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A Note from Our Committee Chair
My name is Brad Cumming, and I am currently the Young Life Committee Chair, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. For those of you who might be interested in what being Committee Chair is all about, or those who are currently on Committee, or considering helping out, or even watching from a distance, wondering what this is all about….. I thought I’d share my experiences in Young life, over the past few years.
My daughter (Amy) was involved in Young Life at Cox High School in Va Beach. After the Fall Banquet, in her senior year, my wife Laurie and I were invited to the Young Life Camp at Rockbridge, for the Va Beach Fall Week-end. This was our first encounter with an extended time when the kids are given the opportunity to hear a complete description of what Christ can mean to their lives. We were astounded to see the number of typical High School kids who committed themselves to a life with Christ that week-end. It was striking to us to see the positive affect that Young Life had on so many teenagers in a time when so many others are falling in to destructive behaviors, and we felt like we wanted to be a part of that solution. Also, we enjoyed the company of the other Committee members, so shortly after that week-end we joined on as one of the folks on the Va Beach Committee.
We enjoyed the fellowship we had with our Committee and had a great time helping out with the fund raising events. We talked openly at the meetings about how the finances were coming along and how our Leaders were progressing at our area schools. Again, there are so many uplifting stories that the Staff members brought to the meetings, that was hard not to stay excited about the affect that Young Life has on the Community. After close to two years, it was time for our Committee Chair to step down. When I was asked to take on that responsibility, I hesitated (4 Months….). Since I had other volunteer commitments, and a new job, I was afraid that I might get in over my head, and not be able to do what was expected of me. But, after praying about the decision, God put it in my heart to take this new challenge on.
Did I say challenge? Surprise!, we came in to the fall with a great plan to grow the ministry, and reach kids, but were faced with one of the biggest economic downturns in the Nations history. The immediate effect was apparent, as the donations needed to support the Club activities, Office and Staff, trickled off. Recognizably, we weren’t alone in this challenge. Almost all Churches, Ministries and other donor supported organizations faced the same dilemma. To come up with a plan to bridge this gap, the staff and I spent some hours together devising cost saving measures and ways to raise additional donations to cover the climbing deficit…and praying. After all the planning, we came to a devastating realization. We had to let one of the paid staff go. It was a heart wrenching decision and didn’t even solve the whole financial problem.
But, it also soon became obvious that we WEREN’T alone in this challenge. True to Hebrews 6:9-12, we continued to be faithful, pray and tried to resolve the problem in ways that were respectful to our Lord. I couldn’t put my finger on a specific event that started to get us around the corner. We called our supporters and shared the predicament with them. We made a conscious effort to cut back on expenses. But the preponderance of the credit goes to prayer. Each month, just as we were predicting a deficit, some “event” happened to pull us through. There were timely donors, backlogged Monthly donations, even math errors. Each explainable, but cumulatively they only make sense at the hand of our Lord. So, with some tough decisions, lots of help from above, and patients from our Regional Director, we’ve managed to make it through the year, thus far. We’re not out of the woods yet, but we’re going to continue to work hard and trust that God will provide us with a plan that is best. Whatever it is.
So, it’s been an exciting year so far. But the most exciting part for me is the 10 minutes during each Committee meeting, when one of our Leaders tells us about the experiences they’ve had with their Kids and Club. If there’s any doubt about why we should stay engaged with this ministry, spend 15 minutes with one of the Leaders who meet and talk with the kids in the schools. There are lives being changed every day, for the better. Those lives will touch others and will continue to make our communities fertile ground for Jesus’ love. I’m not sure how much Young Life has benefited from me being a part of it, the last few years. But, I know my life, and my outlook on other’s lives, have benefited from Young Life and all of the Leaders, Staff and Committee members, who are a part of it. That’s what keeps me coming back. I hope you will too. |