Novi Young Life
CONNOR O’LEARY
WHAT IS YOUNG LIFE?
CONTACT WORK
Because kids don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, Young Life leaders show they care by going where kids are, meeting them as they are, and believing in who they can be. Within Young Life we call the persistent going out into the world of kids “contact work.” But kids just call it friendship.
CLUB
We like to think of club as a “party with a purpose.” It’s controlled chaos that’s almost impossible to describe, but kids know it when they see it. And before the party ends, we share a simple message about God’s love for them. After all, that’s what the celebration is all about.
CAMP
Kids consistently tell us that Young Life camp is the best week of their lives. How else would you describe a week where deep relationships are forged in the midst of mind-boggling fun and you hear the greatest love story ever told?
CAMPAIGNERS
Campaigners is a weekly gathering for kids who wish to learn more or grow in their faith through study, service and leadership. We’re with kids for the long haul to help them take the first steps of faith with unconditional love. Along the way, we encourage kids to celebrate their faith through participation in a local church congregation.
CONNOR’S STORY
My relationship with the Lord became real through my involvement with Young Life when I went on a summer camp trip to Rockbridge in Virginia. Hearing so clearly about an all-powerful, caring, loving and understanding God who knows and cares for me so personally was what started to fuel my passion for following Jesus. When I started college, I became a volunteer Young Life leader and it grew my faith in new ways, while also planting the seeds for a real passion for ministry. Over the first three years of my college career, I always wondered what it might look like to pursue ministry as my vocation. Entering into my senior year, I felt a conviction unlike
any I had before that this is where I belonged, going out into the lives of students and proclaiming the greatest news the world has ever known. Flash forward to today and I have been in charge of running Novi Young Life for the past three years. While there have been many challenges, mainly stemming from the pandemic, I am still excited to have the privilege of running this ministry and walking alongside students in their most formative years of life. My wife Kate (pictured right) and I are fully settled into our life here in Novi and are looking forward to growing this ministry in new ways over the coming years together.
“Come burdened, yoke upon gentle and rest for your —
AREA OVERVIEW
Young Life has been an active ministry at Novi High School since the late 1990s. Young Life involves students who attend Novi High School, as well as students who attend private schools that live in Novi. We currently have eight volunteer leaders and one full-time staff person looking to minister to roughly 3,000 students. In the 2022-23 school year we launched WyldLife, which is our middle school ministry, with great success. We have seen robust WyldLife attendance that we are hoping will fuel the health of our high school and middle school ministry for years to come. By engaging in this work of relational ministry, leaders are walking alongside of students, with the hope of earning the right to be heard, in order to tell students about the good news of who Jesus is and what that means for students’ lives.
to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my upon you and learn from me, for I am and humble in heart, and you will find your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
— Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
VISION
Our goal is to reach every kid in the Novi area with the love and truth of Jesus. We want every kid to know that they are loved and valued. This can be accomplished through the caring relationships between leaders and kids, whether that is rooting for them in the bleachers or grabbing a coffee together after school. We want to foster everlasting relationships that will change lives for the Kingdom of heaven. We do that while also creating lifetime memories and showing kids that life with Jesus is a full life. Some tangible goals we have to achieve that are:
• Have our ministry, in both adults and students, reflect the population demographics of Novi.
• Grow our adult leadership team for both Young Life and WyldLife.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Area Operation Expenses
• Double our Campaigners (Bible study) group size for both Young Life and WyldLife, putting our emphasis on growing deeper with students and not just wider.
• Know 500 kids by name in the high school and 250 in the middle school.
JOIN US
Ways to Give
Give Online:
• Go to > > >
giving.younglife.org/connoroleary
Personal checks may be made out to Young Life, with “MI34 — Connor O’Leary” on the memo line, and sent to:
Connor O’Leary
Novi Young Life
45380 W. 10 Mile Road #125 Novi, MI 48375
Young Life was incorporated in 1941 by Jim Rayburn, a seminary student and part-time youth minister in Gainesville, Texas, who wanted to reach out to kids disinterested in church. Rayburn went where kids were and found creative ways to share the love of God with them. His methods continue to transform lives today.
Connor O’Leary
248-277-2721
olearyconnor20@gmail.com
Monthly Gifts # of Partners Amount Annual Total 1 $300 $ 3,600 5 $200 $ 12,000 10 $100 $ 12,000 15 $50 $ 9,000 TOTAL: $ 36,600
Young Life is a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and has maintained that membership through a yearly review of its compliance with the ECFA’s standards.
Staff Compensation (salary, benefits, taxes) Support Services (donor receipting, accounting, legal, insurance) Operating Expenses (program, leader care, fundraising, office)
68% 17% 15%
