#YLLeadership2015

Timber Wolf Lake hosted the annual Western Great Lakes Leadership Weekend September 11-13, and those who attended raved about it all over Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #YLLeadership2015.

Leadership Weekend is designed to bless and equip Young Life leaders—both current and prospective—at the start of a new year of ministry. It’s an opportunity to get away, to retreat and to build relationships. This year, 366 people from 22 different areas gathered at Timber Wolf Lake to be encouraged and inspired in their ministry, to develop new skills and grow in their faith, to connect with team members, to learn from staff and leaders, and also to pray, worship and focus on the main thing: Jesus Christ.

A trio of talented women were the club speakers: Sara Webb from Wedgwood, Erin Iafrate from Grand Traverse YL and Alaina Smith from Little Traverse Bay YL. The authentic worship experience was led by the gifted Christopher Williams and Crystal VanHekken and others who made up the “WGLR Band.”

It wouldn’t be Young Life camp, however, without hilarious skits, outrageous games, laughter, fun and adventure. Let’s hear it for those hybrid games: egg sling shot and indoor relay race! (Thanks to Mike, Chandlar and Sam who rocked the program!)

“The clubs were my absolute favorite part!” commented one YL leader. “The worship was phenomenal and raw. The talks were filled with wisdom from God. And the skits and games were hilarious. I just loved everything about it!”

If you’ve ever been to Young Life camp you know that feeding the campers is a big production. For this weekend, 49 work crew volunteers worked tirelessly behind the scenes to prepare and serve some pretty tasty meals. And just when you think you were full enough…out comes the unforgettable BIG COOKIE, by far a camp favorite!   

But the leaders weren’t just fed food. Their minds were fed in leader training seminars and their souls were nourished through times of rest and recreation. Many commented on the good balance between times of rest and play with times to learn and grow. One person said the training sessions really caused leaders to “think and see things differently.”  

 

 

Sweet leader weekends with my junior and senior high school friends who have taken the step to be leaders themselves! A little calligraphy and a whole lot of love. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 #ylleadership2015

 

A photo posted by Emily Deadman (@em_dead) on Sep 12, 2015 at 5:00pm PDT

Another highlight was the prayer walk where leaders were given time to quietly walk through camp, stop at various prayer stations and follow the prayer prompts, which included a mix of introspective prayers, global prayers and prayers for kids and Young Life. Seeing YL leaders coming together for this intentional time of prayer was both powerful and beautiful.

Let’s give it up for an amazing #YLLeadership2015! A video was put together highlighting the weekend—take a moment to watch and enjoy!

“It was so encouraging to see how many leaders/potential leaders there are in our region. I loved the speakers. Every talk and training was powerful and really spoke to me in different ways. They helped with healing in my own life as well as encouraged me in ways to be a better leader.”

—YL Leader