You need: a bottle of water three pieces of paper with ten different pick-up lines on each piece of paper. Pick one girl and three guys to come up front for the game, and ask someone else to keep score. The game is played girl versus guys. The guys’ goal is to make the girl laugh with his pick-up lines. Each guy is handed a paper with ten pick-up lines, and they form a line in front of the girl. The girl is handed a water bottle and instructed to take a big gulp at the beginning of the game. Her goal is to not crack a smile, giggle, or laugh at the guy’s pick-up lines. The guys deliver their ..read more

It’s exciting to think about what God can do in and through middle school kids as they grow in their relationships with Christ. As you lead Campaigners, it is important to meet your middle school friends where they are. These tips will get you started. Be prepared. Don’t throw a few thoughts together the hour before you arrive. Spend time in prayer and study getting ready for your time with kids. Consider establishing a common thread for every Campaigners lesson in a semester. You could read stories about Jesus in the book of Luke, re-read the passage from the previous club talk, or read gosp ..read more

Start every Campaigners with an easy question that every kid can answer. Choose fun questions that middle school kids will feel comfortable answering. After each answer, follow up by asking “Why?” Give kids the opportunity to practice talking in front of the group, and they will be more likely to talk about God. Just-for-fun questions: What is one of your favorite things in your backpack? What is the first thing you usually do after school? What do you love to do on weekends? If you could be anyone else for a day, who would you be? What do you absolutely love? What can you not live without? W ..read more

Mal McSwain has been one of my heroes since I first went on Young Life staff 20 years ago. Reading this book and the behind the scenes stories of his life inspires me to keep going in ministry. If you need some encouragement, check out “Friends for Life.” Friends for Life is the inspiring story of Mal McSwain and his decades of simple but profound ministry — “a ministry of accompaniment” — in the lives of thousands. When chatting to a non-Christian high school football player he had just met at the very beginning of his ministry with Young Life, Mal felt the Lord tell him, “You’re going to kn ..read more

To help us think through some of the non-negotiables of Campaigners, the Young Life Discipleship office has come up with the memorable acronym: T.E.A.M. As you’re planning for Campaigners this year, think through these 5 pieces below. TEAM The acronym TEAM is a reminder that each Campaigners group should function like a team. It’s crucial to prioritize building the bonds of friendship and fellowship. It takes leadership, time, energy, trust, and prayer for the group to gradually bond and grow.  As you lead the group, are you cultivating a community that feels like a team? T: TRANSFORMAT ..read more

Some of you have experienced the wonder of playing “Top-Golf,” the driving range of the future. Many of you have played Kan-Jam, the yard game of the decade. Last week, we invented a game called “Top-Kan,” a combination of the two…and it was AWESOME! TOP-KAN WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY TOP-KAN Find a bunch of paint buckets, laundry baskets, pack-n-plays, and storage bins. Borrow as many frisbees as you can. You could also add it other random objects you can throw, like stuffed animals. I think balls would be too easy. Get white printer paper, a thick sharpie, and tape. Set the buckets up in a ..read more

As long as high school kids mill around at ball games looking for love in all the wrong places… As long as they desperately seek an identity based on the opinions of friends and reputation… As long as kids limp through the stands broken by family strife, enslaved by drugs, alcohol, and sex… I want to be found- not in the adult section where it is respectable and controlled… but right in the middle…where passions, vulgar and profane, blurt out obscenity… Where raucous and reckless facades hide wounded hearts filled with torment and fear… Where the price tags have been changed and darkness confu ..read more

This was originally posted in the fall of 2020, but could be adapted to be used anytime! Halloween is just around the corner and we thought we’d share a few ideas that will work during this season of social distancing. Thanks to everyone who contributed in the Alongside Young Life Leaders Facebook group! Costume Photo Scavenger Hunt. Meet at a public place or park and separate students into a few groups for a photo scavenger hunt in costume! Reverse Trick or Treat. Have your middle and high school friends dress up and leaders drive-by their homes and deliver treats or games. You can snap a ph ..read more

This was originally posted in the fall of 2020, but could be adapted to be used anytime! Like many of you, we sadly missed getting to do the summer camp carnival this past summer, so we wanted to bring it to our area! We tried to get creative and allow kids the opportunity to participate safely from their cars. We set up 6 carnival games in a parking lot that wrapped around a building so that we could use 3 sides of the parking lot.  This way kids could not see around the corner of what was happening next and we could keep the element of surprise! We did this for our 2 high school clubs ..read more

Friends for Life is the inspiring story of Mal McSwain and his decades of simple but profound ministry — “a ministry of accompaniment” — in the lives of thousands. When chatting to a non-Christian high school football player he had just met at the very beginning of his ministry with Young Life, Mal felt the Lord tell him, “You’re going to know that guy for the rest of your life.” That was in 1957 and Mal was 22. Today, 64 years later, the two are still friends and Mal has walked alongside not just Dick Samuels, but many of his California classmates as well. “Meet people as if you are going to ..read more