Young Life

Young Life Logo

Young Life is a worldwide, non-profit, evangelical Christian organization. Young Life operates and supervises many different branches of ministry, including the original Young Life, which is geared towards high school students, Wyldlife, which focuses on middle school students, Young Life Capernaum, which is a ministry towards mentally and physically handicapped youths, Young Life Military, which focuses on children of active military personnel, and, finally, YoungLives, which is unique amongst the rest of Young Life's ministries, as it ministers only to middle and high school girls that are pregnant or raising children on their own. Young Life also offers college students and adults opportunities to participate through volunteering at either a Young Life camp or a local Young Life club.

Young Life is very different from most churches, and represents a definitively new movement in Christianity, which is geared not towards members of the church, but at everyone who is not a member of the church. It is also different from most churches because of its widespread use of comedy and pop culture references to lighten to mood and promote a comfortable atmosphere (for example, many Young Life Clubs begin by singing popular songs of the specific area of the club, including pop, hip-hop and love songs).

Young Life is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Controversy

Young Life has been met with resistance in many communities. Its public attitude toward non-Christians, being one of acceptance, has made them more welcome on high school and middle school campuses than other religious youth groups. However, since the organization's inception, the American Civil Liberties Union has been contacted a number of times by students who have felt that their schools were being "invaded" and turned into "Religious training camps". A 2008 internal memo written by the President of Younglife that called for new recruitment measures was met with criticism by Christian and secular groups alike. One segment of Younglife in Durham, North Carolina that refused to comply was closed shortly thereafter.

Young Life Camp

Young Life maintains camps in 14 American states as well as two camps in British Columbia, Canada and a camp in the Dominican Republic. Referred to as "The Best Week of Your Life," these camps are well attended and incoporate Christian messages into a environment stressing fun and safety, with many secular activities mixed in to include non-Christians. Although the camps vary in activity type and location, many camps include a waterfront or lake, hiking, mountain climbing, mountain biking, ropes courses and many other activities. These camps are attended by students from around the world, and are staffed by a mix of full-time Young Life employees and student, young adult and adult volunteer, with the average camper to staff ratio being about 5:1. Young Life camps introduce and reinforce the essential beliefs of Christianity to Christians and non-Christians alike with the aid of comedy and pop culture.

List of Young Life camps by location

California

• Woodleaf, in Challenge
• Mountain Lodge, in Soda Springs
• Oakbridge, in Ramona

Oregon

• Breakaway in Gearhart
• Washington Family Ranch in Antelope

Washington

• Buttercreak in Centralia

Arizona

• Lost Canyon in Williams

Colorado

• RMR Backcountry in Hot Sulphur Springs
• Wilderness Ranch in Creede
• Trail West Lodge in Buena Vista
• Frontier Ranch in Buena Vista
• Crooked Creek Ranch in Fraser

Minnesota

• Castaway Club in Detroit Lakes

Missouri

• Clearwater Cove in Table Rock Lake

Michigan

• Timber Wolf Lake in Lake City

New York

• Lake Champion in Glen Spey
• Saranac Village in Saranac Lake

Virginia

• Rockbridge in Goshen

North Carolina

• Windy Gap in Weaverville

South Carolina

• Carolina Point in Pickens

Georgia

• Sharp Top Cove in Jasper

Florida

• Southwind in Ocklawaha, Florida.

British Columbia, Canada

• Malibu Club in Princess Louisa Inlet
• Beyond Malibu in Princess Louisa Inlet

Dominican Republic

• Pico Escondido in Jarabacoa

Young Life Club

Young Life Club is a meeting of High School students and their leaders, and serves both as an opportunity to relax and spend time with friends and to learn about Christianity. There are more than 700 Young Life Clubs around the world, and these are located on every continent besides Antarctica. Although the structure of Young Life Clubs vary around the world, the general format is a long period where students can relax and talk with friends and their leaders, followed by a short period that includes prayer and a short religious message, often accompanied by a personal anecdote to lighten the mood and to make non-Christians feel comfortable.

Further reading

• Cailliet, Emile; Young Life (1963)
• Meridith, Char; It's a Sin to Bore a Kid: The Story of Young Life (1977) ISBN 0-8499-0043-3
• Miller, John; Back to the Basics about the early years of Young Life including a lot of Rayburn's life.
• Rayburn, Jim III; From Bondage To Liberty – Dance, Children, Dance a biography by his son (2000) ISBN 0-9673897-4-7
• Rayburn, Jim: The Diaries of Jim Rayburn (2008) Rayburn's personal journals, edited and annotated by Kit Sublett Morningstar Press and Whitecaps Media ISBN 978-0-9758577-7-9

External links

• Young Life Main Page
• Keeping Kids Safe
• Asian Young Life