Young Life is a global, Christian-based, nonprofit with the mission of building “relationships with young people and [introducing] them to Jesus,” according to the Young Life website.
The Young Life mission spread to Aledo in the 1990s. There were ups and downs during the establishment phase, but since 2012, Aledo Young Life has been fully operational.
“The thing we hang our hat on is we’re a relational ministry,” said Bills. “So, modeling our ministry style based on what Jesus did. Jesus did not stand on the doors of a church and wait for people to come to him. He stepped into the lives of people who may never otherwise would’ve walked into a church.” Aledo chapter leaders and members follow suit by attending school events like football games, choir concerts, and campus prayers to build genuine connections.
“We show up in kids’ lives and build relationships with them and earn the right to be heard,” said Bills. Through relationships, students are then introduced to the gospel.
Bills attended Aledo High School and feels passionately about the Young Life mission because she experienced it and has seen its success over and over again, she said. “I grew up in the church, and it never really clicked to me. I didn’t really think that it mattered [but] in my sophomore year, there was a Young Life leader…who showed up at my lunch table and my soccer games and started to build this friendship with me… I was so drawn to my relationship with her, and then I realized that I was drawn to Jesus in her and that she loved me, the way Jesus loved me.”
“So now I’m getting to walk in the halls of the same high school I went to and show up at the football games that I used to be a student at [as a Young Life director],” – creating a full circle experience.
There are no dues or fees to get involved with Young Life, “you can come as you are,” said Bills. Ministry opportunities begin for students in the seventh grade and extend through high school, after which they can choose to stay involved as leaders or volunteers. Seventh and Eighth grade ministry is called WyldLife.
There are experiences for everyone involved with Young Life through larger group gatherings, small group Bible studies, camps, and other events. Young Life meets weekly to hear the gospel, have a good time, and continue to grow relationships with one another.
“We call it a party with a purpose,” said Bills. Small group bible studies also meet throughout the week, “where kids get to step into [the gospel] a little bit deeper.” In addition, many different camps are available for students to attend throughout the year. For the main camp this year, middle school is going to Table Rock Lake in Missouri, while high school goes to the mountains in Colorado. However, camp does not stop there. Freshmen go on a beach trip, upperclassmen go backpacking in the Colorado mountains, and there is a winter ski trip. “We really want kids not to just hear the gospel, but to experience it.”
All of the efforts from Young Life are made possible through donations and volunteers. “We are fully locally supported, and we fundraise all of what we do to make ministry happen and be sustainable,” said Bills. “A huge part of that is community involvement.”
Young Life hosts three major fundraisers each year with the help of the community. “We really like to showcase what young life is to the community and raise financial support for that,” said Bills. The biggest being the Aledo Young Life Round Up. Patrons host tables, stories of life changes are shared, and people are asked to support the cause. “[This fundraiser] really is what sustains ministry in a lot of ways,” said Bills.
In the spring lies the golf tournament at Squaw Creek Golf Course, where about 150 men and businesses join together in support of Young Life and the women’s Mahj for Young Life mahjong brunch, a new event “that felt like this really fun way to invite women into supporting ministry,” said Bills.
The annual fundraisers support finances for Young Life, but “we’re constantly inviting people in both financially and just with a heart passion in the ministry,” said Bills. Young Life is “raising support and building rapport in the community because we don’t just care about teenagers coming to know Jesus, we really have a heart for our town to be changed.”
This international organization with roots in Aledo provides a space for students and involved volunteers to find their purpose, create relationships, and grow their faith through events, gathering, and serving one another.
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