We Are Capernaum

Ubuntu is a phrase from South African bantu languages that translates as "A person is a person through other persons" or "I am because we are.”  Desmond Tutu’s ministry and life was rooted in this phrase and philosophy.  In his book No Future Without Forgiveness he says, “‘I am a person because I belong, I participate, I share.’ A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished or treated as if they were less than who they are.” 

We believe these powerful ideas also link to the body of Christ language found in 1 Corinthians 12 where it is written that we are all indispensable and interdependent.  

In Capernaum, we are rooted in the truth that each person belongs to the greater whole.  We are incomplete without each other. 

Since Capernaum began in 1986, the scope of our ministry has grown and the impact of Capernaum is far-reaching.

We are our Capernaum Clubs, our inclusive Young Life, WyldLife and YL College Clubs, our Capernaum friends, our high school buddies, our leader teams, YL staff, people in our communities, our churches, and our world… We are multidimensional.  

We are Capernaum.  

This year we will amplify these stories of Capernaum’s impact and share how we are all in this mission together through our blog and social media.  Follow along and add your own stories by posting with #WeAreCapernaum on Instagram and Facebook.