YL Capernaum Everywhere

Let’s model excellence and help each other and our kids move and grow even in this club thing!   We can do that by honestly evaluating after each club.   Huddle up for maximum 10 minutes so we can live true to “the best YL is yet to come”.   You can download the below information here . Did kids feel safe? Did you feel safe? Was every kid greeted and cared for somehow? Were majority of kid’s engaged in club talk? What needs to be better next week? Team Leader’s at our meetings bring things you are learning in your post club evaluation: What makes your kids/you feel safe and what are you and your team learning? What are you learning about club hospitality?   What matters? What things help kids engage in listening to the Gospel message?   What is your team learning about giving talks?   What are you learning about your kids? As other Team Leaders share at our meetings what are you learning ab

Here are some great club song ideas! Pop: Firework- Katy Perry Happy- Pharrell Williams Hero- Enrique Iglesias Let It Go- Idina Menzel Party in the USA- Miley Cyrus Roar- Katy Perry What Makes You Beautiful- One Direction Taylor Swift: Every one of them!   Classic/Oldies: Don’t Stop Believing- Journey In The Jungle I Want It That Way- Backstreet Boys Lean On Me- Bill Withers My Girl- The Temptations Sweet Caroline- Neil Diamond **Content Songs**: Amazing Love Beautiful Things Light The Fire One Thing Remains You Are Holy Your Love is Deep  Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) Let There Be Light (Nashville Nine) Keep Our Eyes Open (Nashville Nine) You Never Let Go 10,000 Reasons Jesus Loves Me  Link for Young Life club songs.   http://www.younglifeleaders.org/p/club-music.html

A guest post by Jeff McNair We are so excited to welcome Dr McNair to our YL Capernaum Pre-conference at YL75 You can also follow Jeff at his blog Disabled Christianity I recently had a conversation with some of my university students about friendship. I asked one of them, "What is the name of your best friend?" She responded, "Sandy."   "What do you and Sandy like to do together?" "I don’ t know. We like to watch movies, or get coffee. We generally just hang out." “ Cool! ” I replied. I then asked them all, "Why do you think someone would choose to develop a friendship with a person having a severe intellectual disability?"  Responses related as to how much one could learn from such people, how much they have to give, how their lives impact those around them and so forth. I then wondered aloud. "Why must a friendship with a person with a severe disability have a utilitarian component when your frien

A guest post by Travis Feaver The other day I had the privilege of visiting students at Selma High who participated in the county's Adapted PE soccer event. These are students who deal with varying degrees of disability.  Often, we feel a lot of emotions around those who have a disability. We often wish we could make a difference, make them “better," heal them of their “plight." But yesterday, I felt feelings of pride and perhaps even jealousy.  I was proud of my friends who embrace life so fully; I was envious of their freedom.  As we work toward starting a YL Capernaum ministry in South Fresno County, I am reminded of one of the meanings of the word Capernaum which is: Village of Comfort. The comfort that we speak of is a two way street. Yes, we provide comfort for our friends, but they also comfort and minister to us. I have found great joy in our friendships.

Often we have new volunteers coming in either as high school buddies or adult volunteers.  Club can be a full time where really setting these folks up well can be challenging.  Try using this great New to Club handout for your visitors, while you are connecting with them and helping the to settle in to club.   Welcome to Young Life Capernaum. We are so grateful that you are here! Capernaum club can feel overwhelming at first. There are lots of new people and it may be your first experience being with people with disabilities. Here are a few tips as you join us tonight! Outline of the evening: 5:15-5:45-- Pre-Club meeting with leaders and buddies to go over the evening and pray 5:45-6:00-- Welcome all of our friends at the door 6:00-6:30-- Serve dinner, sit with our friends and eat with them 6:30- 7:30-- Club! Club Outline: 2 slow songs Talk 1 transition song Game- with 2-3 friends up front 2 fast songs Mixer – with all of our friends Frequently Asked

We received this email from a mom recently and wanted to share it. What a gift that as our friends as in Capernaum, they are learning about so much, including the gift of forgiveness.   "I wanted to share something with you yesterday that your sermon brought to mind but I couldn't find you before the time came for Kit, Erin and me to leave.  One morning last week when Kit was in reverse instead of his usual neutral and I was fussing over whether we'd get into the garage downtown before the 9 AM cut off I was truly ugly to Kit.  By the time we got into the car I was a crazy woman and I could see that Kit was upset.  I took a deep breath, said a prayer and then said to Kit as calmly as I could. "We need to come up with a better plan for the mornings than this.  This just is not working."   We discussed and came up with a version of the same plan we always come up with and then I said to Kit "I am really sorry for the way I treated you this morni

A guest post by Molly Sarchet.... What have I gotten myself into, you have no idea what you’re doing!? This question is on repeat in my head as I sit in the house that I’m living in for 1 year in Franklin Tennessee while I work with Nashville Capernaum, and the Southern Division to learn any and everything about Young Life’s Capernaum Ministry.   Until August 1 st , all I have known for the past 8 years of my experience with Young Life, is your traditional club. My high school club in Texas, and where I lead in college did not have Capernaum, so when I took the leap of faith in April to accept a job with Young Life Capernaum Immersion I was unaware of all that I was getting into. These past 9 weeks that I have lived in Tennessee I have felt like I’m back in college because I am clueless, and since I had absolutely no experience with a Capernaum club I have learned something new every day. For instance a question I had that I was just going to wait to hear someone important say