Posts by Alexis Howard
Who Owns the Work?
I’ve always loved the parable of the sower in Mark 4 and have taught on it more times than I can count, but about 10 years ago I noticed something significant about this passage that has encouraged me even more. And in these days of dealing with COVID, re-tooling and re-starting ministries, preparing for summer…
Read MoreBeyonce, the Netherlands, and unexpected grace
Happy end-of-summer, folks! My name is Ginny and I am a Young Life Area Director for international schools in The Netherlands. I moved here right before the pandemic to start Young Life and am celebrating the fact that we just had our first summer camp! This was like no other YL camp I’ve experienced, and…
Read MoreThe Four Stages of Club Ministry
As the school year starts back, it’s helpful to remember the order in which ministry happens. Young Life is not about getting kids to come to events. We’re about Jesus, and doing what Jesus did – meeting people where they are! Below is a helpful explanation of the 4 Stages of a Young Life club.…
Read MoreYL College – Welcome Week Part 2
27. Welcome Week Best Practices with John Byard and Billy Jack Blankenship This episode features a Welcome Week presentation by John Byard (Divisional Coordinator) and Billy Jack Blankenship (San Diego State) to the Southwest Division. As they dive into best practices, John and Billy Jack remind listeners how crucial the first two weeks of the…
Read MoreYL College Podcast – Welcome Week Part 1
28. Welcome Week: Student Leadership Edition with Brad Akin, Alyssa Beaubien and Grace McKissick Get your student leader team together to listen to this special episode! Is your team recruiting students to join a club or inviting them into a community of adventure and significance? YLC staff Alyssa Beaubien (Florida State) and Brad Akin (Ole…
Read MoreThe Best First Week of College Ever
If you’ve done College Young Life for a minute, you’ve most likely learned the importance of the “Welcome Week” on your campus. Below is an example of our welcome week schedule. I’m sure not all of these events would translate exactly to your campus, but my hope is this might spark some inspiration for your…
Read MoreThe Real World: YL College Welcome Week
After a month on assignment and an actual real vacation with dear friends, acclimating to the “real world” is harder than I remember. It is darker than I recall. Days are shorter (and sometimes seem longer). Life looks different. It’s not a vacation. It’s not camp life. It’s not Narnia. Can I make a prediction?…
Read MoreHe Had Eyes To See
Last week I had to mail a big, heavy package for overnight delivery. So I went to everyone’s favorite place: the post office! There was a long line of 15 people so I waited for a while. Like, a long while. Then tragedy struck. When I got up to the counter, just as the post…
Read MoreA Mission That Goes
Contact work may be the one thing in Young Life that doesn’t take a lot of talent to do — you simply show up. And yet, as I sit down to write this article, wishing I could offer something profound or new, it’s contact work I always come back to. I come back here because…
Read MoreThe One Question We All Want To Be Asked
Jesus asked great questions. He didn’t mince words and was masterful at getting to the point. He listened well, created safety and space, and was absolutely the best at the “mic drop” question. He knew how to engage, was comfortable in silence, and somehow knew how to pose the questions that people really wanted to…
Read More5 Things You Need to Do to Restart Your Club This Fall
It’s been said that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression, and the same is true for your first club. With our world opening back up again, this first impression is more important than ever. Have you done everything needed in order to kick the semester off well? It doesn’t take…
Read MoreGet Connected to Your Catholic Community
You are not the only Christian working with youth in your community. There are perhaps dozens of Protestant and Catholic youth workers who focus on serving the teenagers in your hometown. And while you may be on a first-name basis with some of the Protestant youth pastors, do you know the local Catholic youth ministers? …
Read MoreWhat’s Our “WIG”?
Most of us “Young Life people” are pretty familiar with wigs. We have to be one of the few organizations to wear them regularly. Mullets, rasta dreads, game show hosts, and more. But this is about a different wig. It’s the “Wildly Important Goal.” This term was coined by a book called The Four Disciplines…
Read MoreMilkshakes: The Significance of Small Things
My first few years as an immigrant in this country were very difficult since I had to deal with a whirlwind of new changes in the culture and language. I remember that every day was full of a lot of stress and adversity. At least a few times a month, this member of our church…
Read MoreA Creative Way to Serve Your School
Young Life staff are always looking for creative ways to serve the schools in their community. When the pandemic disrupted everything schools closed their doors to everyone. This fall, as schools begin to open again for students and teachers, the doors will possibly stay closed to most everyone else. This makes opportunities to serve the…
Read MoreCome and See
If you are a Young Life College student and you’re also a YLC leader, maybe the title “leader” can feel a bit misleading. We usually see a leader as someone who teaches others. In my opinion, student (or even post-grad) leaders usually aren’t teachers. I’m in my 30’s and after discipling students for 3-5 years,…
Read MoreGrow Catholic Kids Where They’re Planted
One of the greatest opportunities a Young Life leader has when ministering to Catholic kids is encouraging them to stick with their Catholic faith. To put it another way, one mistake Protestant Young Life leaders can make is when they invite young Catholics to attend their Protestant or nondenominational churches. It makes sense why this…
Read MoreThe Gift of Friendship
“Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well.” 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 (NIV) The phrase, “so we cared for you,” signifies affection toward another. The Apostle Paul felt…
Read MoreFree Time at WyldLife Camp: 25 Fun Things To Do with Middle Schoolers
At WyldLife camp, you want to make the most of every moment – including free time and all those times before and after meals, club and events. Here are some ideas to get you started. Bring and play games like Throw Throw Burrito, Happy Salmon, or Exploding Kittens. Ask fun questions like, “If you could have a super power, what…
Read MoreHow to Build a Database of Young Life Alumni in your Area
If you’re starting a new Young Life ministry or just looking to expand your existing network, a great way to do that is by connecting with Young Life alumni. Young Life alumni are those folks who have attended Young Life club, Campaigners, camp or served on staff, or as a volunteer leader or on committee.…
Read More“All Gave Some…Some Gave All”
On Memorial Day we remember those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Please keep the United States’ active-duty military members and their families in your prayers today. Young Life Military is known to teens and families as “Club Beyond.” Staff and volunteers around the world consider it a great honor and privilege…
Read MoreShared Adventure
My name is Eric Armbrust and I am the Discipleship Frontier director in Anchorage, Alaska. Discipleship Frontier is a 10-month discipleship gap year program for post-graduate students. While working with Young Life I have served as a YLC leader in northern MN, worked at Lake Champion Camp in New York, helped develop YL University while…
Read MorePassion Follows Passion
My best practice and advice for volunteer Young Life College leaders around the nation seeking “shared adventure” opportunities with students is to embrace a simple phrase passion follows passion. Why I want to suggest this mentality is because it works. When you live into the things you are passionate about, it shows. It’s attractive, it’s…
Read MoreFall 2021 Starts NOW
Now is the time to dream about the Fall. As leaders, we are called to lead with hope and belief. As leaders, we peer into the future and lead to what will be. Dreaming about the Fall starts by leaning into the Spring and Summer. If we wait until the fall to “restart,” it will…
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