YL Capernaum Everywhere

Each one should use whatever gift they have received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.  1 Peter 4:10  We are God’s creation.  He created us to belong to Christ Jesus.  Now we can do good works.  Long ago God prepared these worlds for us to do.  Ephesians 2:10 NIrV     The first weekend of June the Midwest Division hosted a Capernaum Discipleship Trip in Holland, MI.  We had 40 Capernaum friends from Chicagoland and West Michigan join us in a day of learning and serving (and some fun too).  Our theme this year was God-Given Gifts.  Our plan for the day was to offer teaching time to identify our God-given gifts and then time to serve others with our gifts.  We spent time at Benjamin’s Hope and Renew Therapeutic Riding Center, both organizations that also serve and serve with people with disabilities.  We served these communities through writing notes to residents at Ben’s Hope, clean...

We honor and celebrate the life of every student and adult who has been a part of the history of Young Life Capernaum.  At the same time, we want to highlight one specific person who forever changed the course of the ministry across the globe and who we tragically lost in an accident in December.  David Wagner has impacted thousands of people directly and indirectly, and we would love to share about his life from two people who knew him very well.   From Pam Harmon, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Learning -   As I remember David Wagner, I want to share with you how David’s birth and life had a transformative impact on Young Life as a mission and on me and my life. Mark and I have known John Wagner since before any of us were married or had children. John’s desire was that some day his kids would have the experience that he had as a teenager with YL - that feeling of being known and chosen, of experiencing fun and adventure, and of being introduced...

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”  Colossians 3:16 NIV “Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives.” Colossians 3:16 The Message Dwell Among You. Plenty of Room. I invite you to read Colossians 3:16 again.  What words stick with you.  As I have sat in this passage I have been stuck in the word "dwell" and in the Message version "plenty of room."  I love the visual of spaces where there is “plenty of room” for Christ to “dwell among” our hearts.  How beautiful to have Christ dwelling in BIG spaces of our hearts - how do we grow these spaces and how do we walk with others to grow these BIG spaces as well?  In my role with Capernaum Discipleship,  I often find myself learning and unlearning the practices of discipleship and my own unde...

" There are different kinds of gifts. But they are all given to believers by the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve. But they all come from the same Lord.  There are different ways the Spirit works. But the same God is working in all these ways and in all people."  1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIrV “I’ll take your plate,” Maria said in a loud clear voice as she reached her hand out to take the breakfast plate from a leader at Eastern and Western Great Lakes Regions Leader Weekend.  As she scraped the plate of sticky syrup off into the trash and stacked it for the pits crew (dishwashers) as she smiled behind her mask she said, “Have a great day at camp.”   Hospitality Acts of Service Words of Encouragement These are just some of the gifts Maria has been given by God to use for the Kingdom.  We believe the Holy Spirit gives EVERYONE gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12, the words EACH ONE and ALL are repeated over again. We are all given different gifts to use for ...

When I was planning for our Day Camp in Nashville, I first was thinking about renting a bounce house or going on a crazy adventure. But the more I thought as we prepped and prayed, I realized that the real gift of summer camp this year was both profound and simple - being together . Outside of some drive-by events and outdoor park hangs, we haven’t been together since March of 2020. I wanted to do something BIG that would foster relationships and conversations. So we decided to go BIG on meals. Typically, we might piece together some meal donations, or order a bunch of subs from Subway or cheap pizza. We try to keep meal costs low typically to keep the camp cost down for parents. But I wanted to dream bigger than usual. I wanted to provide meals that were delicious and felt like a WOW!, just like at Young Life camp where there’s an endless supply of everything and you can say “yes” to seconds and thirds and fourths. I wanted to ensure that meals were individually packaged, safe, and sa...

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...