In Young Life there are no spectators because it is harder to explain the Gospel then to experience it. The same is true with the Incarnation, understanding salvation, God’s love, and even your local YL Club and Camp. You have to ‘come and see.’ None of the principles and elements of the mission are reserved just for adolescents. The best week of your life isn’t just for teens. Young Life camp can make a profound impact on the adults in your ministry too. Not to mention, camping for your adults can make a huge impact on your local ministry in the long run!
Q. Do you have a need for more adults to join in your area ministry?
Q. Do you want to reconnect with alumni, friends and former staff in a manner that is natural, fun, and benefits both them and your area? Are you looking for a world-class window into the mission of Young Life?
Look no further! What better place to get adults excited about the Young Life ministry than at camp? Let adults have the best week of their life too and catch a glimpse of how they can help support your local ministry. Inviting adults to Adult Camping trips increases awareness, ownership, and investment in the ministry.
Here are some ways to get Adult Camping Plans started:
Make a yearly plan of all camping opportunities NOW and mark them on your calendars. Work backward to see when you need to start prepping the adults in your community.
Add a role to your committee for someone to take charge of the Mission Community. Assign your Mission Community Director the job of engaging adults on these Adult Camping opportunities.
Reach out to those who are in charge of the men’s, women’s, couple’s, and family camps and see if there are ways to help support the event itself. Often, there are opportunities to help with registration, skits, worship, and more. Knowing these needs may help you find ways to engage the adults in your community and help them have deeper buy-in for the trip.
Spending a little time investing in an Adult Camping Plan for your area will reap amazing dividends for your adult friends and your area ministry. We all know that a Young Life camp experience with kids serves to solidify relationships as distractions are minimized and shared-experiences abound. Similarly, getting away with adults from your area can truly accelerate the process of building trust, knowledge, and a desire to serve. Whether being an adult guest at summer camp, experiencing Trail West, or attending a weekend retreat or family camp during the school year, a Young Life camp experience creates space to listen and learn, opportunity to grow in relationship to God and others, and a clear path to meaningful opportunities to serve!
Jonathan Schultz jschultz@sc.younglife.org