Would You Consider Financially Supporting Us This Year?

Friends & Family,

It’s impossible to cram the experience of being a Young Life leader into this short letter. I wish I could take you with me into the halls of Northwest Guilford High School. I wish you could’ve smelled our bus after the 36-hour drive to Colorado this summer. I wish you could have sat with us on the floor of the cabin on night 3 of camp as a circle of teenage boys poured out their hearts. I asked them, “Fellas, being as honest as you can, what words would you use to describe the real you?” After a brief silence, they answered one by one. I tried to hide my tears as I took notes on their answers in my little red notebook.  “Stressed out.”  “Liar.”  “Confused and Weak.”  “Ungrateful.”  “Pressured and Two-faced.”  “Afraid.”  “Frustrated.”  “Jealous.”  “Ashamed.”  “Distant.”  “A disappointment.”   “Fake.”  “A Loser.”  “Irrelevant.”

For the Christmas season Natalie decorated a chalkboard that hangs on the wall in our kitchen. On it she wrote the words from Isaiah 9:2, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”  That week at camp I had the incredible privilege of watching several of my high school friends encounter the “great light” of Jesus.” It never gets old. But I also came home with other kids who continue to walk in darkness, shame, fear, and confusion. Being a Young Life leader is hard on the heart. It often feels like I have a front row seat at a boxing match where the kids I love are repeatedly pummeled by the world. Yet…“we take heart, for He has overcome the world (John 16:33).”

This is my 16th year being a YL leader. I know from experience that it’s hard and often lonely, so four years ago I had an idea to create a space online where leaders could connect, be encouraged, and easily find helpful resources. In December of 2010 I started ‘The Young Life Leader Blog.’ It started small but has grown to become the primary resource for Young Life leaders worldwide. It’s now called YoungLifeLeaders.org and is regularly used by more than 15,000 leaders. The site has close to 2 million pageviews and over 22,000 social media followers.

As the volume of users has increased so has the demand on my time. Last December Young Life asked me to go on part-time staff and start raising financial support. Now, in addition to my role as an associate pastor at Redeemer, I work 15 hours/week for the YL Communications department. My job is to provide current resources for the 40,000 volunteer Young Life leaders around the world. In September I hired Stacey Greene to work with me as an administrative assistant for the site (5-10 hours/week). Stacey is in the Greensboro Fellows program and has been a huge blessing.

In order for me and Stacey to both be funded through 2015 I need to raise $15,000. Last year I had 11 different folks donate one-time gifts. I also had 6 folks support me on a monthly basis totaling $280/month ($3,360/year). If that monthly support continues in 2015 it leaves $11,640 left to raise. Would you consider supporting us monthly or with a one-time gift? I get so pumped thinking about how this one little website can encourage and resource THOUSANDS of leaders, who will in turn reach MILLIONS of teenagers. Thank you in advance for your investment in me & this ministry.

Gratefully yours,

Drew, Nat, Honey, Hutch, & Heart

                             

HOW TO GIVE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION

MAIL A CHECK

Mail to: Young Life 420 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, C0. 80903. Make payable to ‘Young Life.’ Include “1900- Drew Hill” in the memo.

GIVE ONLINE

Give A One Time Gift

Give A Monthly Recurring Gift

The links above will direct you to the YL giving site, with my Communications dept number ‘1900’ already entered in. Leave the 'special designation' area blank but please write my name in the ‘sponsoring’ box. If you need help, feel free to call or email me. 

THANK YOU!