Young Life in South County consists of four different clubs/ministries. First, we have our typical Young Life Club for kids at SJHHS, Tesoro, Dana Hills, and J Serra. We also have 2 WyldLife clubs for middle school kids at Ladera Middle School, and Marco Forster Middle School, lastly we have our Capernaum Club, for kids with special needs that serves all of South Orange County. In each of these clubs, the mission is the same: introduce kids to Jesus and help them grow in their relationship with him.
This month all four clubs were busy loving kids in the name of Jesus, and providing places where kids can come, be known and loved right where they are, as they are, and hear the Gospel in a way that relates to them. From eating Nachos while watching Nacho Libre, to getting crazy at Big Air, to trading a penny for a unicycle, to playing kick-ball while wearing wacky costumes, kids from all different places and walks of life got to experience the love of Jesus this month through Young Life in South County.
Keep reading for an update and pictures from each club...
Young Life SJHHS/Tesoro
The annual All OC YL Dodgeball Tournament was earlier this month. It was so fun. One of our teams took home third, and all the guys had a blast! It was so cool seeing several hundred kids from Young Life clubs all over Orange County have such a great time together!
Nachos with Nacho was a great night! A bunch of big school kids came over to Casa de Bright and scarfed on nachos while watching Nacho Libre. Hannah and I got dressed up as wrestlers and started the night off with an epic thumb wrestling tournament. It was a fun night, and we had several new kids come out, including a few new girls!
For our Young Life club we have been continuing with Campaigners, and its been great getting into the Bible with everyone. We have been looking at how Jesus said that the most important thing was loving God and loving your neighbor like you love yourself. Kyle has been exploring some of the different implications of this, and has been showing how Star Wars can really help us understand parts of the Bible! Its been great being able to eat and hang together, get into the Bible and hear from Kyle, and then split up into smaller groups and talk about life.
Capernaum
The Capernaum club is seeing some excitement these last few weeks! At the end of last month they went to Big Air and had an absolute blast! About 10 kids came, and a few new faces. Each of these kids got to have a really good time with leaders and friends that truly care about them. It was great to get to talk with parents, most of whom are fairly new to the ministry, about how excited and thankful they are to have a great social activity for their kids to come to.
As we move forward next year, we are looking to move towards a more inclusive model of ministry for Capernaum and Young Life in South County. Rachel and I have a deep desire to see kids with and without special needs come together, have a blast, learn from each other, love each other, and show off the Kingdom of God in a unique way. While Young Life, and even Capernaum, is absolutely for kids that have yet to meet Jesus, we think having an inclusive ministry will be something that will attract kids from both sides, and brings kids to Jesus' feet.
Marco WyldLife
Talk about having fun! Marco WyldLife has been such a blast this month. Because of difficulties getting permission to meet at the park across from Marco on Tuesday mornings, we have moved to meeting every other Tuesday night... and it has really been a great club! We have been growing, and the excitement is through the roof!
At our first club of the month, we had a kid from Syria come out. He ended up loving WyldLife and when the family that brought him to club dropped him off at his house, they were invited in for tea! This kid has loved WyldLife so much that he asked the mom who brought him to club the first time to write in a calendar all the days that there was WyldLife so he would never miss it. Who knows what God is doing here, but it is awesome to get to be a part of it!
Ladera Ranch WyldLife
As always, WyldLife has been busy in Ladera Ranch! Aside from the weekly meetings at Founders Park on Friday mornings, they have had a costume kick-ball club, and a fashion show club! Things are always fun and whimsical for WyldLife Ladera.
One of the coolest new developments for the Ladera club is that there are now two amazing girl leaders, Shay and Kara. While Shay has been a great leader for the past year, Kara is new, but comes from Young Life in Irvine, and is incredible. A couple weekends ago, they took a group of girls hiking. For so long Ladera has been mostly a boys club, but now, with Kara and Shay, its exciting to see some really cool things happen for the girls!
March has been such a great month and there is more to look forward to in the coming months. For the next few months we will be focussing a good amount of our attention to getting kids to camp. The hope and prayer this year is that we will send over 60 kids and leaders to two different camps this summer. The WyldLife groups will be going to Oakridge July 26-31, and Young Life and Capernaum will be going to Woodleaf August 1-7. If you are reading this and know some kids who would love to have the best week of their lives with us, please pass this along!
All of our clubs are back at it, and there is a ton of excitement in the air!
Our Capernaum club (club for kids with special needs) is meeting every 1st and 3rd Wednesday and have been having a blast. For March they are starting things off with a Movie Night tonight at Laguna Niguel Presbyterian Church, starting at 7. If you would like to learn more about this ministry, please email Rachel Antoun, our amazing interim team leader here. They are in need of guy leaders and helpers!
The WyldLife Marco Forster club kicked things off with a pizza party at Ballpark Pizza. It was a great time and we got to meet one of our amazing new leaders, Nancy Harris! She just moved here from Indiana where she did WyldLife for 4 years. She is super excited about getting back into things here and getting a chance to meet and build relationships with some girls from Marco. Marco had their first club last night, where 4 new kids came, had a blast, and then heard Bailey tell some of his story and share about the Prodigal Son.
Marco WyldLife last night!
This story captures so much of what Young Life is about. We are for the kids that have wondered away. We LOVE the kids that have searched out the foreign land, and spent everything they had on partying and "wild living!" We love getting to be the people that meet them where they are, and help them find their way back to an incredibly loving Father, that runs to meet them, and embraces them in a way that is beyond comprehension.
The Ladera Ranch WyldLife club is doing amazing! They just got back from one of the most action packed days ever: the So Cal Trifecta! This was a day that started with snow, moved to the surf, and then ended with pizza at the Ladera skate park. What a memory for these kids... and leaders! Grant is trying to do something that will create a life-long memory for these kids once a month. He wants them to see how amazing life can be, and how a life with God is truly an adventure! Friday @ Founders has been incredible, and all the leaders have been getting the opportunity to share about Jesus on Friday mornings. Doughnuts, games, friends, and Jesus just doesn't ever get old! Grant has also started a small group with 8th grade boys that meet on Wednesday mornings to talk about life, read a verse from the Bible, and walk to school together.
So Cal Trifecta: Snow
The high school club is going through some big changes! While club on Monday night was a ton of fun last year, we started to feel that we were spending so much time on club, and not enough time going to meet kids on their own turf. Because meeting kids where they are is the heart of Young Life, we are making some changes. This semester, we are going to be focussing on Contact Work, Campaigners, and Events.
First, we are going to have Study Hall @ Starbucks every other Wednesday. This will be a time for kids to bring their homework to Starbucks and work on it with friends and leaders. We had our first one last week, and it was awesome! We will also be going to games as a leadership team together several times a month. This is all in an effort to show kids at SJHHS, Tesoro, J Serra, Dana, and SM that we care about what they care about... but mostly, that we care about them.
Study Hall @ Starbucks
We will be starting a new format for Campaigners on Wednesdays. Campaigners will be on the Wednesdays where there is not Study Hall @ Starbucks. Guys and Girls will meet together for pizza and meal time questions before hearing a short talk and then breaking up into small groups, guys with guys and girls with girls. All of the leaders and I are really excited for this new format this semester, and truly believe that we will see some amazing things happen through Young Life in the High Schools in South Orange County this semester!
Campaigners
Lives are changing, and kids are meeting Jesus right now in South County Young Life! If you know someone that would be a great leader, or are someone that would be a great leader, please contact me! We are in need of leaders for both middle school clubs (Marco Forster and Ladera Ranch) as well as in our Capernaum club (special needs ministry). Getting to walk with kids that don't normally attend church, or have much interest in Jesus is truly a gift. We get to be the love of Jesus in their lives, and then often get to begin a journey towards Jesus with them.
This last Saturday may have been one of the most action packed days in the history of days... well maybe that's an exaggeration, but it was glorious!
Grant Waggoner had a dream, a dream of snowboarding, surfing, and skateboarding all in one day. Saturday, he along with 8 lucky kids from Ladera Ranch Middle School, 1 lucky sophomore from SJHHS, 2 lucky Young Life leaders, and an amazing dad, Mitch Needleman, made this dream a reality!
Watch the video for some highlights!
This is a big part of what Young Life and WyldLife is about! Making memories with kids! Taking them to do things they never thought possible, with leaders who are for them, encouraging them, and loving them because these leaders know and love Jesus.
So often this opens the door to deep conversations. On on of the lift rides, Grant was asking kid about his classes. This kid said that he has a hard time paying attention because they are so boring. Then Grant asked him how he felt during the part of WyldLife when we talk about Jesus... the kid's face lit up, and he said that he loves hearing about that because he wants to know more about Jesus! This kid does not come from a church background, and has heard most of what he has heard about Jesus through his experience in WyldLife!
I love getting to be a part of this mission! I love getting to be a part of God's love story for these kids... especially when it involves snowboarding, surfing and skating all in one day!
To learn more about Young Life South County, and Ladera Ranch WyldLife, please text or call Luke Bright: 949-293-6443, or Grant Waggoner: 702-533-8324. You can also email Luke here or Grant here.
I get this question a lot. It is usually followed by, "What is Young Life?"
If you look at the mission statement of Young Life, "Introducing adolescents to Christ, and helping them grow in their faith," it seems pretty straight forward... Young Life seems to be like any other youth ministry. We are trying to share Jesus with kids, and help them develop and grow in relationship with him.
To a very large degree, this is correct. We are like most church youth groups. We try to develop an atmosphere that is attractive to kids, and will foster their growth in Jesus.
But, at the same time, we are different than most local church youth groups.
We primarily seek the lost sheep that don't seem to have a flock, or have wondered away from home. We are going after the kids that aren't going to one of the many amazing youth groups that are all over South Orange County.
In Luke 15, Jesus tells a few stories of lost things. He tells the story of a lost sheep, and then a story of a woman who lost a coin, followed by the story of a father who loses a son. In the first two stories, the shepherd and the woman drop everything they are doing and seek after what they have lost. Jesus says that the shepherd would leave 99 sheep to just find the one that got lost.
Young Life is this shepherd. We are a part of the arm of the Church that goes out from the pen in search of the lost sheep. We do not have a building, and when we go out doing Young Life, we are leaving the flock behind in search of sheep that have gotten lost, or even sheep that just never seem to have found home. We go to these sheep, meet them where they are, earn their trust by showing them that we like them just the way they are, and then begin to bring them home through a loving and caring relationship.
This takes a lot of time, and, often times, it doesn't look pretty, doesn't look flashy, and can be incredibly hard work. More times than not, it might not be much to look at, there might not be a huge crowd, flashy program, or loud music. Sometimes it might just look like someone surfing with someone else, or getting coffee, or going to a movie, or weird adults showing up at freshman games. It can be exhausting and can test the patience of even the best leaders... but just like in the stories Jesus told, when we get to bring one of these sheep home... ITS TIME TO PARTY!
So, what do I do in Young Life? I get to search for God's lost sheep, his kids that seem to have wondered away, and begin the journey back home with them... even if it takes years, and even when its costly.
Pleaseemail me if you would like to be a part of this search and rescue mission! We are currently looking for leaders for all our clubs. There are opportunities to work with middle school students, high school students, and special needs kids.
South County rolling hard at the all Orange County YL skate night!
October was a great month for South County Young Life!
We started with an all Orange County Skate Party, and ended with an epic Halloween club.
Pie in the face trivia: USA vs Canada
We started having "normal" clubs this month and saw the group grow in size every week in October. We had 14 kids at our first club of the month, and had 25 at Halloween club. We have seen more kids from both Ladera Ranch, and San Juan come out, and we have kids from SJHHS, Tesoro, Dana Hills, SM, and J Serra coming on a regular basis.
Juan with a HUGE smile!
Clubs have been super fun. We typically have three games, a raffle, and a talk about Jesus.
It has been incredible to watch kids let go and have a blast doing everything from trying to smash balloons tied to their feet, to racing to see who can unravel two rolls of TP the fastest.
While these games get crazy, and it may seem chaotic, they have a purpose. Games show kids that we want them to have fun. They show kids that we care about them by showing we spent time trying to plan something they would enjoy. The crazier the game, often times, the more accepted kids feel, and the more they are ready to trust us.
Club can get a bit crazy at times!
Club is also a time to just be with our high school friends. We do a lot of hanging out in Young Life because we believe that one of the greatest gifts we have to give our young friends is our time. We come to club early and leave late, often giving kids rides home, or meeting with them after. When leaders spend time with kids, they let them know they are valuable. We let them know that we think they matter, and that we think they are worth spending time with.
Mummy wars at the Halloween Club.
The last thing we do at club is the talk. We have the opportunity to share about Jesus. This is, without a doubt, my favorite part of club.
This month I have gotten the privilege of giving the talks. I believe, with all my being, that Jesus loves every single kid that comes to Young Life. I believe he loves each of them, the way they are right now. I love getting to share with them stories from the Bible where Jesus loved people, and made things new, better, and more full.
Jesus brings life wherever he goes. Whatever he touches is made better, from turning water into wine, to making a crazy person sane, Jesus makes things better. He has the unique ability to fully restore anything to the way it was created to be. He does this with us as well. Jesus doesn't wait for us to clean ourselves up, or get our act together, or do something good before he loves us. Jesus loves us the way we are. He loves the people others don't love, and he loves the people others have forgotten. This is incredibly life giving to our high school friends. To know that God loves them regardless of the way they act, or how they feel about him. Realizing this brings freedom, the freedom to love, and the freedom from shame.
Luke sharing the Good News of Jesus' love.
Young Life is about helping kids meet Jesus and then growing their relationship with him... but first we just seek to show kids we care about them, and then, because Jesus did this for us, we love them no matter what.
Take a look at what happens on any given Friday Morning at Founders Park. WyldLife meets at 7am, on Friday mornings in Ladera, and over 60 kids come almost every week to eat doughnuts, hang with leaders, play a game, and hear about Jesus.
When we started this we never dreamed anything like this would happen, but apparently kids are hungry for something like this, and I don't think its just the doughnuts!
Last night was the first high school Young Life club of the year! We had around 40 kids from 4 different high schools come out ready to have a great time. While the leaders and I were excited, we had no idea of how many kids to expect. I was hoping for enough to make things exciting, but did not expect anything like what we had!
Shaving cream baseball... it might have gotten a little messy.
The night started with everyone hanging out around the fire as kids showed up. One of the highlights for me was watching the returning kids from last year come. They were so excited to see Josh and Micah. It was evident how deeply Josh and Micah cared for these kids last year. I pray that as we move into this year, and possibly some growth in numbers, the relational aspect continues in this same way. The foundation that Josh and Micah laid last year is great!
MVP pitcher, Jack Benjamin, and Sam... like I said, it got messy!
Once everyone seemed to have arrived, we played a game. Shaving cream baseball. Its basically a game of whiffle ball, but the ball is filled with shaving cream. It was awesome watching the ball explode every time it was hit, and Jack Benjamin was hilarious to watch as a pitcher. As the game came to a close we switched the ball out for water balloons filled with shaving cream and let kids take turns hitting them with the bats... and then it just turned into a bit of a shaving cream war... nothing says Young Life like people getting covered in shaving cream!
Now that's a fire!
Once the mayhem died down we had s'mores and hung out around the fire. We have a few new leaders, and then a couple leaders, myself included, who came up from WyldLife this year. It was great getting to see leaders and kids begin new relationships, and watching the new leaders jump right in with kids.
Some of the freshman kids looked a bit in shock. I don't know if they knew what they were getting into, but as they were leaving they said they couldn't wait for next week, and were excited to bring more of their friends.
Like we always say, Young Life is about relationships. It starts with leaders building relationships with kids, and then those leaders hopefully get to help kids begin and build their relationship with Jesus. Nights like these are all about making opportunities for leaders and kids to get to know each other. A relationship with my Young Life leader forever changed my life, and I pray that some of the relationships started last night will change some of the kids lives in a similar way!
At the end of the night I introduced all the leaders to the kids, and let them know what to expect for the rest of the year. We will be having club every Friday night. All the leaders shared how they are involved with Young Life because they want kids to see that Jesus loves them just the way they are. I got to share how we do this because we believe, with all our hearts, that Jesus came to give us life to the full. I also told them that we want them to come and feel like they belong even if they don't agree with us about Jesus. Young Life is for every kid, everywhere, for eternity. We will always seek to be a part of these kids' lives, even if they never want anything to do with Jesus.
Next week is the all Orange County Young Life roller skating party! Its going to be a great time for sure!
This last weekend was the annual South Coast Regional Leader Retreat. South County took 12 leaders up to 1,000 Pines Christian Camp for an epic weekend. It was awesome to be there with close to 500 other leaders from our region, which includes pretty much all of Southern California south of LA.
Grant, Bailey, Caleb, Shay, Hannah, and Andy
The weekend started with club. It was great to get to be a part of a Young Life club made for leaders, and as with all clubs, it was a blast! The program team did a wonderful job showing us how to make people laugh, by making us laugh, and then the speaker, Larry Anderson, was incredible. Club was a real treat, and we all walked away with smiles and lots of ideas for our own clubs this year.
Club time!
South County and Coronado Young Life teams dominated paintball!
Free time was filled with things ranging from a high ropes course, to paintball. 8 of us decided to play paintball and had an absolute blast playing with and against the leadership teams from San Clemente, San Diego, and Coronado Island.
Inspiration point shenanigans.
One of the best things for me was watching our team get to know each other. There were a few leaders who didn't really know anyone coming into this trip, but walked away feeling like a part of a great family. Seeing these leaders get to realize how big the Southern California Young Life family is, was also great. They got to see that they are not alone, that our area is a part of something much larger.
Young Life is a good time, every time.
The theme for the weekend was that Young Life is about Jesus. Everything we do flows out of our relationship with Jesus. While club, and campaigners, and program, and everything else we do has its place, if all we are doing is introducing kids to Young Life, we aren't really doing much. Jesus is the center, and if that isn't the case, things start to fall apart.
Almost 500 leaders from around Southern California singing praises to our loving Father.
This leader retreat was a rallying point for our teams. Both the WyldLife team, and the Young Life team are excited about what is coming this year. They are excited about growing closer to Jesus as we grow close to our high school and middle school friends. They are excited about bring Jesus' love into the schools and communities of South Orange County this year, and they are excited about being a part of a mission that seeks to glorify God through loving kids in Jesus' name.
The program team that did all the skits spent the weekend trying to figure out what the letters YNWA stood for. After the weekend was over we came to learn it stood for You'll Never Walk Alone. This is so true. We just spent the weekend with almost 500 other people that love kids and love Jesus and want to be a part of something that helps kids find their way to Jesus' feet.
This was illustrated perfectly when leaving, Josh's car got stuck in his parking spot because of some soft sand. Multiple leaders from multiple areas quickly swarmed the car and pushed it right out.
To say the least, I am VERY excited about this year of ministry, and being a part of the mission of Young Life in Southern California!
Over 40 kids, and over $250 of McDonalds food... such a fun night.
The purpose of events like this in WyldLife is to give kids a place to be crazy kids, to build relationships between kids and leaders, and for leaders to earn the right to speak into their lives.
While these events just look like chaos, there is actually so much more going on just under the surface!
The Annual South County Banquet is just around the corner! Please join us for a fantastic evening filled with great food and drink, a wonderful silent auction, inspirational stories from the ministry this year, and some great entertainment in true Young Life fashion!
CLICK HERE to register for the event online, or text Luke, 949-293-6443, for more details. Every penny raised at this event will help continue the ministry of Young Life in Southern Orange County.
We had our first Friday night Club last night. The game we played was called Eat the Menu! It has become the annual kick-off event for Ladera Ranch WyldLife club.
Last night over 40 kids came to McDonalds ready eat some really delicious and healthy food (there may be a bit of sarcasm there)! We split up into three teams and ordered $250 worth of food. Each team had to race through the food and the team that finished first won.
While this event may seem crazy (it is) and it may be hard to understand the reasoning behind doing something like this, it goes a long way in helping us leaders earn the right to be heard. Having these events where kids are encouraged to do something way out of the norm, but still super fun, helps them to realize that we want them to have fun, be crazy kids, and be themselves. As they begin to see that we aren't trying to change them, and that we genuinely want to be their friends, they begin to trust us. As this happens we get to share Jesus' love with them... and they listen because they know we care about them, and we have earned the right.
The beauty of Young Life and WyldLife is relationship. Leaders build real friendships with kids and then enter into their lives in order to support, encourage, and love. When kids give us permission, we are quick to help direct kids towards better life decisions, build habits that will help them in the future, and introduce them to Jesus, helping them learn what it is like to have a real growing relationship with him.
So, while things like Eat the Menu may seem a bit strange... there are some deeper things happening amidst the chaos.
Team Turkey Sandwich getting crazy!
The desert queens doing work on the sweets!
Chomp chomp chomp...
When WyldLife takes over McDonalds!
The MVP of the night... you don't want to know how much her ate.
This summer's Oakbridge trip was easily one of the best camp trips I have ever been a part of. From the kids all getting along, to the leaders doing an absolutely amazing job, to the camp staff… it was incredible.
We took 19 kids this year, and of those 19, 6 kids said "yes" to Jesus for the first time ever, and 10 kids rededicated their lives to Jesus that week.
Please watch the following video and take a look at the pics to get a glimpse at what a week at WyldLife camp looks like! We will be going to winter camp this November 20-22, and then back again next summer (we will let you know the dates ASAP)!
About to have one of the best weeks of our lives!
Matthew meeting one of the WIlderness Explorers!
Mixers the first night.
The boys slept out under the starts the first night… it was awesome!
The food at Oakbridge is sooo good!
Unity game uniforms!
Again, that camp food is so good, Jack agrees!
Protect your leader… Matt was pretty dry compared to the other guy!
All camp pic! I see a lot of yellow!
The leap of faith.
Leaders got ruined at the carnival… so fun!
Grant, Matthew, and some pantyhose!
Max, having a blast at the messy games!
Spencer, about to do damage ith some shaving creme!
Best messy games ever!
Everyone had a blast!
Don't mess with Michele when it comes to card games!
Midnight dance party!
Water games!
Failed attempt at a human pyramid.
The high dive was a highlight! Natalie getting wild!
Archery! Kieron's got some great form!
Tyler G with the bull's eye!
The game room!
The ropes course was rad.
Spencer soaring down the zip-line.
The girls doing some awesome freestyle walking at the skatepark.
