On the evening of October 3, Linganore Young Life kicked off their 2018 fall semester at Braden Weinel’s house. Students from grades 9-12 gathered outside Weinel’s house at 7:30 p.m. and began to mingle. Around 7:50 p.m., approximately 40 participants sprinted inside and downstairs, preparing for a crazy but fun night.

Young Life is a non-denominational club that takes place on Wednesday nights at local students’ houses. Young Life is a worldwide organization that is organized by county and school. Linganore Young Life is open to all students who live in the area.

When all the participants find their way into the host’s basement, loud music starts playing and everyone begins to dance. The exciting and energetic atmosphere immediately grabs the attention of new members.

Each club begins with a large group activity. The students get super pumped to compete in these friendly games. Everybody cheers each other on and encourages one another no matter what grade they are in. One activity that is played at club is the traditional cup game. Everybody finds a partner and compete to be the first to grab the plastic cup in between the two participants.

Young Life club then continues with singing (or screaming) to fun songs like “God’s Plan,” “Party in the U.S.A,” and “Sweet Home Alabama.” The leaders and students love to sing at the top of their lungs.

Active Young Life member Allison Byrnes said, “The energy everyone brings to the room when singing is unbelievable.”

At Young Life club there are games too that get everybody laughing and cheering. Some of the games include Twinkie eating contests, and water balloon KerPlunk.

After some group activities, some songs, and some games, everybody stands in anticipation to see who will win the raffle. Class of 2020 members Ethan Butehorn and Jack Dorman read off the ticket numbers while the rest of the students yell in excitement to see the prizes which are big boxes of candy.

Dorman said, “The raffle is super hype and exciting. People get really into it [the raffle] because you can win prizes.”

Lastly, the students calm down, and one of the Linganore Young Life leaders gets up in front of the students to talk about life experiences. The leaders for Linganore Young Life are Chris Eckard, Katie Eckard, and Mary Stang. They typically start off their talk with a funny story about their life in high school and then continue to share a lesson that connects to teenagers.

Chris Eckard said, “Young Life is all about fun, relationships, and real life. We hope Young Life can be a place for high schoolers to just be high schoolers; to get away from the stress of school and to have fun with each other.”

Young Life had a big impact on Eckard’s life during his senior year of high school so he decided to give back and work for Young Life.

After club ends, the students and leaders head to California Tortilla to talk and eat. The best part about Young Life is that everyone is positive and friendly. Anyone is welcome at Young Life club and will immediately feel welcome. Most people who attend club for their first time always come back.

In addition to Wednesday night clubs, there is fall weekend from November 16 to November 18 as well as a week long summer camp. Some students enjoy the weekly Bible study group, Campaigners.

For more information check out @linganore_yl on instagram and twitter. You can also contact Braden Weinel or Bailey Bennett if you have any questions.