Join us as we kick off our journey to restore and renew Frontier Ranch with a virtual event October 2 to unveil the vision, remember inspiring stories, and share how you can help preserve the legacy.
Are you interested in hosting or attending an in-person reunion in your community? The link below will help us connect with you on all things!
Publisher/President
Newt Crenshaw
Executive Editors
Lauren Bocci
Gabe Knipp
Managing Editor
Jeff Chesemore
Coordinator
Michael Swyers
On the Cover
Copy Editor
Jessica Williams
Art Director
Isaac Watkins
Designers
Alan Cisneros
Liz Irvin
Kristen Ward
Diné Wiedey
Aric Almirola and his son, Alex, celebrate the thrilling victory at Phoenix atop the Young Life car. See how Joe Gibbs Racing + Young Life = a winning combination, p. 10. Toyota trademarks used with permission.
If you’re receiving duplicate copies or would like to switch over to the electronic version, please contact the Young Life Mission Assistance team at assistance@sc.younglife.org. We can also help you with the change of address or giving information.
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Friends,
In today’s culture, the word “legacy” can often be overused, thereby diminishing the power behind its meaning. We speak of building monuments, setting records, and other achievements as ways of measuring a person’s impact. As fine as these may be, the writer of Ecclesiastes proclaims that God has set eternity in the hearts of men and women, and therefore we long for our lives to have an everlasting meaning. We desire far more than temporal accomplishments, that can only last for so long.
We have titled this issue of The Relationships Journal “The Legacy Edition,” where we explore impact through what Young Life is all about: relational ministry. We’ll see this in the stories covering …
• A 70-year-old “Campaigner kid” reaching out to his old high school classmates.
• African elders and their decades-long prayers for kids on the continent.
• The abundant life embodied in a man who was with us for only 49 years.
• That same man’s father, an NFL Hall of Fame coach and NASCAR owner, looking to continue to influence lives until he stands in the presence of the Father.
For more than 60 years, longtime Young Life staff, Mal McSwain, articulated and lived out the principle to “meet kids as if you are going to know them for the rest of your life.” Mal, now in the presence of the Savior who inspired this idea, exemplified what it means to leave a legacy of friendship.*
May others say of us, when our time here has run its course, that we were people who loved well. Who changed lives merely by our presence. Who, ultimately, pointed them to Jesus simply by how we lived.
Thank you for linking arms with us as we point kids to the One who created this world, and changed the course of history by sending his Son to us. His legacy is the one we can never get enough of, and it changes everyone’s story!
Newt
*Read more about this in Friends for Life: Mal McSwain’s Ministry of Accompaniment.
Could This Be the Beginning of a Real Revival?
An In-Depth Look From Axis
NEW DATA SHOWS GEN Z IS REVERSING A YEARSLONG TREND OF RELIGIOUS AMBIVALENCE.
For years, the narrative about religion in America was Christianity was in decline — and, some worried, it might never recover. According to some estimates, as many as 1% of Christians were leaving the faith each year. And for over a decade, we saw a corresponding rise of the “nones,” people who claimed no religious affiliation. This group, which swelled i to include nearly 30% of U.S. adults, isn’t anti-religious. Many of them say they believe in God. But this belief doesn’t translate to religious behaviors, like church attendance, reading the Bible, or even praying regularly.
But new data suggests Gen Z marches to their own beat.
According to Barna’s 2025 “State of the Church” surveyii , young people’s interest in the teachings of Jesus is at a higher level than it has been in years. And sociologists are now saying the “nones” may have hit their ceiling, as their number has failed to grow meaningfully since 2023.
In 2021, only 54% of Americans said they had a personal commitment to Jesus that was still important to them today. But now, Barna’s research puts this number at 66% — driven mostly by a change of heart from Gen Z and millennials. This 12% increase represents 30 million more Americans who are following Jesus.
The Barna survey also found a huge number of people who decline to identify as Christian still say they have made a commitment to Jesus, making up nearly three in 10 of the people surveyed. Barna’s researchers say this number is currently near an all-time high, and speculate this “may be due to a combination of people returning to their faith and new people becoming interested in Jesus, without identifying as Christian.”
This data tells us young people are interested in Jesus as a person: his life, his miracles, and his instructions for living. But unlike some previous generations, they aren’t necessarily eager to assign this interest to a “Christian” identity. Gen Z loves to consider themselves open-minded, and it turns out their open-mindedness even applies to ideas millennials found conservative or regressive.
But demographic information is only one of a few hopeful indicators about Gen Z’s openness to Jesus.
“... young people’s interest in the teachings of Jesus is at a higher level than it has been in years.”
INTEGRATING THE SPIRITUAL WITH THE TECHNOLOGICAL
In the first half of 2024, Contemporary Christian Music was the fourth-fastest growing music genre, according to a Billboard analysis. And market research firm Luminate iii says millennials and younger listeners now make up 45% of total listeners in the genre.
And then there’s the increase in Bible usage. In the State of the Bible: USA 2025 survey, 54% of Gen Z said the Bible had transformed their lives. Young people are more and more likely to use Bible apps and engage with Scripture online, and they are doing so increasingly. Part of it could be the Bible is finally, really and truly, easily accessible through apps and online reading plans. “Gen Z’s preferences are really different from other generations. Older generations prefer to read the Bible, whether physically or digitally. Gen Z is a more audio-visual generation and are just as likely to watch Bible content as they are to read it,” says Dr. John Plake, American Bible Society’s chief innovation officer.
According to this year’s State of the Bible survey, a full 60% of Gen Z digital Bible users access the Bible in a video format and over half (53%) listen to it in an audio format at least monthly. Podcasts and YouTube are among Gen Z’s top three platforms for accessing Bible content. The rise of the celebrityendorsed prayer and meditation app, Hallow, and the success of the Bible-reading app, YouVersion, show how young people are starting to integrate ancient spiritual disciplines into their techforward routines.
Young men, in particular, have been making their way back to in-person church services, leveling out a decade of attrition in the pews. Male Gen Zers are actually more likely to attend church regularly than millennials, and even some Gen Xers. As Ryan Burge, assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, observed in his Graphs about Religion Substackiv, “The weekly attendance rates for men born around 2000 is 25% — about three points higher than men who were born twentyfive years earlier.”
THE VIBE SHIFT
Several of Gen Z’s biggest influencers are expressing their own openness to Christianity. This past spring, Dr. Jordan Peterson debated 25 atheists at once, making the case Christianity can’t be dismissed or disproven. And Joe Rogan, the most popular podcaster on the planet, has reportedly been attending church regularly and keeping in touch with one of his interviewees, the Canadian apologist Wesley Huff.
This isn’t just a few famous people experiencing a moment of conviction. This is a mindset shift — a reflection of how willing public figures have become to explore and discuss the realities of the spiritual dimension.
“The rise of the celebrity-endorsed prayer and meditation app, Hallow, and the success of the Biblereading app, YouVersion, show how young people are starting to integrate ancient spiritual disciplines into their tech-forward routines.”
At Axis, we translate pop culture to help parents and caring adults understand and disciple their teenagers. For more help understanding your teen’s world, go to axis.org and sign up for our Culture Translator newsletter.
“From what we’re hearing, the leading theory is that the material (and virtual) secular world has failed to offer meaning and purpose,” Plake says. “This generation is looking to ground their identity in something deeper and isn’t afraid to follow their intuition. They’re exploring spirituality in general and many are finding hope, purpose, and healing in a book that transcends time and culture and speaks directly to their God-created souls.”
And we see this mindset, which some have referred to as “the vibe shift,” playing out in so many facets of modern life. Gen Z may have grown up watching TikToks about manifesting, following tarot influencers, or even experimenting with astral projection. But as they mature and look for a spiritual place to come home, many are looking past New Age nonsense and toward ancient wisdom.
More than any other generation, they’re able to see through the shallow and, at times, silly prioritization of hustle and clout. Instead of
self-gratification, they’re seeking sobriety in so many aspects of their lives. They binge drink less, they take fewer drugs, they average fewer sexual partners. Their rates of high-risk behavior are historically low. Maybe some of this risk-aversion is fueled by anxiety and uncertainty. But maybe some of it comes out of recognizing a life based on maximizing personal pleasure is actually quite limiting.
Writer and anti-tech activist, August Lamm, described the vibe shift in a post on X last year, writing, “I’m calling it right now, abstention is the new big thing; sobriety, celibacy, digital minimalism, dumb phones, and religion. The age of hedonistic hyperconsumption is over. We are moving into a new peaceful age marked by moderation and self-discipline.”
But sober-mindedness alone doesn’t ensure Jesus lands where he belongs in Gen Z’s hearts. Without the transformative power of confession and redemption, these practices could just become a form of stoicism or self-righteousness. Youth leaders, parents, and caring adults should know young people are actually searching for guidance, mentorship, and the truth of the gospel that will transform their lives — we have to be ready to meet them where they are.
i https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/01/24/has-the-rise-ofreligious-nones-come-to-an-end-in-the-us/
ii https://www.barna.com/research/belief-in-jesus-rises/
iii https://luminatedata.com/blog/the-new-wave-of-christian-and-gospel-music/
iv https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/the-religion-of-americas-young-adults
Snapshots From Around the World
MADE POSSIBLE BY YOU.
Honduras
POURING INTO FUTURE LEADERS
Young Life hosted a discipleship camp for teenagers this April. There were 69 total campers and leaders in attendance! We are praising God for the opportunity after over a year of not being able to host a discipleship camp. We look forward to seeing how the young people in attendance will grow into the future Young Life leaders of Honduras!
Mongolia
THE FIRST YOUNG LIVES MINISTRY
A couple of amazing teen moms in Young Life Mongolia’s Capernaum ministry initiated the start of the first YoungLives ministry in the country. Our incredible Capernaum staff chose to lovingly grow with them as they navigate their new roles as mothers. YoungLives Mongolia held their first camp in 2024 and have been meeting regularly each month ever since. This ministry continues to grow as more young parents find support and love.
“We have seen this spirit of teachability and willingness in the Young Lives team there as they continue to go out into the world of teen mothers and serve them with such humility, creativity, and love!” — Katie Farmer, YoungLives Coordinator Asia Pacific
Trinidad
TOGETHER WE GROW
Trinidad is entering its fourth year of having Young Life ministry. The one full-time staff person, one part-time staff person, and one Developing Global Leaders student have just completed two years of running camp locally. We are excited to share the good news of Jesus’ love with the 40-50 kids who regularly attend club!
AGoodName
WHAT GOD CAN PROVIDE THROUGH A MAN DEVOTED TO HIM.
Entering the last lap in Phoenix, Aric Almirola was in second place of the March 8 race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He was racing on the inside, but couldn’t overtake the lead car. Down the back straightaway he was still behind and running out of time, with only two more quick turns left. Taking the inside on turns three and
four, he came out nose-to-nose for the finish. Aric accelerated out of the final turn, going over 150 mph, and took the checkered flag.
The strange thing about it? Aric, watched by millions as he won, was driving a Young Life-branded car.
Above his door there was a name — JD Gibbs.
This is the story of JD and what his
By Jeff Chesemore
name has to do with this car, a barn, and just some of the countless people his life has touched …
THE RACE
In the 1980s, JD attended Oakton High School, where he and his younger brother, Coy, discovered Young Life. Their father was the legendary Washington Redskins
A picture of legacy: JD’s barn, his people, and a car that bears his name.
coach Joe Gibbs, who, with his wife, Pat, often hosted Young Life club in their Virginia home. The brothers were quick to invite their friends.
One such friend — JD’s best friend, in fact — was Dave Alpern. They were club kids who also went to Campaigners (Young Life’s Bible study). Together, they formed a selfproclaimed “band of brothers” — 10 friends who graduated together in 1987, as well as their Young Life leaders, Rick Beckwith and John Colston.
After college JD co-founded Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) with his father, the NFL Hall of Fame coach. He married Melissa and became a dad to Jackson, Miller, Jason, and Taylor. And he stayed connected to Young Life through it all, bringing humility, intentionality, care, and joy to every interaction. In 2014 JD began suffering from a neurological condition that led to his passing in 2019 at the age of 49. Despite this tragedy, his legacy continues through people like Dave Alpern.
Dave, who had worked at JGR almost as long as his best friend, succeeded JD as the president. And given their shared history with the mission, when a group of creative donors wanted to sponsor and brand a Young Life car this year, it became a full-circle moment.
“Having a car with Young Life on it for me is almost surreal,” Dave
said. “We’re typically featuring corporations as our sponsors, and now we spotlight a ministry on the car. A ministry that’s changed generations of my family; a ministry I’ve devoted my life to, and my family has too.”
Dave and Coach Gibbs are excited to use the car as a vehicle (pun intended) for ministry with Young Life kids at the different races. “It’s been amazing,” Dave said. “We now have an entire day to give these kids an experience they can’t get anywhere else: to talk about how Young Life has impacted my life, Coach’s life, our race team, even the existence of our race team!”
Placing JD’s name above the driver’s window of the number 19 car was a fitting tribute to the man who helped bring Young Life and JGR together. Driver Aric Almirola shared the thinking behind the move: “Going into this year and the opportunity to represent Young Life, it just made so much sense. We all know JD’s heavy involvement with Young Life, along with Dave, Coach, and everybody in the Gibbs family. We talked with Melissa, and she gave it her blessing, as did Coach. For me personally, I have two kids who are almost ready to start Young Life, so it just really hits home for us too.”
It’s been a winning collaboration, with many NASCAR fans engaging with Young Life, but more importantly,
with the abundant life Jesus has to offer. For JD this would be the ultimate victory lap.
THE SPACE
Before there was a car with JD’s name on it, though, there was “The Hoedown Barn.”
It’s the oldest structure at Windy Gap, Young Life’s camp in Weaverville, North Carolina. The building preexisted the camp, and once housed cattle and stored feed. Since Windy Gap’s opening in 1970, the barn has served hundreds of thousands of kids and fed their appetite for fun. The place was dedicated to JD in 2019, the year of his passing, with a sign reading “JD’s Supplies,” appropriate considering his tireless development efforts for the camp. He was so committed to kids hearing the good news that he spent countless hours raising funds for Windy Gap and nearby Charlotte’s multiethnic ministries. But he also thought globally, serving faithfully on Young Life’s Board of Trustees.
In 2024 Hurricane Helene tore through Weaverville. Along with massive flooding throughout the camp, two trees fell through the roof of the barn. Major repairs would be needed to restore the historic space.
On May 17, 2025, the camp staff finished rebuilding the structure, with some finishing touches added by JD’s closest friends, the aforementioned
JD Gibbs
Dave Alpern alongside the signature.
band of brothers. After a moving ceremony, JD’s sons rehung the sign that bears his name.
The supplies listed along the bottom of the sign read, “Worms / Crickets / Feed / Hay,” but what this barn really supplies is music, energy, laughter, and joy. It’s a space where kids can be kids, screaming, clapping, dancing, and singing to their heart’s delight. Here they experience true life, and at the end of the hoedown, the work crew and summer staff swoop in bearing trays filled with ice cream sundaes for everyone. A perfect ending to the night.
JD would want it no other way.
THE GRACE
Years before appearing on a race car, or a sign outside a barn, JD’s name was held in high regard by the people he interacted with every day. One can find examples of JD’s heart for high school kids all the way back to when he was one himself.
“JD Gibbs was the starting quarterback of the football team as a sophomore, and probably the most popular kid in school,” said Dave. “He had every reason to behave like the popular kids in movies, but he didn’t. He was humble, smiled all the time, and invited the less popular kids to sit with him at the lunch table, or he’d go sit at theirs. JD recognized the influence he had because of his position. He was naturally living out this grace-filled relationship with Jesus as a high school kid.”
JD also lavished this grace on Dave and the rest of the band of brothers. The group has stayed in touch to this day over text chains, annual events, and any excuse they can find to be together. Today, they love and support each other through everything life brings their way — the celebrations and sorrows, all seeking to follow the Lord together no matter how many miles lay between them.
They’re also happy to play the part of mentors to JD’s sons and nephews (Coy passed unexpectedly in 2022), who themselves are forging their own
legacies through various avenues: volunteering with Young Life, their work at JGR, and other ways.
The Gibbs women, Melissa and Heather (Coy’s widow), are also creating lasting change, Dave said. “Melissa has started her own ministry with her Christian school and Heather serves as co-owner at JGR. God has been faithful to and through the Gibbs family.”
Coach Gibbs who, alongside Pat, helped lay the spiritual foundation for his family, is quick to point out what he’s received in return. “I kind of do big things, speaking in public and all that. But what I witnessed with JD was caring for the individual. There’s story after story where he did not take the approach of ‘I’m the person who’s special here.’ Instead, he was always the person looking to try and help somebody else.”
More than 1,000 people attended JD’s Celebration of Life service, and well over one million have viewed it online — a testament to his reputation.
Proverbs 22:1 states, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” While JD would never contradict this Scripture, he might redirect our attention.
In true JD fashion he’d point us not to himself, but to Jesus, the name above every name.
COACH JOE GIBBS ON THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS
Joe Gibbs is well acquainted with success, his Super Bowl victories and NASCAR championships being the stuff of legends. But he’s also no stranger to tragedy, losing both his sons, JD and Coy, in the prime of their lives. Today, at 84, the man is laser-focused on what he wants his life to reflect.
ON
HIS MESSAGE
“When I speak to people I tell them, ‘I’m going to share with you the most important thing ever shared with me: You’re no accident. An all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving God looked down and knit you together in your mother’s womb. That’s how you got here, and he wants to have a personal relationship with you. The most important decision we make in life is giving our life to Christ.’”
ON HIS LEGACY
“The most important thing we leave on this earth is the influence we’ve had on others. You know where I’ve struggled at times, particularly when I was coaching and still a little bit over here [at JGR], is keeping the right priorities in life:
The influence we’re having on others,
The third thing should be our
Sometimes I get all that turned around and that’s
I’ve been blessed to have two occupational dreams: coaching the Redskins and owning a race team. I know I’m playing in the fourth quarter of my life; I’m in a two-minute offense and I’m not going back in the huddle! So what are the creative ways I can use my life and the platform I’ve been given?
I know I’ve been given a lot and I want to finish strong.”
To learn more about Dave, JD, Coach Gibbs, and their relationship with Jesus, check out Dave’s book, Taking Lead
A Mountain, a vision, a papa,
By Diana Nkhoma and Mackenzie Self
and a mama
HOW GOD IS ANSWERING THE PRAYERS OF THE AFRICAN FAITHFUL IN HISTORIC WAYS.
What can happen when 17 people climb Mt. Kilimanjaro with the sole purpose of praying for teenagers, the largest population in Africa? In 2001, this very undertaking occurred, and the continent hasn’t been the same since.
In the days leading up to the climb, a man by the name of Deodatus Peter Kiara attended a large prayer revival in Arusha, Tanzania, at Sheikh Abeid National Stadium. Nearly 10,000 intercessors from almost every Christian denomination met to lift up the young people of Africa. Once the prayer event had concluded, Deodatus, along with 16 other concerned adults, began the ascent up Mt. Kilimanjaro.
“We carried 52 stones on our backs,” Deodatus said, “each stone representing a country in Africa, which we had already spent seven days individually covering in prayer. At the summit of the mountain, we presented the stones to God, praying over each African country and asking God to send faithful men and women with a heart for teenagers. We also prayed for peace across the continent and for young people to embrace the gospel within the suffering they are experiencing.”
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS UNDER A COCONUT TREE
There Deodatus and the group saw a vision from the Lord. “We saw a large map of Africa with young people popping through the map. These young people were smiling and laughing, and then the vision expanded, and we could see the map of the entire continent of Africa, stars began popping up all over the continent — a few at first, and then they covered the map.” After returning from the mountain, Deodatus had another vision from God of the stars turning into fires, lighting up all around the continent: The Lord was going to spread the gospel to teenagers across Africa. This vision motivated him to start befriending young people in his area, who gave him the nickname “Papa Deo” because they saw him as a father figure in their life. Three years after returning from the climb, Deo met Steve, a leader with Young Life Africa. The two were introduced at a youth ministry event in Hong Kong through a mutual friend. Steve invited Deo to a Young Life leader training in Addis Ababa to experience the ministry. After spending three weeks in an intensive training period, Deo realized the Lord would use Young Life
Irene accompanied Papa Deo to that first leadership training in Ethiopia.
“When we started,” she recalled, “I never imagined it could go to this extent. One of the challenges we had was that our culture could not accept an elder befriending a teenager; it is not common for adults outside of family members to be interested in the lives of young people around them. Though a challenge, we made it, through Jesus.” Mama Irene served on Young Life staff for a time and is now a supportive mentor and mother figure to students in the Developing Global Leaders program (a sponsorship program that offers Young Life leaders in the world’s developing countries the opportunity to attend university and impact their community with the gospel).
Below: Papa Deo speaking at Young Life
BEYOND ALL IMAGINATION
When Papa Deo and Mama Irene first started reaching teenagers in their area almost a quarter of a century ago, they had no idea Young Life Africa would grow to where it is now. All they knew was that teenagers in Africa needed adults who loved them well. Since then, God has been fulfilling the vision they had on Kilimanjaro: Young Life in Africa now reaches more than 2.8 million teenagers in 30 African countries, fueled by more than 33,000 volunteer leaders and almost 600 staff serving faithfully. When Papa Deo dreamed the hearts of young people in Africa would be impacted by the gospel, he didn’t imagine how many lives this dream would change for eternity.
Since that time, Papa Deo has served as a ministry leader and mentor to the next generation of leaders and helped pioneer Young Life in new countries in Africa. He now serves as the director of Spiritual Formation for Young Life Africa and continues hosting daily prayer meetings with the original team of intercessors at their prayer center in Dar es Salaam. He is a mentor and a source of wisdom for the next generation.
In 2024, Papa Deo and a few others led the Young Life Africa team through
a yearlong plan called “The Year of the Holy Spirit.” They developed devotionals, prayer materials, and trainings to help Young Life staff across Africa grow in their understanding of prayer, fasting, and intercession. After 20 years, he led the charge to recommit the ministry back to the Lord.
That year, clubs across Africa took intentional breaks to make more time for prayer, fasting, and one-on-one discipleship. As a result, people all over the continent experienced freedom and tasted the Lord’s goodness in intimate ways. “My dream for the next generation,” Papa Deo said, “is to see them continue to embrace technology as a way of reaching out to Gen Z through the internet.”
Over the course of his 20-plus-year prayer, Papa Deo has seen the Lord answer immeasurably more than he could have ever imagined. He listened to God, and God included him in one of the biggest movements of the Holy Spirit in the history of Africa, and probably the world. Because he chose to be faithful, Papa Deo has been a witness to men and women across the continent rising up to repent, to follow, and to lead others to a love of Jesus.
Young Life in Africa now reaches more than 2.8 million teenagers in 30 African countries, fueled by more than 33,000 volunteer leaders and almost 600 staff serving faithfully.
QUESTIONS FOR DREAMERS!
1. What dreams has the Lord placed upon your heart? (If you don’t know, ask him to show them to you.)
2. What are some things you’re waiting upon?
3. What’s the first step he’s asking you to take?
Kids in Sierra Leone with their leader (far right).
Mama Irene
Never Too Late
In 1973, a brand-new high school graduate jumped on a bus to Young Life camp, met Christ that week, and came home forever changed. While filled with joy over his new life, he couldn’t help thinking about all his fellow graduates he’d love to introduce to Jesus, except now with high school over, that seemed hopeless.
Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” (NIV).
This is the story of Joe Belinko’s “tree of life” — a longing fulfilled that’s a half century in the making!
Young Life came to Franklin High School (FHS) in Reisterstown, Maryland, Joe’s senior year. He loved his leaders, John and Pat Gerstmyer, attended club weekly, and quickly signed up to go to Silver Cliff Ranch,
Joe came on Young Life student staff in 1976 while in college, and began full-time staff in 1979, ministering in Maryland’s Baltimore and Carroll counties. His faithful career was one of the longest in YOU CAN TAKE THE MAN OUT OF YOUNG LIFE, BUT …
By Jeff Chesemore
Young Life’s camp in Buena Vista, Colorado. Here he began a relationship with Jesus, and prepared himself for the next chapter in his life.
That fall Joe started college and became a volunteer leader at his old high school. The irony of returning there as a leader was not lost on him. “I was reaching out to students at Franklin, but never had an opportunity to talk about Christ with those in my own class,” Joe said. “I prayed for them, but wasn’t in contact with them. Thinking my classmates may not know Christ bothered me.”
Joe, back row left, and Karen, front row left, with friends at Saranac.
the mission’s history, lasting 45 years. Joe retired in 2022; the next year marked his 50-year high school reunion. In hindsight, it proved to be providential timing ...
CONTACT WORK WITH 60-SOMETHINGS
The FHS Class of ’73 reunion planning team needed a place to host the event. “We’d had a wedding on our property around this time,” Joe said. “I invited the planning team to come the day after to look at the setup. They loved the property and I offered our place to host the reunion. They also asked me to join the planning team.
“This was not even on my radar, but I became excited about reconnecting with my Franklin classmates.”
Joe now saw the opportunity to do something that had been on his heart for 50 years — care for his classmates and talk about Christ with them. But he didn’t wait until the day of the reunion.
“Basically I started right up doing Young Life-type ministry with my classmates. I felt called to love, serve, and invest in them so I began building and rebuilding relationships. The first thing I did was start monthly lunch gatherings in June, a year before our reunion. This to me was like the contact work we do with kids in Young Life.
Joe’s wife, Karen, was also fully invested from the start, and that winter the couple held a party at their house that
40 classmates attended. “I did some fun Young Life-style program, putting together words and memories on little pieces of paper associated with our high school years and the people I picked to come up front had to guess them. They had so much fun. This started to break down barriers — just like what happens at club.”
Joe was excited, to say the least, and he knew exactly who to encourage with the news. “I called the Gerstmyers and said their prayers from 50 years ago were being answered; students they’d prayed for in 1973 who didn’t come to Young Life are being invested in today!”
FIRST-TIMERS
In September 2023, the night of the 50 th reunion finally arrived. It’s no surprise Joe and Karen did everything they could to make it special.
“We had 120 attend and again, I did program. We played games and had a Back to the Future-type skit where a classmate and I dressed up in 1973 clothes and traveled through time to 2023. We walked into the reunion with our yearbook and pretended we couldn’t recognize those who were voted most athletic, best looking, etc.! Then, someone playing Doc came in and transported us all back to 1973, which started our dance party.”
One month later the Belinkos hosted a Young Life-style country hoedown at their barn. There were high-energy songs,
Franklin High School classmates enjoying time together in Fenwick Island, Delaware.
FOUR COURSES ON DELAYED “HIGH SCHOOL” MINISTRY:
HISTORY: “God is not bound by time. Five-plus decades of prayers are being answered!”
MATH: “Age truly is just a number. We’re never too old to serve others. My classmates say I’m not doing Young Life anymore, but Old Life!”
GEOGRAPHY: “We can care for others wherever God has placed us.”
ENGLISH: “We should talk to our friends about the Father, and we should talk to the Father about our friends. Today I’m like a Campaigner kid — praying for classmates using my 1973 yearbook.”
“This is both a God story and a Young Life story. All the missional truths are in play. Winning the right to be heard. Meeting people where they are. Building trusting relationships. Listening. Using humor and fun events to break down barriers. God uses these principles to accomplish his purpose. We offer ourselves to God to use us for his glory.”
corny jokes, and a square dance to top it all off. Joe asked classmates to be a part of the hillbilly band. And just like teenagers at camp, everyone had a blast.
Joe and the reunion team followed this up with a weekend in Ocean City, Maryland, the following spring. Thirty-eight classmates came out for fun and community. “It was a shared experience to deepen relationships, just like a Young Life weekend.”
Each of these events — the lunches, the reunion, the hoedown, and the weekend — helped build momentum for the next logical step ... a week at camp! Joe and Karen served as adult guest hosts to 11 classmates at Saranac Village, Young Life’s camp in Upstate New York.
“That was a miracle. It speaks volumes about my classmates that they’d embark on such an adventure together, and trusted me enough to go. This, of course, deepened relationships and opened the door to talk even more about life and Christ. They heard the gospel at club and this opened up spiritual conversations. Keep in mind this was the first Young Life activity they’d ever been to! They never went to club or camp while in high school. Everything was new. The assignment team, work crew, and summer staff were all praying and had meaningful interactions with them. Everyone knew how unique this was.”
AND IT SHOWS!
The classmates have very much appreciated what the Belinkos are doing, Joe said. “Even some teachers we had have come to our monthly lunches!”
But don’t just take Joe’s word for it. Here’s a tiny sampling of responses from Franklin alums:
Thanks again for all you do for the classes of ’73 and ’74 and the lunches! Boy was Friday an incredible day for me! — Mr. Z
Joe, it’s not just Saranac. You’re just so excited about everything we do. And all the plans you make can’t help but make everyone else excited. — Jacqie
I/We appreciate all of your thoughts, prayers, and loving actions. You and Karen are true Christian role models and humble servants of God. You truly live the Word — and it shows! We had a wonderful time last night. Thank you again. Hope the cleanup was not too painful!!! — Maureen
We didn’t really know each other in high school but I think, if we had the time, we would have
Joe and friends preparing to lead the hoedown.
been close friends. I’m so glad God is in control. I’m glad he has brought us together as brothers in our later years! I’m looking forward to the reunion and I have you to thank for that. — Paul
IT’S WHO WE ARE
Today, Joe and many from his class continue to meet for their monthly lunch gatherings. “Between 15 to 25 people normally attend, and I’ve had many share their life story. When it was my turn, I shared about meeting Jesus back in 1973, and what my life has been like since then.”
Along with the local lunch gathering, there are now two more: one in Ocean City where some classmates have retired, and there’s another for those who live in Florida. As for what’s next? Joe’s hosting a quarterly event called “The Franklin Life and Faith Gathering,” a time modeled after both club and Campaigners.
But the success of all this hasn’t gone to Joe’s head.
“I’m very thankful for my Franklin classmates who are involved and work hard to make all these events happen. This isn’t about me, but what God is doing through Christ in me. I’m just thrilled God is using me. My main goal is to love and serve my class of ’73. To have the aroma of Christ in everything we do and pray for opportunities to talk about Jesus and help my friends to grow in their faith.
“In retirement I’m reminded I’m not a follower of Young Life, but of Christ. We were made for this! It’s who we are. For 50 years God used my calling to reach kids, but the gifts he gave me and what I learned in ministry all those years have prepared me for this. Nothing really changed. Young Life is a biblical, Christ-centered ministry, totally in line with how Jesus loved, served, and reached people. I pray Young Life never changes its purpose.”
Nor you, Joe. Nor you.
Joe with his leaders, John and Pat Gerstmyer.
It’s a Wonderful Legacy
By Jeff Chesemore
“Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” Clarence the angel in It’s a Wonderful Life
In this all-time classic, George Bailey receives the gift of seeing what the world would be like without him. With the help of Clarence, our despondent hero witnesses the positive ripples his life has created, not only on his family and friends, but his entire hometown of Bedford Falls, and yes, even the world. Ironically, his absence reveals his legacy.
Most would agree the ultimate imprint we can leave behind is a life lived for others, and this is true of George Bailey. But there’s no doubt who the ultimate “legacy leaver” is. Of course, this title belongs to Jesus. No other life compares.
Jesus’ influence certainly can’t be captured in this brief space. In fact,
the apostle John writes an entire 21-chapter Gospel on Jesus only to conclude:
“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25, NIV 1984).
Now that’s saying something!
So let’s take Clarence’s observation one step further: what would life be like without Jesus?
One shudders to think of the ramifications. Tragically, though, this isn’t a rhetorical question for many kids. They experience this reality every day. They’ve never known the Savior, nor the love, hope, joy, and peace they can only find in him.
This is the reason Young Life exists. To let kids know there’s far more to living than brokenness and hurt, and
that life was never intended to be this way. But there’s good news: their heavenly Father loves them and has provided deliverance from sin through his Son. In returning to John’s Gospel, we also read why the apostle chose to write about Jesus:
“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31, NIV 1984).
Our prayer is for every kid to believe in Jesus, and by believing have life in his name.
And upon receiving this new life, they’d begin to embrace the unique legacy he has for each one of us!
Kids. The Bible.
The John Project is a guided journal that helps teens actually want to read the Bible. It’s written with them in mind: honest questions, space to process, and zero cheesy devotionals.
It includes the entire Gospel of John in the trusted and readable New Living Translation, a great help for anyone taking the next step in their spiritual journey.
It’s perfect for anyone who’s asking, “Who is Jesus, really?”
