Young Life: A Tool to Revitalize Youth Ministry

by Deacon Nathan Gunn, Coordinator of Catholic Relations, Northeast Atlantic

As we begin 2020, I’m encouraged by what I’m witnessing here in the Eastern United States. Young Life is invigorating the work of Catholic youth ministers as they share the Good News with teenagers, and Catholic teenagers are using Young Life as a tool to evangelize their peers. This movement isn’t widespread yet; it’s just beginning in New Hampshire. The picture of the mustard seed comes to mind. Jesus said, “Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree…” (Matthew 13:32). In November, a group of Catholic priests, directors of religious education, and youth ministers from the Diocese of Manchester, N.H., gathered with Young Life staff members to discuss what it would look like to do ministry together (see photo above). At this meeting two youth ministry workers from St. Michael Parish shared how they are serving the kids of their parish while they do outreach in the community as Young Life volunteers. They shared stories about teenagers’ lives being changed as they use Young Life methods, and they talked about what it’s like to take Catholic kids to Young Life camp. “All of the people on staff, program team, and the work crew were incredibly welcoming and humble. They truly represented Jesus. We felt wanted and loved,” said Sammie Moore, who leads middle school students at St. Michael and has taken her kids to a Young Life camp. “Wyldlife camp has given me the opportunity as a youth minister to connect with some of my youth in a way that I was previously not able to.” The Catholic students and leaders at St. Michael have found that they can use Young Life’s outreach Club meetings for high school students and the WyldLife meetings for middle school students as venues to evangelize and share their personal faith. During the meeting in Manchester, the group talked about a paradigm of evangelization or “encounter” in middle school and how that could be followed by an opportunity for discipleship and formation through the high school years. Lisa Zolkos, who works for the diocese’s Catholic Schools Office, shared that she is a former Young Life kid who had a great experience with both her Catholic parish and Young Life as she grew up in Tampa, Fla. Since the meeting in November, there have been conversations about how Young Life could be used in Catholic schools throughout New Hampshire to bring the “New Evangelization” to bear in those critical venues. The November meeting was organized by Bishop Peter Libasci and Kelly Goudreau, the diocesan director of parish faith formation. Under Bishop Libasci’s direction, the Diocese of Manchester has adopted a “restored order” around the sacrament of confirmation. And as the diocese moves forward under that direction, people are enthusiastic about how Young Life can play a critical role in revitalizing youth ministry across the state. What could happen to young people across New Hampshire if parishes and Young Life worked together to ensure that “every kid” had the opportunity to at least hear that Jesus made them, knows them, and loves them? Can we even imagine a “tree” that could come from New Hampshire and bless us all?

Young Life Brings Protestants and Catholics Together in the Holy Land by Deacon Nathan Gunn

Young Life’s commitment to unity in diversity and bridge-building just reached new heights. In some parts of the world, bridges need to be built between socio-economic groups.  In other places, the need is to bring healing to issues of racial tension.  On the continent of Europe, the biggest need for unity is between Catholics and Protestants. 

In late May, the staff and spouses from YL Europe joined with Mission Leaders and guests representing a group of over 200 pilgrims.  For a week, people from nearly 20 European countries toured the Holy Land, following in the footsteps of Jesus, His family and His apostles.  The journey began in the tightly-wound ancient city of old Jerusalem.  The group descended the Mount of Olives and ascended the Via Dolorosa – trodding the very paths that Jesus took, carrying His cross to Calvary.  We floated in the Dead Sea and looked into the Caves at Qumran. We sailed across the Sea of Galilee and traced Christ’s miraculous works through ancient Capernaum.  With every turn and every detail, the mercy and grace of God was extended through the landscape, the history, the recollection of the stories, and the vividness of the setting.

Then, in a powerful movement of God’s grace, another element emerged.  At YL “Club” each night, we heard from one of two European ministers.  Rev Dr. Keith McCrory, a Protestant pastor from Northern Ireland, and Father Lukasz Szymanski, a Roman Catholic priest from Poland, took turns preparing us for the next day’s sites and leading us into deeper communion with Christ.  Two men from two Christian traditions, overcoming centuries of division and strife to lead Young Life hand in hand through the Holy Land, was a living testament to Young Life’s priority of unity within the Body of Christ.  Along with the shared teaching, the corporate prayer of the Stations of the Cross, walking Christ’s steps to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher brought more reflection and deeper unity among us.  

But the biggest movement of the Holy Spirit was experienced in Nazareth.  Together, with one voice, all two hundred-strong sang worship songs and prayed together as Fr. Lucasz celebrated Catholic Mass at the Basilica of the Annunciation.  Not only was the setting dramatic, but the movement of God’s Spirit as Catholics and Protestants basked together in the Presence of God was awe-inspiring.  For many, this was their first experience of the Mass.  For others, this was their first experience of Mass in such a powerful Catholic setting.  During small groups that night, pilgrim after pilgrim shared that the Mass was the highlight of their day, if not their trip.  While the Mission Leadership set the direction and put the players in place, it was the Holy Spirit that took over and sparked the unity that Christ prayed for in John 17.

As the pilgrimage ended, conversations continued. There are about a dozen meaningful entry points for cooperation between YL and the Catholic Church that are ready for immediate follow-up.  Beyond those venues, there are dozens more YL staff who are hungry and eager to learn more. Plans for partnership are being crafted, trying to keep pace with the unity that the Spirit is forging. The groundswell of unity is happening. The tsunami of partnership is coming. And at the center of it all are two elements that YL has always held most sacred – the love of Christ for every kid and every kid’s need to hear of His love for them.   

*post written by Deacon Nathan Gunn, a 20-year veteran of Young Life who serves as Associate Director of YL-Catholic Relations for the Eastern States, and is a permanent deacon in the Roman Catholic Church.                   

Big Dreams, Big Impact in the East

“Right now God is doing something special and I think it is going to have a significant impact on the future of our Church,” says the young man in his late 20s. When you look at that impact in western Massachusetts, Steve Fydenkevez is a big part of it. Steve is helping Young Life and the Catholic Church come together on the ground level, developing relationships that will yield fruit in local parishes and dioceses for years to come.

Steve grew up attending St. Mary’s Catholic parish in Longmeadow (Springfield MA Diocese) and was exposed to Young Life through the parish youth group’s annual summer trip to Saranac Village, a YL camp in the Adirondacks. “The relationship I had with my YL leader (who is now a Catholic priest actually), absolutely played a significant role in my development as a Catholic adult,” he says. The memory of those experiences at YL camp helped to spark a passion in him while sitting in Mass one day:

I remember one particular morning looking around the church and realizing that my wife and I were the only ones under forty who were not with their parents. I knew that if we didn’t do something more to reach our middle school and high school friends now, this entire generation would be lost. This is the future of our Church, I could not do nothing! I knew right then that what our Catholic youth needed is what Young Life works so hard to develop in teens - relationships with Jesus Christ.

Steve is recently married and works in the insurance industry just south across the Massachusetts border. He came back to Saranac in the fall of 2016 to attend a Young Life leader weekend. After hearing more direction from the Lord and talking with other YL staff who are trying to bridge the gap between the Church and YL, Steve began to direct his passion toward St. Mary’s the and opportunity he saw there.

Since then, God and Steve have been laying groundwork to establish a fruitful model for YL in a Catholic parish. The process has been intentional and broad in scope, including people of influence from the parish and the diocese. “Through the open lines of communication both sides have continued to grow closer in the vision of working alongside one another to reach kids,” Steve says. The recruitment and training of college leaders has been a strong focus and Steve notes a real symbiotic relationship between YL and the Church:

There are five colleges within a 15-minute drive of the church. This is a very Catholic part of the country. A stand-alone Young Life area would have a very difficult time getting into these schools and reaching potential leaders. Working with the Catholic Church however, we have a legitimacy that otherwise would not be possible. On the other hand, Young Life has the tools and resources to prepare these young leaders to reach kids in a way that the Catholic Church doesn’t have. It’s a real win-win! 

As Young Life begins to gear-up for FORWARD, our dream is to take kids “into the deep” as they walk with Christ, and working with parishes like St. Mary’s is a natural fit. “My dream is that we would see a Young Life Club and Campaigners happening at St. Mary's,” Steve says. But it’s more than just Catholics in Steve’s vision. “It’s time for us to come together as a Christian community. We want Catholic leaders alongside Protestant leaders reaching out to all kids in town. We’re talking about high school kids receiving the Sacraments for the first time - being Baptized, receiving the Eucharist, and being Confirmed - because they were introduced to Jesus Christ through the love of a YL leader.” 

Steve is changing the missional landscape in western Mass, but the process is also changing him. Rather than directing his attention solely to his career path, Steve is now pouring his energy into starting YL in Longmeadow and collaborating with St. Mary’s. “God is absolutely present in this,” Steve says. “In all my life I have never felt Him so much. I’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve all laughed together at the obvious presence of God in all of this.”

Having a significant impact on the future of our Church… that’s a great dream.  Having a significant impact on the lives of young people… that’s a great dream too.  What a gift that we get to walk alongside servants like Steve who are rolling up their sleeves to make both dreams happen. 

Steve and his wife Francesca

Young Life-Catholic Relations Moving FORWARD in New York

As Young Life moves FORWARD, it is propelled by a commitment to deeper discipleship, greater diversity and richer unity within the body of Christ. Naturally, this work brings us together with our Catholic brothers and sisters throughout the world. Right here in the United States, God is doing something truly special in the Northeast, home to more than 25 million Catholics. Inspired by the prophet Isaiah, Nathan Gunn sees Young Life and the Catholic Church working together to “rebuild the broken walls.” “If we can walk alongside each other to rebuild the broken walls of young peoples’ lives and restore our cities,” he recently said,  “then count me in.”

Nathan Gunn has served on Young Life Staff for over twenty years.  He lives with his wife Tammy and two sons in DeWitt, a suburb of Syracuse, New York.  For the past ten years, he has partnered with Holy Cross Church, a local parish that shares the mission of Young Life in a Catholic context.  While Nathan serves as the Associate Regional Director for Young Life in Central New York, his ordination into the permanent diaconate of the Catholic Church in 2016 provided a quantum leap in his ability to build bridges between Young Life and Catholics today.  Serving as Deacon within the Catholic Church places emphasis on proclamation of the Gospel, service and solidarity with the poor and those in need while also placing Nathan on the altar for much of Catholic liturgy. 

Young Life and Holy Cross’s shared ministry and mission have allowed them to have a deeper impact on middle school kids through Wyldlife while also taking over 600 kids and adults from their community to rural El Salvador in a shared mission experience.  This has led to the start of Young Life ministry in El Salvador along with a host of other blessings to Young Life and the Church.  Each week, more kids than ever hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the unity and cross-pollination that exists between Young Life and Holy Cross as leaders and adults work together to reach kids.

Starting in January 2017, Nathan began to work formally in YL-Catholic Relations with a focus on the Eastern states.  The fruit of Nathan’s work has already provided a wonderful witness to his ecumenical calling. A relationship is being built with the Springfield Diocese of Massachusetts that could have major impact on the quality and depth of youth ministry in the entire state.  In late January, YL staff manned the first-ever Catholic Confirmation Retreat at Lake Champion and the feedback from kids and adults was enormously positive.  With a Catholic population numbering in the millions within a 3-hour radius of Lake Champion, using this property as a venue for Catholic retreats is both good stewardship and an amazing opportunity for unity and collaboration. 

Nathan is also helping forge a relationship between Young Life and the Archdiocese of New York. This winter, Paul Coty (Regional Director on NYC) and Colin Nykaza (Director of Young Adults Archdiocese of NY) met with Nathan to begin a plan of engagement where Young Life and the Archdiocese could begin to cross-promote one another’s ministries and create a pipeline for much-needed Catholic leadership within the mission of Young Life.

John Wagner, Senior Vice President of Young Life’s Greater New York Division, has a particular interest in Nathan’s work and the broader movement of Young Life-Catholic Relations. He recently noted:

The Catholic Initiative may be one of the most important things we do here in Greater New York. It is said that Long Island, almost 3 million people, is 80% either Catholic or formerly Catholic. That’s a lot of people. Jersey, Connecticut, the city – particularly the immigrant population – are all hugely Catholic. I couldn’t be more excited about Nathan and his leadership in the Eastern states.

At the heart of Young Life is the desire to see every kid hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the means of a trusting relationship with an adult.  As we begin to look Forward in Young Life, engaging with like-minded Catholic adults who share our mission and dream of reaching kids is at the forefront of Nathan’s calling and passion. Please help me welcome Nathan to the Catholic Relations team and celebrate his work of bridge-building in the kingdom!

Deacon Nathan Gunn, Associate Director of YL-Catholic Relations, Eastern States

Nathan can be reached at gunner721@gmail.com.