YL Capernaum Everywhere

What a joy filled and fun video to show what YL Capernaum is all about! Enjoy and feel free to share!  This is a great picture for those wondering what Capernaum looks like and is all about!

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 morn...

Our friends in Raleigh, NC have started a new tradition by gathering at their local Chick-Fil-A on the last Thursday of every month to have dinner with their friends.   But, not only do they invite their friends, they ask their friends to bring along their parents, siblings and their friends.   They spend the evening enjoying a meal together, meeting new kids, building relationships with parents and being a part of the community! Plus they get to eat waffle fries and Chick-Fil-A sauce!  A lot of wins in one night!    Thanks for the great idea Raleigh!

A guest post by Kathy Usrey... As a mother of an Autistic Son, I have been blessed beyond belief in a journey that only the hand of God could write. You see, I’ve served in France on the mission field with him, homeschooling him while being a Young Life staff member and the wife of the Area Director. David was always included in our Young Life clubs, but we never considered ourselves “Capernaum”. Oddly enough, it was always a dream of ours as a couple to start Capernaum while living in France, but those doors never opened. I’d like to tell you some amazing story how everything went as   planned, but I know it went as God planned. In 2009 my husband was diagnosed with a Brain tumor and we watched as he lost his ability to speak and then to walk, all the while knowing that our loving God was completely in control. After his death in 2012, I knew God was doing a new thing in me and that He had a vision for my life beyond just the suffering and loss. That is when I visited a C...

A guest post by Amy Nielson... Last month, Greater Pasadena Capernaum had a themed “Talent Show” club. It was celebratory, fun and compelling. At first glance, we do a talent show themed club because our Capernaum friends love it! We give extra effort to this club on purpose. Most Capernaum friends light up when given the opportunity and encouragement to take the stage. More so, this club gives leaders the chance to connect with kids and parents in a unique way. Leaders have a pointed opportunity to affirm their friends’ abilities and value as well as encourage them to have courageous fun. This has become an exciting and anticipated tradition. Below is a brief description of our approach as well as practical notes on how we pull it off. Steps of Preparation 1.     Sign-Ups and Communication ·      Announce at club at least one month ahead of time. Send detailed communication to parents/guardians. ·      Compile...

Looking for a great way to meet new kids and parents?! Check out this idea from our friends in Northern, VA... The top two ways that leaders in Northern Virginia are meeting new kids are from special education teachers and parents.  The team has decided that they want these folks to always be equipped to talk to new families so they have put together a great flyer and printed them in mass quantity.  They were able to get nice, glossy flyers from gotprint.com for a relatively inexpensive cost (2000 flyers for $50). The team keeps a box at club and encourages parents to take as many as they want and pass them out to new families! Thanks for the great idea  and for the example  Chris!

A guest post by Brittany Mazuchowski and Kerry Nall My friend Hannah has been coming to Young Life Capernaum for the past few years. She started out making the long trek from Franklin to Nashville to attend club, despite her anxiety and sensory issues- both of which were heightened at club. The club that Hannah currently attends was birthed out of the growth Nashville was experiencing and meets closer to Hannah’s home. Her mom, Kerry, said that she is so thankful to have heard about Capernaum from other parents who were raving about the experience.   Thanks to parents who shared Capernaum with her, she now tells other families about Capernaum every chance she gets. She says its one of the first things she asks when she meets a new family with a child with a disability because it has been such a blessing for her daughter and her family. How did Hannah’s family go from not even considering camp as an option to signing Hannah up for weekend camp? Kerry would be the first ...

Another great evening coming up in Wichita, Kansas that celebrates our friends and their abilities!

My friend Molly came back to town for Christmas this year and my heart exploded when we ran to each other in front of my favorite coffee shop and embraced.   A long, tight, I’ve missed you so very much hug that Molly manages to do perfectly, each time that I see her.   We caught up over tea and I got to hear about her new home and the new church that she has visited there.   She told me that she didn’t like the church too much because they don’t have a lot of worship.   She said they don’t sing loud and they don’t have a lot of fun during worship.   She hopes that she can find a new church that does.   I wondered if she meant that when she’s in that church, it’s like standing next to a bunch of people like me, people who have become far to self-conscious about their voice to let themselves worship.  I use to sing really loud, despite the fact that I don’t have a great voice.   I remember some friends here and there commenting on my fre...