Young Life was started by Presbyterian leader Jim Rayburn in 1941. He was challenged to connect with the neighborhood school kids that had no interest in church, so he started weekly club meetings at student homes to spread the message of Jesus Christ while entertaining youth with games and songs. Since then Young Life has spread across the world. Young Life begins with adults that care deeply about what teenagers care about. They form relationships with teens to share God’s love with them, meeting them in their own environment.
Here in Coronado, Young Life has rapidly grown in popularity; the groups event’s regularly draw between 30 and 100 high school students. There are many opportunities for the students to get involved, including:
- Monday night — Club Night
- Wednesday morning — Bagels and Bibles
- Winter and Summer Camps
Coronado Young Life Area Director, Kelsey Starr, describes club night as “a party with a purpose. It’s controlled chaos that’s almost impossible to describe, but kids know it when they see it. And before the party ends, we share a simple message about God’s love for them. After all, that’s what the celebration is all about.” Bagels and Bibles is held at Panera Bread on Wednesday before school. Participants enjoy a free bagel and participate in devotional and discussion groups.
Recently the organization in Coronado expanded to middle school students, with the launch of a Coronado Wyldlife group. Starr says Wyldlife was created because “middle school kids are at a different developmental stage than high schoolers and need different things, [so] we make a subtle delineation between the two.” Wyldlife meets every Thursday night, and each week they alternate between Club Night and Campaigners (devotional and discussion groups) night.
Coronado’s Young Life invites all middle school and high school age youth, regardless of what school they attend, to join. Follow them on Facebook here.
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Mackenzie Wiley
Intern
eCoronado.com
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