Anyone can make a difference in the life of a youth–even if you’re still a youth yourself. It just takes one. One listening ear. One person who cares. One person who remembers a name. And that one can make a life-altering impact upon the life of another student.

I serve in the youth group at my church, Trinity Church of Pierce County. We have some really incredible high school students in our youth group who live in communities where YFC also has Campus Life ministries. I always find a lot of joy in merging my different worlds, and thought, “I wonder if these teens would be willing to volunteer at Campus Life?” 

I don’t know any of our ministry Site Leaders who say, “I have enough volunteers–I don’t need anymore.” The reality is that the more volunteers we have, the more kids we can reach. I think these 17-year-old teens would be great volunteers, and could really make a difference in the lives of students at Keithley and Giaudrone Middle Schools. 

As much as I thought that these Campus Life clubs would benefit from these potential volunteers, I thought that these volunteers would benefit themselves from serving youth because they would be living with purpose.

I would put “purpose” on the list of life essentials, along with oxygen, food, water, and sleep. Purpose gives us hope, and the ability to look outside of ourselves. Purpose makes us feel alive, and that we are connected to something that’s so much bigger than ourselves. God created us to live with purpose, and when we are not living this way, we’re not living life to the fullest. 

I asked these teens if they wanted to consider volunteering at Campus Life. Yes, we do need more volunteers.  But more importantly, I wanted to give them the opportunity to serve and feel alive. And in doing so, get connected to a community of believers that is so rich in fun and fellowship. I wanted to invite them to experience a camaraderie that comes from being in the trenches with other volunteers–and experiencing both joy and sorrow together. I wanted to give them the opportunity to have hilarious stories to tell. I wanted to give them the opportunity to experience different cultures in their own backyards, and see God in a whole new way. 

Both of these teens said yes, and came to a ministry training we hosted last Saturday for all of our volunteers. Bill Wagner, the Site Leader at Keithley Middle School, and Lindsey Roberts, the Site Leader at Giaudrone Middle School, immediately reached out to these volunteers and welcomed them in. 

Attendees of Tacoma YFC’s 2019 Ministry Kick-off Training.