Mallory Donald presided over the meeting. Alan Anderson provided the opening prayer. Lucy Sanguinetti led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mallory led the club in the Four Way Test. The meeting was held at the Mugshots Bar and Grill in Hattiesburg. Mallory announced that the Rotary board will meet after today’s membership meeting.
Stew Deen then conducted the 50/50 raffle. Mike Ratliff was the winner.
Stew introduced visitors. Courtney Payton is a guest of Annie Jackson and Lee Kemp as a guest of Bryan Shaver.
Mark Killingsworth then introduced today’s guest speaker, Rob Johnston. He is the Area Director of Young Life. Young Life is a Christian ministry that reaches out to middle school, high school, and college students in all 50 of the United States and in more than 100 countries around the world to ensuring every kid feels a sense of belonging.
Young Life began with a few simple ideas about sharing the truth of God’s love with adolescents. Seven decades later, those simple ideas have become time-tested methods for reaching out to middle school, high school and college students in friendship and hope.
There are Five C's of Young Life:
Contact Work: Caring for Kids- Young Life leaders show they care by going where kids are, meeting them as they are, and believing in who they can be. We call this "contact work," but kids just call it friendship.
Club: A Party with a Purpose- It’s the best night of the week for thousands of kids. We like to think of it as a party with a purpose. And before the party ends, we share a simple message about God's love for them.
Campaigners: A Time to Learn and Grow- Is a weekly meeting for kids who wish to learn more or grow in their faith through study, service, and leadership.
Camp: The Best Week of Their Lives- Kids consistently tell us that Young Life camp is the best week of their lives. It’s a week where deep relationships are forged in the midst of mind-boggling fun, and you experience and listen to what we believe is the greatest love story ever told?
Committee: Adults Who Care- In each community, the local "committee" — composed of parents, Young Life alumni and civic leaders — provides a foundation of financial, administrative, and moral support for the local Young Life team.
If you look at the numbers that describe Young Life, you’ll see a growing worldwide movement of volunteers and staff making a daily difference in the lives of middle, high school, and college students.
Young Life is donor based. Most donations are out of state. Every dollar donated makes a difference in the lives of kids – helping them experience the depth of the gospel. Donations make it possible for leaders to give young people a sense of belonging, identity, and hope.
If you would like to donate or become a volunteer, please visit https://younglife.org.
There being no further business to come before the club, Mallory thanked Rob for his remarks and then adjourned the meeting with our motto: “Service Above Self.”