YoungLife

Mission + Vision:

Young Life’s mission is to introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith.

Website:

https://chestercounty.younglife.org/about/

The main way the ministry is meeting needs:

Our world is becoming increasingly anti-Christian and more and more kids are being raised in non-Christian environments. Those kids may never talk about Jesus and would most likely not feel comfortable or even be invited to a church or youth group. Young Life exists for those kids. Weekly club meetings are geared toward the furthest out kid to give them a fun environment where they can hear about Jesus, potentially for the first time, in a way they can understand, given by volunteer leaders who are relationally invested in their school community. Kids need Jesus and may not have the opportunity to hear about it. Young Life seeks to address that need by taking the Gospel to kids.

What is Young Life? 

How is the ministry sharing the gospel and making disciples:

Young Life sends out a team of volunteer leaders as ‘missionaries’ to a local high school where they will seek to meet and connect with students through what Young Life calls “contact work”. We know some students would never show up to a Christian event, so our volunteer leaders go to the school, to those students. In doing so, relationships are built and leaders can invite students to two weekly meetings, Club and Campaigners. Club is often called “a party with a purpose” because it truly is a fun time with lots of students but its ultimate purpose is at the end of the “party” when that volunteer leader gets up and shares an encounter from the Bible. Club is one method Young Life uses to accomplish the first part of its mission statement - “introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ”. One way we accomplish the last part of our mission statement, “helping them grow in their faith” is through our other weekly meeting, Campaigners. Campaigners is a small group meeting of students who want to hear more about the Bible and what it would look like to have a growing relationship with Christ. The Campaigner meeting equips students in their faith, encourages them with community from their school who also want to learn more about Jesus, and it gives them vision for their peers who don’t know Jesus. 

What a Young Life leader is:

Young Life takes students to an outreach camp every summer...

Here is a great video from a YL camp from a student:

A story of life change directly from the ministry:

A student in Young Life began attending because his girlfriend had invited him! His life at the time and in the past was defined by him seeking for life and fulfillment in many things, drugs, relationships, porn/sex but nothing was measuring up. He didn’t have parents who knew about God or wanted a relationship with Him for their son. Through his introduction to Young Life, he met his Young Life leader who bought him a bible and showed him how to read it! He signed up to go to Young Life camp and had an incredible experience. His involvement in Young Life and church gradually showed him who God was and what it meant to live for Christ. He began walking with the Lord and serving Him! This student is still regularly involved in Young Life and church and has participated in Young Life service opportunities as well! This is really what Young Life is all about, introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith. Seeing a kid who is very distant from God begin a relationship with Him and learn how to walk with Him forever. 

3-4 Prayer requests

• Pray for our volunteer leaders and staff as they step into the often messy world of students - pray that God would equip them in decision making, in conversations and in all that leadership consists of to point students to Jesus.
• Pray that God would send out more laborers into His harvest in the form of more Young Life leaders in this area.
• Pray for our summer camp trip happening this month! July 21-26th. Pray for the Gospel to be clearly communicated, pray for energy and wisdom for leaders and pray that students would commit their lives to Christ.

2-3 ways Providence can tangibly get involved

• Pray for volunteers and staff as they lead and pray that students would meet Christ and become life-long believers.
• Become a volunteer leader. We have active ministries at Rustin, Henderson, West Chester East, Downingtown East & West and Coatesville High Schools as well as Pierce Middle School and Capernaum (Young Life for students with special needs). Pray about joining one of these missionary teams!
• Join our ‘team’ by praying, joining our adult committee or by giving financially. 

Ministry Needs: