Jimmy Spilker is on a mission.
On the high school football field, in the school auditorium, in coffee shops – wherever youth congregate – “I want to share that Jesus is someone they could know,” he explains.
“Youth need to be reached so badly, to know of the love of Christ, so they can grow in their faith and flourish,” he says, and as area coordinator of Camden County Young Life, Spilker did just that.
Young Life, a worldwide Christ-centered ecumenical organization that builds relationships with young people, has been part of Spilker’s life for the past seven years; he began volunteering with the organization before becoming area coordinator in 2016.
The outreach aims to “celebrate what [young Christians] have in common, and that is Christ,” Spilker explains. “Young Life sees the Gospel as an urgent message to be shared to adolescents going through their own changes and transition.”
The need for this engagement is evident, as a recent study found that 60 percent of U.S. Catholic young people participate in a faith-related group outside their parish. The study, by the Georgetown University-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, found that those 18 to 35 were more likely to be involved in faith groups in a collection of friends or a neighborhood community.
In his ministry with Young Life, Spilker has focused on outreach to high-schoolers, but the organization also has dedicated programs for groups such as middle schoolers (WyldLife), teen moms (YoungLives) and youth with disabilities.
Spilker, a parishioner of Christ the King Parish in Haddonfield, has sought to strengthen the connection between the Diocese of Camden and the ministry, seeing such bridge building as “an ambulance” to guide youth wounded by social media, isolation, anxiety and loneliness to the “hospital” of their local faith communities.
“Youth long to belong, to have purpose and know their identity,” he says.
Jose Rodriguez, director of Family and Youth Ministry in the Diocese of Camden, sees the relationship between his office and Young Life as “extremely fruitful in regards to the pastoral care of youth, who have found nothing but good things.” The ministry, he says, “empowers them to be a Gospel-filled people, and go back and serve their respective parishes as missionary leaders.”
In the ecumenical dialogue with peers of other Christian backgrounds, South Jersey’s young Catholics see “an opportunity for conversation, dialogue, growth and empowerment,” he says.
Bethann and Jim Lee, parishioners at Church of the Holy Family, Sewell, have seen Young Life bear fruit in their two youngest sons, Kevin and John Paul. Three years ago, then 16-year old Kevin went on a Young Life summer camp in New York as part of the ministry’s Gloucester County chapter.
“He was floored by his experience,” Bethann Lee says, adding that her son “felt comfortable and accepted for who he is.”
Jim Lee agreed, calling post-summer camp Kevin “a different person.”
Today, John Paul also thrives in the Young Life tradition, attending Monday night social gatherings and Bible study nights on other evenings.
Their sons’ experiences were familiar for their mother, who was active with the organization as a high-schooler. She praises the connections between Young Life, Catholic parishes and area churches. “Many different denominations support Young Life and still have their own youth programs. The goal is for these kids to bring what they get out of Young Life back to their churches.”
The couple continues to stay active in Young Life, with Bethann Lee on the Gloucester County chapter’s committee, and her husband volunteering when he can. On a recent Friday, the two could be found serving snacks during a youth dodgeball game.
“We marvel at what God is doing in these kids’ lives,” whether it’s for youth with troubles or those secure in their faith who are looking for more outlets, Bethann Lee says.
Young Life, simply, is “governed by hope,” Spilker says, helping youth “get back to who we’re created for. We approach challenges with confidence and the hope we have in Christ.”
Amidst the difficulties of an adolescent existence, he continues, “What better remedy than to introduce them to the Prince of Peace?”
For more information, visit camdencounty.younglife.org.
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