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Right to be heard
By Rebecca Boller
A costumed bear
with black fur, plastic brown face, helmet and roller blades made
his way to the front of the 100-plus high school audience Monday,
Sept. 16, at a Young Life all-city club meeting. In a less-than-grizzly
voice, he called out the names of four male and four female audience
members to take their places before the crowd. The object of the
game, he explained, was for each girl to run to the coolers placed
at the back of the room and grab as much ice as possible. Then each
girl was to run it back to her male partner and toss it down his
tucked-in shirt. The male with the most ice at the end of three
minutes won the contest.
The purpose of such a chilling experience was to draw interest for
Polar Bear Weekend, a Young Life retreat planned for December. Young
Life is characterized by its program events including Crudfest,
a citywide food fight, and Polar Bear Weekend.
"The main reason we have events like Crudfest and Polar Bear Weekend
is to give leaders the opportunity to get to know kids better and
establish relationships with them outside of where the gospel is
presented so that it is more impactful when we do present the gospel,"
said Kevin Mulkey, Young Life area director for Broken Arrow and
Union high schools.
Young Life was founded in 1938 by Jim Rayburn with the purpose of
"earning the right to be heard," in sharing the gospel with high
school students. This purpose is carried out through what the organization
terms the four C's: contact work, club, campaigners and camp.
"The four C's are tools that enable us to reach kids in different
ways - from kids who have never heard the gospel and who aren't
a part of our weekly activities, to those who know the gospel but
want to grow. We are able to reach kids no mater where they are,"
Mulkey said.
The organization is primarily dependent upon volunteer leaders,
aside from its area and regional directors. Young Life in Tulsa
is divided into five areas: Metro, Midtown, North, South and Broken
Arrow/Union. These distinctions are made according to geography
as well as school populations, Mulkey said.
Young Life is currently recruiting new volunteer leaders. Those
interested in becoming a leader must go through Young Life training,
a semester-long program with meetings held each Thursday night.
"It is something away from ORU that you can get involved with and
have the opportunity to have a positive influence on high school
students. The training helped me in preparing to become a leader
by being able to hear others' experiences," junior Lauren Elizondo
said.
If you are interested in getting involved with Young Life's ministry
to teenagers, or would like more information, call (918) 665-8525.
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