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What is Young Life?
Young Life in West Volusia
Young Life Mission Purpose Statement

What is Young Life? Young Life was started in the 1940's by a young minister who saw the need to reach out to young people with the message of Jesus Christ. He developed the"club" format of songs, skits, and a short talk geared to the energy, enthusiasm, and questioning minds of young people. Since it began, Young Life has spread to nearly every state and 32 foreign countries. Young Life remains non-denominational and it is our goal that the Young Life experience will enrich each person's own church experience
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Young Life is supported by nearly every major denomination and many prominent individuals have affirmed its value. Each Young Life area is supported mostly by local individual donors who are excited about the ministry of Young Life. In each community where Young Life exists, there is a group of adults who stand behind the world and act as its local board of directors or committee.

The goal of Young Life is to introduce Christ's love to students who otherwise would not be exposed to such a message. In addition to meeting during the school year, winter and summer camps provide additional opportunities for kids to enjoy fun with Young Life and to ask questions about the Christian faith.

Young Life is a mission devoted to Christ and kids. Jim Rayburn, the founder of Young Life, summed up our mission in a speech in which he gave at a staff conference in California shortly before his death in 1970.

"They (kids) didn't have a chance, not for God's kind of life, not for the life He meant for them, unless they personally know Jesus Christ. They have a right to know Him personally. Furthermore, they have a right to make their own choice for Him...That's not just what Young Life's about, that's all that Young Life's all about--Jesus Christ...A lot of you know that I believe that the greatest job in the world today is just to thumb the pages of this New Testament which written to make Jesus Christ known and to do it in the presence of a group of people who are listening, who know you care about them... people that you havetaken the time and the trouble to prove that you really care...that they may have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ" --Jim Rayburn

Young Life in West Volusia Young Life is reaching out to and developing adolescents in the West Volusia community. Kids, leaders, and adult committee members come from a wide variety of backgrounds as they exist in the West Volusia community. Young Life is community based.

12 adult committe members steer Young Life's activity's
12 local churches of various denominations support Young Life
Young Life is involved with kids and leaders regarless of race and socio-econmoic backgrounds
4 area civic groups support the ministry of Young Life
Stetson University recognizes Young Life as a campus organization

Through developing leaders that build friendships with adolescents, Young Life leaders have been able to make a difference in the lives of local teens.

8 volunteers leaders serve DeLand Middle School and Southwestern
8 adult volunteers serve DeLand and Deltona High Schools
Several Stetson University students are being developed for leadership and join us for fellowship.
Special service projects such as Habitat for Humanity and camp construction continue to be a part of our leadership development.

Kids of every walk are drawn to the exciting weekly meetings and extended retreats to experience God's care and hope.

Volunteer leaders and staff are involved with over 20% of the high school population
An average of 75 kids are involved in weekly outreach meetings. One fourth of these kids are involved in weekley "campaigners", a faith nurturing support group
Over 100 kids have attended camps and retreats

Young Life is no secret to just West Volusia, Young Life is in over 600 communities throughout the United States and in over 32 countries internationally.

Young Life has an international student exchange program called Amicus.

Young Life has been in West Volusia for 16 years. Mike Legaspi has been the Area Director for 12 years. In August 1998, West Volusia Young Life hired Brenda Reff as a staff intern for a 2 year committment. Brenda will conitnue to help begin Young Life in the Deltona Community. Additional staff will help our goal of reaching out to more adolescents. Adults sharing lives and the Gospel is what Young Life is about.
"We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the Gospel but our lives as well, because you came so dear to us"

I Thessalonians 2:8

Young Life Mission Purpose Statement Young Life is a mission community of Christ-centered people committed to reaching adolescent youth with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe that we, as a community of adult Christians who belong to a broad diversity of church traditions, have been called and gifted by God to carry out this ministry.

We do this by building personal relationships with young People, by sharing our lives and participating with them in a variety of experiences through which the Gospel can be heard and experienced.

We carry out our mission under the authority of Scripture and in accordance with our understanding of incarnational witness, seeking to enflesh the Gospel in our lives and relationships, and therefore we are committed:

To the welfare and spiritual health of those who do this ministry, that they may do it out of a consistent and growing relationship with Christ and His Church.

To submit and communicate effectively the whole Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, as best we understand that Gospel.

To researching and developing innovative approaches to the evangelization of young people so that the unreached, uninterested or uncommitted youth of the world shall continue to be reached.

To all young people wherever they may live in the world, or whatever may be their social, economic, ethnic, cultural or racial environment.

To seek out and welcome all those whom God directs to our ministry, male and female of all races, salaried and volunteer, with a diversity of Christian traditions linked in our common purpose, and to honor their calling and encourage the fullest expression of their gifts.

To obey our Lord’s mandate that all His people should be one, and therefore to work cooperatively within the Church of Jesus Christ around the world, so that more young people may be reached.

To the highest stanards of stewardship of all the resources placed in our trust