Welcome Alumni!
It is spring! What a wonderful time of renewal. It is so exciting to be sending you
the second issue of the Alumni eNewsletter during a season that is all about reviving what has been dormant. Young Life was a
part of your past, but there are many ways in which it can be a part of your present and future.
Following our first eNewsletter we heard from so many of you who were deeply
impacted by Young Life as teenagers. We heard story after story of lives changed through faith, friendship and fun. Well, we're
right where you left us - loving kids, sharing Christ and changing hearts. And there's still a place for
you!
We are thrilled to be reconnecting with you through the quarterly Alumni eNewsletter! It
is our way to keep you informed, encouraged and engaged in our on-going mission with kids. Don't forget that we want to hear from you!
Please send us any feedback, questions or stories about your own Young Life
experience.
In This Issue
Jim Rayburn's "First" Young Life Club
Alumni: Your Stories
The Alumni Database - Please Subscribe!
Jim Rayburn's "First" Young Life
Club
 We all remember our first Young Life camp experience. Perhaps the mountain climb at Frontier Ranch, or the boat ride into Malibu or
parasailing at Saranac comes to mind. Or, perhaps it is the way the speaker presented the Gospel or a life-changing conversation you had with your
leader that stands out.
As alumni, we thought you'd appreciate hearing the story of club in the early days, in
founder Jim Rayburn's own words. We pick it up after Jim has decided on the format so familiar to us now — evening events in student's
homes, unchurched kids made to feel welcome and prayer meetings with believing students before each club. Look at the reliance Jim had on
prayer.
And boy, we had another prayer meeting, a prayer meeting that wouldn't quit. And the next
week we had 32 kids. And then we had another prayer meeting, and the school was really out then. The next night we met in the biggest home in the
whole town, and we had 51. And right at the end of the meeting, one of the toughest kids in the senior class got up and said, "Wait a minute, I
wanted to tell you that I accepted Jesus Christ while Jim was talking." It was like a bomb dropped in the place. None of us had ever heard of
anything like that. It was wonderful! One or two others who had gotten "waked up" joined the prayer meeting the next Sunday night, and from 51 we
went to 62, and from 62 to 75. We had two meetings of 75, and kept praying.
I found out that across the street from the high school, a group of elderly women had
been meeting for six years, every Monday morning, getting down on their knees in the living room of dear old Mrs. Frazier's. They prayed every Monday
morning for six years, long before I ever heard of Gainesville, Texas, for the high-school kids across the street. I was there a year before I heard
of that prayer meeting. I used to go over there with those five or six old ladies and get down on my knees with them after that club started to roll.
That was the thing the Lord used to start it.
That's how Young Life started. I didn't have in my mind to start anything, but that club
went from 75 to 96, and then to 100, and then to 119, and 135, and the week before finals, there were 170 kids there.
Think what could happen if alumni around the world began to pray for the middle
schools and high schools in their communities!
(This excerpt is from Jim Rayburn's biography, From Bondage to Liberty: Dance,
Children, Dance. Copyright 2002. Used with permission.)
Alumni: Your Stories - Building a
Band of Brothers
Brad Maguire graduated from Oakton High School in Fairfax, Virginia, in
1984.
It was the early 1990s, and I was down in the
dumps, questioning what I was doing with my life, struggling, sad and lonely. I got a call from my Young Life leader asking if I’d
like to get together for a weekend with the “B-Team” – the guys from my high school Bible study. It was as if I had been
thrown a lifeline. That weekend was integral in moving me out of a self-inflicted slump and into a vibrant, productive and exciting season in my
life. It was the springboard for beginning my adult life – which turned out to be not as scary as I had previously thought. Most
importantly, it drove me to recognize that I needed God as a regular part of my life. Furthermore, it led me to commit to regular fellowship
with a band of brothers that would continue on a weekly basis for the next decade.
Fast forward 15 years. It had been a long fall and
winter. A new job in a new home, in a new state had taxed my family. Things were further complicated by some medical issues I began to
experience while I was traveling on business. An emergency room visit and a trip to a specialist had left the issue unresolved. Several months
of waiting for an answer culminated in March with a doctor telling me I had a cancerous tumor that required surgery.
The following several weeks were far different than any trial
I’ve ever faced. I was suddenly inundated with survivability statistics and incredibly rushed research. Nevertheless, I enjoyed a
real peace throughout the ordeal, in large part thanks to my band of brothers.
Ever since our first camp trip to Saranac Lake, there were at least
20 young men who were part of our "B-Team" fellowship. Many of them took time to call or write to give me encouragement before, during and after my
trials... the messages coming in a steady stream. Some were from brothers whom I’ve walked closely with for almost 20
years; others came from folks who aren’t in regular contact. It was great to be encouraged and loved by so many whom
I’ve shared with along the way.
Our semi-annual weekend retreat was coming up that May. We had
been planning for months. Unfortunately, that weekend coincided with my last scheduled radiation treatment, and I would would be in no
condition to travel. Then, someone suggested that we should push the weekend back a few weeks. I
couldn’t believe they would do that just for me!
"The weekend" was held four weeks later. Our common
bonds led us to a wide range of activities over the weekend including worship reminiscent of our old Campaigner days. We also spent time playing on
the Chesapeake Bay like we had at Saranac many years ago. For me it was a rich time of fellowship and encouragement. I consider my Young Life
friends as brothers – deep friends for life! They make our theme Scripture come alive for me:
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love
and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the
day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25
The Alumni Database - Please
Subscribe!
Why? First, because we care about you and don't want to lose touch. Also, it is a great way
to find your Young Life friends and to help them find you. Sign up now!
We'd love for your to forward the Alumni eNewsletter to your friends. They can
add their names to the database and sign up to receive the eNewsletter directly from our Web Site. |
