Seven decades ago a group of Young Life kids in Gainesville, Texas wanted to dig deeper into what it means to be disciples of Christ. They wanted a space to pray for their school and discuss ways to reach more of their friends through club. They referred to themselves the Young Life Campaign.
Over time they changed their name to Campaigners.
Young Life’s mission is to introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and help them grow in faith. That’s what we’re about. Introducing kids to Jesus happens mostly through contact work, club and camp. Campaigners then is the natural follow-up and focuses on helping kids grow in faith.
In Part 4 of our series on the 5 C’s of Young Life, guest writer Becca Kolarczyk, a volunteer leader from Greater Holland Young Life, shares about why she does Campaigners.
When I first entered into the Young Life community, I began to hear people talk about Campaigners and had absolutely no clue what they were talking about.
Campaigners? What are we campaigning for?
I soon learned that it is the term we use for our students who want to dig deeper into their faith and into the Bible.
It is a place for students to have the chance to grow and mature in their faith. Campaigners can look different depending on the students being reached. We can be found in coffee shops in the early morning, in leaders’ houses in the evenings or whatever space and time works best for all who are involved.
Campaigners is a beautiful community of students and leaders, growing and actively seeking God together. [Tweet this.]
The heart of Campaigners is God’s Word. We read it, digest it, make sense of it and look at how our story is found within the pages of God’s Story.
We address certain topics and troubles in students’ lives through the Word. At times we may pull from other books or devotionals, but that is only to supplement the Bible and the topics and stories we are looking at. We often look to the Gospels and to the stories of Jesus.
Looking at the Bible as a story and guide to our lives allows students to see themselves in these stories and is far more useful than an old, removed text. Our aim is to give students the tools to see God’s Story and their story completely interwoven and take this knowledge into their everyday lives.
It can often be difficult to find the best way to go about structuring Campaigners so that it is applicable and beneficial for both students and leaders. I want to share some pointers that have helped us improve this time spent with students:
- Know your students and their hearts. We as leaders need to be praying for our students and for God to reveal what they need because each group of kids is unique.
- Collaborate with the other leaders and students. Listen to each other, take suggestions, bounce ideas off one another to help each other see and understand the Gospel.
- Both large group and small group time is important. The large group allows for community building and sharing. The small group allows for intimate conversations and less pressure when discussing scripture, text or a testimony.
- Grow and keep discovering. Challenge the students to grow and want to keep discovering more about Christ and how we can all lead a more Christ-like life with one another.
- Allow time to reflect, pray and be still with God. Whether that is listening to a worship song, journaling or time spent in prayer. We often forget to take the time to stop and be still and planning for this can show the students just how important it is to have this time with God.
I am continually amazed by the wisdom of my girls. I went into Young Life with the expectation of helping high school students, befriending them and being with them in their walk with Christ. What has blown me away is how much they have taught me just by being exactly who they are.
I have laughed, cried, shared stories, played pranks, prayed, listened and grown with these students. The safe space in club and Campaigners for the students, my fellow leaders, and myself to experience and grow in Christ together is something I cherish and am so incredibly grateful for.
Young Life continues to challenge us to grow, stretch and expand our hearts and minds, to live intentionally together in Christ and to know Christ’s love which conquered death and sin. We learn how to lead more Christ-like lives and that God continues to make all things new for each one us. We learn that in Christ we are enough.
My hope is that students and leaders can walk away from Young Life Campaigners knowing that they are found in Christ and that they carry that with them for the rest of their lives.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. —Colossians 3:15-17
Becca Kolarczyk is a volunteer Young Life leader at Black River Public School in Holland, MI who walks with students in their faith journey and digs into God’s Word right alongside them. Thanks, Becca, for sharing the story of how Campaigners has impacted you.
Read other articles in this series: Why We Do Contact Work, Why We Do Club, and Why We Do Camp.
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