We have several students at YFC’s Campus Life program who don’t yet have very much experience inside of a church. We hope to help get them plugged in with a church family someday, but right now we are focusing on building relationships that introduce them to Jesus. One of those students without much church experience is Hailey. I have seen her grow more comfortable each week by opening up more and more at Campus Life. Not only does she crack jokes in our small group and light up the room with her personality, but she is also asking questions I would have been nervous to ask when I was in high school. Sometimes, when you don’t know all of the Bible stories others have heard growing up in church, you can very easily feel disconnected from everyone else.
Hailey spoke a couple times in our group to ask questions that most of the other girls had all heard multiple times in church. I got to reassure her to keep asking those questions and shared with her how I had a similar story with not growing up in the church. I affirmed in her she never needed to feel weird for not knowing what everyone else appeared to know. It was also very powerful to watch the other girls teach her and share what they knew about some of the questions Hailey was asking. I am thankful we have students who have grown up in families who go to church and yet also have new students coming who have had very little church experience.
*Names in this story have been changed to respect the privacy of those we serve.
Jared Delagrange, East Noble HS Campus Life Director