to heal him through His words. If reading God’s spoken word to us and talking about real stuff are the two most consistent pieces of Campaigners, I truly believe that we have so much to look forward to this summer.  

Written by: Emie Salem