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The word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.
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— John 1:14 (MSG)
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DEAR FRieND: The view from the Young Life Service Center in Colorado Springs is stunning. No matter what season, Pike’s Peak reminds us of God’s majesty and might, and evokes a sense of awe and wonder in us all. But today I’d like to share with you a different view. A panoramic view of Young Life. An up-close and personal view of God’s amazing movement through this mission. It’s my privilege to present to you the 2013 Young Life Annual Report. I hope you will take a few moments to read this report and rejoice. God is on the move in the cities, in the suburbs, in small towns and all around the world. He is on the move in the lives of middle school kids, high school kids, college students, kids with disabilities and teen moms. God is on the move, and we’re working hard to keep up with Him through our Reaching a World of Kids (RWOK) initiative! Currently we’re reaching 1.4 million kids through more than 5,000 ministries in more than 90 countries. We’ve set our sights on two million kids by 2016, and we’ve set our hopes on Jesus. We’re counting on Him to keep moving and lead the way! I’m deeply grateful for your partnership in Young Life. And I’m thrilled to present to you this report! No matter what season, God’s gracious movement evokes a sense of awe and wonder in us all. Please take time to sit back, relax and enjoy the view! In Christ,
Denny Rydberg President
INSIDE: 4 5 6 8 11
MOVING TOWARD EVERY KID THE FIVE C’S MOVING INTO NEW PLACES MOVING INTO KIDS’ LIVES MOVING MINDS AND HEARTS AT CAMP
14 16 18 19
REACHING A WORLD OF KIDS MINISTRY STATISTICS FINANCIAL STATISTICS CORPORATE OFFICERS AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES 3
MOVING TOWARD
EVERY KID
Because we care about kids, we go to them in their own world. We do this so every kid will know we believe in them and want the best for them. Young Life has developed a number of ministries to reach kids in their specific worlds ‌ WyldLife is our outreach to middle school kids, Young Life for those in their high school years, and Young Life College is our program for college and university students. Young Life has more than 5,000 ministries in more than 90 countries around the world. Our multicultural and urban ministry, focused on kids in diverse cultural communities and those in economically depressed areas, is arguably the largest of its kind in the United States. Young Life Capernaum is the name of our ministry with kids with disabilities and YoungLives is what we call our work with teen moms. In a partnership with Military Community Youth Ministries, Young Life reaches military teens through a program called Club Beyond. The Small Town/ Rural initiative brings Young Life to communities of fewer than 25,000 people, and Amicus is Young Life’s student exchange and hosting program for international kids. 4
... with a
Five-fold
approach In Young Life, we create an environment where kids can hear about Jesus Christ in a way they can understand. That’s what the Five C’s of Young Life are all about: Contact Work involves caring adults going to kids and spending time building bridges of friendship. It’s where we earn the right to be heard by listening to what’s going on in their lives. Club is a high-energy celebration filled with humor, music and a life-changing message. Here, kids encounter the Gospel with the freedom to respond as they choose.
Our camps provide kids with the greatest week of their lives in a beautiful setting, where they enjoy food, fun and the greatest love story ever. Campaigners is our weekly Bible study — a time when we help kids grow in their faith. We also strongly encourage them to celebrate this faith in a local church. The local Young Life committee, comprised of caring adults, provides a firm foundation of financial, administrative and moral support for staff and leaders. Just as we listen to kids and their needs, the committee listens and responds to the needs of our staff and leaders. 5
MOVING... into
New places
Every year, we spend a lot of time and energy going where we haven’t gone before. Whether it’s a new school, area or country, we are passionate in our pursuit of the next kid. As the Lord leads, we faithfully explore each opportunity, because kids deserve the right to hear the Good News of our great Savior! We are launching two new areas in New Jersey, which should serve as “beachheads” to help us reach other parts of the region. Ridgewood, located in one of the most populous counties in the country and home to more than 60 6
high schools and one million residents, will be a great jumping-off point for neighboring communities. Princeton, too, will be a good place to use as a “hub” for the development of new work from Newark to the Jersey Shore. “For the first time, there is a Young Life presence in every high school on Route 50 from Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Ocean City.” — Dave Etling, regional developer One road, 10 schools, along a 100-mile stretch on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. That’s a milestone we can all celebrate.
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WyldLife is growing in Hawaii! Three hundred and thirty-four kids attended at least one WyldLife club this year under Lane Morikawa’s leadership. This new club averaged 104 kids per week. This middle school only has 900 students, and we have seen more than one-third of them! God is on the move! — Randy Jackson, regional director, Hawaii
Uganda is one of 14 African countries with established Young Life ministry and home to one of our new indigenous regional directors, who will help us pursue more kids. In the rural area of Pallisa, where public transportation is extremely limited, some of the volunteer leaders walk as far as 20 miles barefoot to reach out to kids. As we’ve already seen, some of these kids will move to Kampala, the capital, where they’ll attend college and help lead Young Life.
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MOVING
... into Kids’ lives
Sometimes moving isn’t done on a large scale, but on a more intimate level. Each kid is deserving of this personal attention — from a camper with special needs to a city kid living in the midst of gang violence. It’s both fun and humbling to realize we never know whom we might be influencing — maybe even a Super Bowl-winning quarterback! Here is a story of one of our Young Life Capernaum friends as told by his leader: “On the last night we were at camp, my good friend Paul said, ‘I am going to miss this place. I am going to miss hanging out and talking about Jesus every day. I feel at home here.’ After I choked up for a second or two, I told Paul he can continue to learn more about Jesus each day and even talk to Jesus whenever he wants. Right then, I prayed with Paul to show him again how we can talk with God. Now that we’re home, Jesus continues to transform Paul’s life. We’re talking about how Paul can love his friends at school and invite them to club and camp next year. Paul has realized that once we experience the love of Christ, we want our friends to also see and understand life to the full.”
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— a Capernaum friend
From 2010 through 2012, YoungLives doubled the number of teen moms being reached. YoungLives is now reaching 12,960 teen moms annually, representing a 30 percent increase in one year. This year, YoungLives also celebrated 10 years of camping for moms and babies. This was our largest summer camping season, touching the lives of 2,500 teenage moms.
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I am going to miss this place. I am going to miss hanging out and talking about Jesus every day. I feel at home here.
“What I’ve always loved and appreciated about Young Life is it’s not about what you look like or wear, or if you’re in the cool group. It’s just ‘we want you to come and have a good time.’ And the Gospel was presented in a way that’s not over your head, but with analogies and demonstrations that made you think, ‘Jesus is someone I could really hang out with.’ Matt [Hock, Rodgers’ Young Life leader] was great at using real-life stories to let us know what the Gospel is really about.” — Aaron Rodgers, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers and Young Life alumnus from Chico, Calif. 9
“On June 30, she stepped off the bus with no idea what she represented. I was there with my wife, Carol, and 40-50 other field staff, camp staff and donors who didn’t want to miss this moment. If this girl would have looked closely, she would have seen a tear in every eye because of who she represented — kids we had been praying for ... for years. She was the first camper at Young Life’s newest camp, Carolina Point. At the end of that historic first week, she caused more tears as she stood with more than 45 others to say, ‘This week, I began a relationship with Jesus Christ.’ Holy ground.” — John Vicary, field senior vice president “Vincent came to Windy Gap, our camp in North Carolina, with a group of guys from Florida who were dealing with a recent gangrelated killing of their friend. After hearing the message of the cross and spending 20 minutes alone under the stars, he found me to ask a question. Vincent looked up at me and said with a sweet, sincere innocence, ‘Can I ask you something? Can I live here? I just feel so sinless here.’ On the last night, Vincent stood up at the Say-So and told the entire camp he had begun a new relationship with Jesus. He may not get to live at Windy Gap, but he went home with the God of the Universe living in his heart.” — Brian Summerall, director of ministry strategy
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moving minds and hearts
at camp
2013 was a year of movement in camping — literally! Our new initiative, Camp on Wheels, took the fun and adventure of Young Life camping to kids in Central America. We also ventured into new territories: Armenia now has a Young Life camp, and this summer we opened our 21st U.S. camp in North Carolina. From the very beginning, Young Life leaders have been taking kids to camp. This year we flipped the process! Camp On Wheels is Young Life’s brand new mobile camping operation. All the fun supplies we can fit (tents, inflatables, games and more) are loaded into a trailer, which our Young Life staff and volunteers can drive all over Central America (the program will be available soon in other places around the world). In 2013, Camp On Wheels traveled to more than 22 locations in five Central
American countries (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama) and more than 700 kids came out to the first Camp On Wheels club in San Jose, Costa Rica. With 2,100 campers and leaders attending camp somewhere in Armenia this past summer, we are none too soon in moving forward with our recently purchased first camp here. Many months of prayer and planning have gone into this decision, and we anticipate the Lord doing great work here. 11
50
Castaway Celebrates Over Labor Day weekend, nearly 300 people attended the 50th-Anniversary Celebration at Young Life’s Castaway Club in Minnesota. Since 1963, about 200,000 kids have been campers here, many of whom have met Jesus Christ and experienced transformed lives.
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years
GRAFFITi CAMP IN
kyrgyzstan
In what may be a first in the history of the mission, this summer Kyrgyzstan Young Life held their inaugural Graffiti camp! “The kids painted all day,” Stass Maylenko, area director in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, said, “and each evening they heard a story about our God.” This is just one more example of how leaders learn what’s important to kids and then invest in these activities. So while the kids painted visions by day, Maylenko painted visions of God by night. And as a result, these young artists learned that they themselves are the ultimate works of art.
Young Life College camp This summer the first-ever camps designed for Young Life College were held at Rockbridge and Malibu. Students and college staff from 15 colleges attended, and many expressed appreciation for the opportunity to bring friends who had never experienced a Young Life camp in high school. 13
Reaching a
World of
kids
2013 represented Young Life’s fourth year of pursuing the goal of reaching two million kids a year through our Reaching a World of Kids initiative. To do this, we’re looking to mobilize more than 80,000 leaders and establish 8,000 ministry locations. A major factor in reaching more kids is raising the necessary funding to send them to camp. One way we do this is through projects like the Campership Legacy Fund. “Since 2009, the Campership Legacy Fund has provided more than $893,000 in financial aid to help 7,874 kids step away from the chaos and distractions of daily life and experience the love of Christ through a week of Young Life camp. These kids come from 20 states and 39 countries.
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Also, nearly $43 million in end-of-life gifts have been committed and $3 million in current gifts have been given to help firsttime unreached kids have an opportunity to go to camp. All of this from only 120 donors. We continue to look for creative strategies to help more kids get to camp now and also continue to build a pipeline of gifts for the future.” — Jeff Rudder, executive director of the Young Life Foundation
Total initiative Giving AS OF SEPT. 30, 2013
Pledges
$179,153,935 69%
Commitments Outstanding
OF OUR GOAL Bequests Cash and Commitment Payments
GIFT TYPE
TOTAL RAISED
% OF TOTAL
Cash and Commitment Payments
$
62,319,128
35%
Pledges
$
51,561,430
29%
Bequests
$
44,548,000
25%
Commitments Outstanding
$
20,725,377
11%
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ministry
Statistics
Ministries and Kids Impacted
RWOK Begins 08/09
% Growth Since Base Year
09/10
10/11
11/12
12/13
113,352 33,332
119,456 46,771
129,890 46,696
135,557 60,287
138,257 77,700
21.97% 133.11%
42,331 8,978
45,244 10,269
49,555 12,393
53,144 14,947
56,983 22,023
34.61% 145.30%
1,008,262 1,103,149
1,196,159
1,228,082
1,434,869
42.31%
Kids Involved Weekly in Club U.S. International Kids Involved Weekly in Campaigners U.S. International Kids Impacted by Young Life1 U.S. Life-Stage Ministries High School Jr. High/Middle School College
3,769
3,818
4,039
4,297
4,500
19.40%
2,612 1,118 39
2,611 1,151 56
2,751 1,208 80
2,911 1,281 105
3,034 1,328 138
16.16% 18.78% 253.85%
Capernaum YoungLives Multicultural/Urban Small Town/Rural Military Other
125 89 644 796 7 57
148 99 620 830 15 48
167 165 622 902 17 41
173 218 673 965 22 41
210 236 753 1,009 17 39
68.00% 165.17% 16.93% 26.76% 142.86% -31.58%
International Schools/ Ministries International Military2 Schools/Ministries Total
721
829
969
1,171
1,437
99.31%
48 4,490
44 4,647
46 5,008
42 5,468
62 5,937
29.17% 32.23%
U.S. Focused Ministries
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Staff and Volunteers Young Life Staff iStaff 3 U.S. Volunteers Leaders Committee and Ministry Support International Volunteers (leaders only)
RWOK Begins 08/09
% Growth Since Base Year
09/10
10/11
11/12
12/13
28,351 17,348 11,003
3,136 367 29,827 18,650 11,177
3,209 387 31,266 20,125 11,141
3,415 493 39,245 25,452 13,793
3,477 528 44,414 28,050 16,364
7.71% 43.87% 56.66% 61.69% 48.72%
4,016
4,566
5,273
6,347
8,425
109.79%
36,819
37,752
38,539
39,073
40,060
8.80%
11,970
12,495
12,938
12,793
13,723
14.64%
75,955
81,303
81,549
82,982
84,662
11.46%
73,928
63,857
70,913
72,679
73,053
-1.18%
156,441 152,282 167,538 174,481 165,528
5.81%
3,228
U.S. Camping High School Summer Outreach Campers (Young Life) Middle School Summer Outreach Campers (WyldLife) Total Summer Guests4 Young Life/WyldLife School-Year Campers Total School-Year Guests5 International Camping Young Life Campers WyldLife Campers International Guests6
22,765 2,574 40,461
27,963 1,591 46,777
34,117 2,016 57,365
45,343 2,877 76,919
55,327 2,717 85,143
143.04% 5.56% 110.43%
Estimated, based on “club cards� collected by each Young Life mission unit. This figure is included in the International Ministries Total. iStaff numbers were not available prior to 2010. 4 Includes all campers, leaders and adult guests who attended an Adult, Wilderness/Adventure, Campaigners, Family, High School Outreach, Middle School Outreach, Leadership or Work Week camp at a Young Life-owned property during the summer. 5 Includes all campers, leaders and adult guests who attended an Adult, Wilderness/Adventure, Campaigners, Family, High School Outreach, Middle School Outreach, Leadership, School or Work Week camp at a Young Life-owned property during the school season. 6 Includes leaders accompanying campers and Young Life Expeditions. 1 2 3
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Financial Statistics — Cynthia Koerner, chief financial officer
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More than 85 cents of every dollar given to Young Life goes to fulfilling our mission purpose.
Young Life and Subsidiaries including the Young Life Foundation
Consolidated Statement of Financial Position (in 000s)* ASSETS
2013
Cash and cash equivalents Investments Pledges and other receivables Other current assets Land, buildings and equipment - net
2012
$
31,727 $ 81,985 9,775 3,170 215,725
26,610 72,462 9,963 2,956 213,994
$
342,382 $
325,985
$
16,019 $ 2,596
17,444 2,732
TOTAL LIABILITIES
$
18,615 $
20,176
Net Assets
$
323,767 $
305,809
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
$
342,382 $
325,985
$
191,806 $ 11,088 67,883 5,309
177,363 3,646 65,166 6,476
$
276,086 $
252,651
$
156,347 $ 64,109 24,578 12,404
148,085 63,438 23,162 11,504
TOTAL EXPENSES
$
257,438 $
246,189
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS
$
18,648 $
6,462
TOTAL ASSETS LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS Accounts payable and accrued liabilities Notes payable
Consolidated Statement of Activities (in 000s)* REVENUES Operating contributions Capital contributions Camp fees and other operating revenues Investment income and other revenues TOTAL REVENUES EXPENSES Club ministries Camping operations Management and general Fundraising
4.8% 9.6% 60.7%
24.9%
*as of Sept. 30, 2013 Comment: Our complete audited financial statements, along with the Independent Auditors’ Report, are available at younglife.org. Simply type “audit” in the search feature.
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES Susan Hutchison Chair Washington State Republican Party Bellevue, WA Nanette Ballbach Founder Moms in Prayer Radnor, PA Sue Beré Retired Family Counselor Private Counseling Practice Neenah, WI
“In our 72-year history, Young Life has never been content to sit still. We’ve always been an on-the-move mission — from Jim Rayburn’s first club in Texas to expanding this year into Hong Kong. In 2013, we celebrated Denny and Marilyn Rydberg’s 20 years with the mission. We are thankful for how they’ve led us to the greatest year in the mission’s history for impacting kids. This year we grew by 16.8 percent, establishing relationships and sharing the Good News of Jesus with 206,787 additional kids worldwide. But we have no plans to stop there! With the dedication and commitment of our leadership, staff, and volunteers serving alongside committees and faithful donors — all provided by the gracious hand of our Lord — we look forward to doing even greater things in 2014.” — Susan Hutchison, chair Young Life Board of Trustees
CORPORATE OFFICERS Denny Rydberg – president Cynthia Koerner – chief financial officer Steve Thompson – chief operating officer Paul Sherrill – corporate secretary Jan Morton – assistant corporate secretary Dave Briggs – treasurer Bryan Klotz – assistant treasurer
John Brandon Vice President of International Apple Inc. Atherton, CA Malcolm “Mac” Briggs Chairman and CEO Andesa Strategies Inc. Allentown, PA Francis “Steady” Cash Retired Chairman and CEO The Parnell-Martin Companies LLC Charlotte, NC Jerry Colangelo. Chairman Phoenix Suns NBA Basketball and USA Basketball Phoenix, AZ Carol Eaton, Retired Owner Eaton Designs Paradise Valley, AZ Brooks Entwistle, Chairman of Southeast Asia Goldman Sachs Singapore
Kevin McVaney Physician Emergency Medicine Littleton, CO Curtis McWilliams Retired President and CEO CNL Real Estate Advisors Inc. Winter Park, FL Harold Melton, Justice Supreme Court of Georgia Atlanta, GA Susan Peterson Small-Business Owner Cabell’s LLC John’s Creek, GA Boone Powell Jr. Retired President Baylor Healthcare System Dallas, TX Chris Roberts, President Cargill Kitchen Solutions Minneapolis, MN Mark Rodriguez, Owner The Growers Company Inc. R and S Mexican Food Products Inc. Yuma, AZ Robert B. “Bob” Rowling Chairman and CEO TRT Holdings (Chair) Omni Hotels (CEO) Irving, TX Denny Rydberg, President Young Life Colorado Springs, CO
J.D. Gibbs, President Joe Gibbs Racing Foundation Huntersville, NC
Michael Stain Senior Vice President Citizens Business Bank Clovis, CA
Berto Guerra, Chairman and CEO Avanzar Interior Technologies San Antonio, TX
W. Robert “Bob” Stover Chairman and Founder The Stover Foundation Walnut Creek, CA
Bill Haslam, Governor State of Tennessee Nashville, TN
Thomas L. Thomas Chairman and Director EJustice Solutions LLC Ann Arbor, MI
Bruce Hosford, CEO Hosford Ventures Seattle, WA John Hummel, President AIS Futures Management LLC and AIS Capital Management LLC New Canaan, CT Reginald “Regg” Jones III Managing Partner Greenbriar Equity Group LLC Greenwich, CT
Paul Trible Jr., President Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA Phyllis Washington Owner-Designer Phyllis Washington Antiques Indian Wells, CA Mark Zoradi President/COO The Cook Company Burbank, CA
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