Young Life Stephenville: building from the ground up

BY LINDSEY HUGHES / Multimedia Journalist

Young Life is a Christian ministry organization that focuses on building Godly relationships with middle school, high school and college students. Its goal is to meet students where they are, to have leaders build strong bonds with kids, teenagers and young adults and to earn the right to share the Gospel. 

Committee members Julie Allen and Pamela Hershman are just two of many driving forces that have made it possible for Young Life to start fresh in Stephenville. They are active members of Stephenville’s community, specifically in church settings and Stephenville’s middle and high schools. 

“We believe that every student should have the opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and make a decision about it for themselves,” Hershman said.

The history of Young Life is rich, the organization began as a prayer group in the 1930’s and was built up by Clara Fisher to pray for highschoolers and teenagers in Gainesville, Texas. The two main components of Young Life are Club and Camp. Eventually, these two main components of the mission were set into place, and the Young life that now exists was born. 

Young Life Club is a gathering at which there is fun singing, a short message about Jesus Christ and often some sort of skit or game. Ultimately, Club is about relationship building and providing a space for students to spend time in a Christian community.

Young Life camps are by far the most well-known aspect of the organization, often being referred to as “The best week of your life” by former campers & the association. 

These retreats are held on 21 different properties across the United States that are known for being resort-quality. Several of the most well-known camp locations are LoneHollow Ranch in Vanderpool, Texas, Crooked Creek in Fraser, Colorado, Sharptop Cove in Jasper, Georgia and Frontier Ranch in Buena Vista, Colorado.

Young Life is just beginning in Stephenville, Texas, and many members of the Stephenville community are to thank for it.

Allen was a leader for Lubbock Young Life 20 years ago, and has been involved with the planning and development of Stephenville Young Life for one year now. 

“It all began with the Lord stirring the hearts of several unrelated people for the ministry, many of whom are now a part of  Young Life committee.  After seeking more information on the ministry, our committee sees great potential for how we can bless the community and make the name of Jesus known,” Allen said.

Stephenville Young Life will primarily focus on students from Stephenville, and eventually spread to the immediate surrounding areas. The focus truly is on building friendships with students from all walks of life.

“We have been met with a lot of enthusiasm, it has helped that there is a lot of people on our committee that are connected to the community in different places,” Allen said. 

Already there has been a large amount of interest from freshmen all the way to seniors. Several students have expressed their eager anticipation for club to begin, and leaders and staff have begun training and are excited to start hosting club in the upcoming months. They have high hopes for being able to have a small fall camp, as well as summer camp in 2025. 

You can get in touch with Stephenville Young Life at [email protected] .