In 1999, my life was forever changed when I went to Summer Festival Camp as a seventh grader. For the first time, someone explained to me in terms that I could understand what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus. From the stage, the speaker asked campers to take a leap of faith and I did. That moment changed my life and started me on an unforgettable journey of trying to follow Jesus.
I am in another moment in which I am taking a leap of faith. I’ve been asked to join the team at Youth Leadership and work with a giant in the youth ministry world, Tiger Mcluen. Tiger has been in ministry for over 40 years and has done great things at the helm of Youth Leadership.
Youth Leadership has been providing training for those doing ministry in the trenches for almost 50 years. They touch thousands of paid and volunteer youth workers every year, which in turn impacts tens of thousands of students. One of Youth Leadership’s major programs is the one-day Recharge conference. Last winter, Recharge was held in five cities (Minneapolis, Fargo, Duluth, Green Bay, and Cedar Falls), and I had the privilege of leading breakout sessions at all five Recharges. I love Recharge because it strives to equip both the full-time youth worker and the invested volunteer parent with real practical help.
My role at Youth Leadership will be the Director of Creative Programming. Part of my time will focus on helping put on and develop Recharge, another part of it will focus on helping find ways for Youth Leadership to partner with the large network of youth ministers I’ve built, and the final part of it will be crafting several seminars and messages. I’ll also be helping Youth Leadership use the internet to create new ways to train and equip leaders.
One of the biggest joys I’m happy to announce is that Youth Leadership will be picking up the torch of the Summer Festival Camp program. We’ve developed a leaner and shorter model, that is just as spiritually potent, for camp to continue. It is our prayer that using the promotional platform of Youth Leadership will help camp attendance return to a place of self-sustainability. It’s an honor to bring Summer Festival Camp to fly under the banner of Youth Leadership. I truly am looking forward to being able to direct another summer of camp.
Summer Festival Camp’s core values line up with Youth Leadership’s in so many ways including the importance of sharing the Gospel with teens, being multi-denominational, being a relational ministry, and the importance of leadership within a youth ministry program. Lastly, Youth Forum’s founder, Philip Darby McDonald, was one of the founding members of Youth Leadership and he was one of the original signers on the incorporation papers.
This role is brand new and therefore I’m responsible for raising the funds to make it happen. Would you prayerfully consider becoming a supporter of Summer Festival Camp, Tiger, and Youth Leadership in this new venture?
This link will allow you to donate online. You can donate once, or become a monthly supporter.
Checks can be mailed to Youth Leadership and put Tony Ducklow or Summer Festival Camp in the memo.
Thanks in advance for your prayers, and possibly financial support, in this new leap of faith.
-Tony <><