History

30 Seconds of Young Life History

Jim Rayburn
Young Life began in 1940 when Jim Rayburn, a Dallas youth pastor, decided that the best place to meet un-churched high school kids was at the high school, not necessarily at the church.  He discovered that those kids who were cool toward the church would meet in someone’s home for an evening of skits, singing and games.
    Rayburn always ended the evening by telling a few stories of his own and a few from the Bible.  Those who attended this new club discovered that Jesus was more than a great historical figure.  Eventually, other Young Life clubs started under Rayburn’s direction and a new organization was born.
    Rayburn also initiated camping programs in Texas and Colorado.  Today, Young Life has 15 major camps for teenagers.  Thousands of kids visit these camps every summer in what often becomes the best week of their lives.  Since Rayburn’s time, Young Life continues to use three primary vehicles to reach kids with the message of God’s love: Contact work (establishing a presence with kids in the community), Young Life Clubs and Camps, and Campaigners.
    Young Life is a ministry that continues to grow, change and take more risks to reach young people in new ways and new places.

30 Seconds of  Manatee County Young Life History

Sometime in the late 1980’s, Palma Sola Presbyterian was looking for a qualified youth minister but was having little success.  Jack Wolf, the senior pastor at the time, heard that Young Life was making available trained people to be youth ministers in the church.  Mary and Charlie Scott gave Palma Sola a name of a possible candidate who was finishing up his last year at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta.
    In the fall of 1989, Jim Nelson accepted the position and came to Bradenton as an associate pastor and Young Life Church Partner.  He began hanging out with kids in the church and meeting their friends.  On February 26, 1990, the first outreach club started and has since reached thousands of kids and families with the Gospel.
    For the first eight years, Young Life was solely supported by Palma Sola Presbyterian Church.  In 1998, Jim left the church partnership to officially create a Young Life area and bring Young Life to the rest of the county.
    Young Life has now become an integral part of the community and is continuing to grow and strengthen, reaching more and more kids who desperately need the love of Christ.

Young Life Club 1990