YL Capernaum Everywhere

I have been thinking a lot about what it means to be a disciple and what it looks like to disciple others.  In the discipleship journey, there is a need to be connected deeply to Christ and also to others.  There is wholeness and flourishing that come when we look at discipleship as something we do together, collectively - connecting to Christ and connecting to each other.  A mutual connection full of giving and receiving from the full body of Christ - each part indispensable.  Interdependent and needed.  "They will know you are my disciples if you love....."  (John 13).  There is a posture and an attitude with discipleship as well.  A posture of together and an attitude of love.   Dr. John Swinton's work has connected so many of my thoughts on this topic.  He says, “It is the ability to love, not the ability to include or tolerate, that is a primary mark of discipleship.  ‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one ano...

Capernaum is about creating ministry spaces where teens and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities can meet Jesus and grow in their faith.  This often looks like a Capernaum club specifically designed with our friends in mind, but it can also look like Young Life areas weaving intentional inclusion into their traditional Young Life, WyldLife, and College ministries. Ultimately, the vision is that all students with disabilities would have a sense of belonging within Young Life. The Bismarck-Mandan area in North Dakota is one example of an area that has fully embraced a model of ministry that includes students with and without disabilities in their traditional Young Life club, Campaigners, and camp.  Sara Bohrer, special education teacher and Peer to Peer Leadership teacher/trainer/district coordinator, championed this model as a volunteer leader on their Young Life team based on her experience working at Century High School in Bismarck.  Hear from S...

Young Life Capernaum is 35!   In celebration of this anniversary, we will be highlighting important voices in Capernaum and the mission of YL to share the impact of the ministry in the past, present, and future.   Today, we hear from the President of Young Life, Newt Crenshaw! ........................... I believe that our Capernaum ministry has expanded the soul of Young Life over the past 35 years by opening our eyes to see and live in the world differently. We are welcoming those around us with disabilities into our family as dear friends in Christ who have much to teach us about true and gentle discipleship. Over the past four years, one of the best books I have read was  Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship  by John Swinton. Swinton’s longstanding work with friends who have disabilities has been the context for his perspective-changing book. I have told many colleagues that his words led me to repenting of how I often see a...

Young Life Capernaum is 35!   In celebration of this anniversary, we will be highlighting important voices in Capernaum and the mission of YL to share the impact of the ministry in the past, present, and future.   Today, we hear from the VP of Young Life Capernaum, Pam Harmon! ............................. How have you seen Capernaum impact the mission of Young Life over the past 35 years? Nick Palermo began Capernaum in 1986 in San Jose, CA when the Holy Spirit opened his eyes to see students with disabilities who were being left out and isolated from most of the fun social experiences of high school. He began a journey of listening and learning from his new friends in order to create Young Life environments that could include his new friends with disabilities alongside his other high school friends. Nick and a small group of adults in San Jose began to pray that someday there would be Capernaum around the world. When I began working for Young Life in 2000, there were zero Yo...

Young Life Capernaum turns 35 on March 10, 2021!   In celebration of this anniversary we will be highlighting important voices in Capernaum and the mission of YL to share the impact of the ministry in the past, present and future.   Today we kick off the series with reflections from Capernaum’s founder, Nick Palermo! …………………………… How have you seen Capernaum impact the mission of Young Life over the past 35 years? The impact on Young Life by Capernaum is dramatic. I think I can actually sum it up by remembering the first time I took kids to camp 35 years ago. I was not expecting that the presence of 10 kids in wheelchairs would literally change the entire camp. It would affect the property staff, assignment team, leaders and all the other kids at camp too. Dozens of kids would come to know Christ because of the presence of our friends in wheelchairs. I saw the power of mutual ministry that this was not just a ministry to kids with disabilities, but a ministry with kids with disa...

In Matthew 28, Jesus tasks his followers to go out and make disciples of all nations in the Great Commission.  The Jesus Storybook says it like this, “When at last they reached the top of the highest hill near Jerusalem, Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Go everywhere and tell everyone the happy news!’”  We have aspired to do just that and Young Life is now including teens with disabilities in over 40 countries!  It is our pleasure to amplify these stories and highlight the work of God throughout the world from Peru to Bulgaria to Mozambique and more.  Today we highlight: Singapore ……………………. All over the world, COVID-19 has altered how we do ministry, but it has not stopped!   McKinley shares here the struggles and joys of starting ministry in the midst of a global pandemic: Over a year before I came on staff, the YoungLife team in Singapore had been dreaming and planning of starting Capernaum ministry. As I went through the interview process it became clear ...

In Matthew 28, Jesus tasks his followers to go out and make disciples of all nations in the Great Commission.  The Jesus Storybook says it like this, “When at last they reached the top of the highest hill near Jerusalem, Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Go everywhere and tell everyone the happy news!’”  We have aspired to do just that and Young Life is now including teens with disabilities in over 40 countries!  It is our pleasure to amplify these stories and highlight the work of God throughout the world from Peru to Bulgaria to Mozambique and more.  Today we highlight: Canada ……………………. All over the world, COVID-19 has altered how we do ministry, but it has not stopped!   Kathy Dubbeldam shares here a story of God’s faithfulness in starting ministry after years of hope: Two years ago Cheyleah and I met as Abbotsford's first Capernaum leaders.  We prayed together, studied Scripture and learned the strategies of how to lead teens with dis...