A New Season!

by Andy Swanda, PSYL Head Leader

As a Minnesotan, you really need to embrace the seasons. Each one is unique, potentially extreme, and has a beauty all its own. However, this summer just seemed to be shorter than most—there wasn’t enough to embrace! How is it possible that three months can pass so quickly? Just yesterday I was watching my children run off the bus from their last day of school and Private School Young Life leaders were celebrating the graduation of our seniors. Today, my kids are laying out their clothes for the first weeks of school and our PSYL graduates are settling into their freshman dorm rooms across the country! Cabins are closed, schools are open, and a new season is upon us.

This particular season of ministry is an exciting one for me. As you may know, our Young Life area really blossomed this past year as we made the strategic decision to evolve from one area—formerly known as “Minneapolis South Young Life”—to the areas of “Young Life Southwest Twin Cities (SWTC).” The goal behind this move was to set up our individual ministry communities (Bloomington, Edina, Hopkins, Minnehaha Academy, and Private School) for greater independence and ownership of their unique visions to Connect Kids to Christ in their schools. Our goal is grow a deep, pervasive ministry presence for teenagers in every community in the southwest suburbs—and there are over 32,000 teenagers in our greater community! The harvest is plentiful.

Right on the heels of the creation of SWTC, Private School Young Life entered a strategic planning process of its own. After all, PSYL is now an area and needs to start acting like one as we build for our kids’ future. We recognized the many blessings that God has provided us in recent years and prayerfully considered the challenges that lie ahead.

As a result of our planning sessions, we made an exciting decision—Private School Young Life will be hiring a new full-time head leader to oversee the Young Life and WyldLife ministries. Meanwhile, I will re-direct my ministry focus with kids to the Edina community. Young Life once flourished in Edina and has desperately fallen off. We realized that, for the long-term, Edina is the most logical community for me to act as a “player-coach” as we build depth and excellence in our current communities, then consider where God might have us develop a new ministry presence.

What does this mean for Private School Young Life? I’ll still be around, as I’m continuing to direct the greater SWTC area, but I will be present less with kids and more with the PSYL Cabinet and leadership. In the meantime Matt Duer, one of our current Young Life leaders, is serving in a part-time role as the Interim Club Leader for Young Life and WyldLife. Additionally, a full-time staff search is underway as we prayerfully consider God’s right person for this ministry, at this time. Please pray for both Matt and the Cabinet during this transition!

A new season is upon us. This season is certainly going to be extreme and will have a beauty all its own —for both Private School Young Life and the Southwest Twin Cities. May God richly bless our continued efforts in Connecting Kids to Christ, both near and far.