As we sent out our Christmas newsletter and recapped the 2024-25 school year so far, this week we will pick back up regarding the local church and the ample support they provide in our community to make sure our YFC impacts leaders and students alike.
This week, our focus will be on Lanesville, with Campus Life site leader Simon Baumgartle. Simon is the full-time youth pastor at Lanesville Christian Church, and he volunteers to lead Campus Life on Fridays after school. He has been participating in YFC since 2018, and also attends FCA on Thursday mornings, as well as subs within Lanesville school.
Lanesville Campus Life is currently averaging about eight students at Campus Life, which is positive considering the smaller size of the school. These students show up each week ready to dive deeper into faith, as well as test scripture and ask the hard questions. Many of the students have progressively taken steps to become intentional disciples throughout this school year.
Simon said, “Another kid that started coming last year, who does not go to church at all, just every time we have conservations he’s taking it very seriously about faith. He is always bringing it back to faith and growing in that way. Another girl that I know kind of has rejected her family’s Christianity over the past couple years, [but] always got excited for Campus Life, and this year she is finally like ‘Hey, can you pray for my friend?’, just something as simple as that.”
Simon shared that he is noticing the desire in the next generation’s students to ask more, seek more, and know more about faith. He said that he is honored to be able to live out the scripture that points to being a worker for the harvest.
“I think what I am seeing God do is raise up, in this next generation, the desire to talk about faith, the desire to hear about faith, and then putting me there as someone who is kind of ‘the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few’- like be a worker in that harvest,” said Simon.
Not only are the students at Lanesville grateful for Simon, but they understand that he wants to be there, so he makes time for them. One student, Colten, mentioned how thankful he was that Simon chose to be in Lanesville in his free-time given that he is a full-time youth pastor.
“Well, obviously he’s here instead of at the church and he works at the church, and to interact with students more he subs at the school. So, if you come to Campus Life there is a chance that you know him already, so that’s a way that he puts his time into it, but he also puts his money into it by buying us snacks,” said Colten.
Simon shared that Lanesville Christian Church is a large supporter for Campus Life. The church continually seeks to get inside the walls of the school and preach the gospel to students.
“All of the things that make it possible is our church saying, ‘We want to be inside the school’, so we have never had to ask for anything extra. The biggest sponsor has been Youth For Christ itself, last year, sending Lucas was huge, like having an intern. So, anyone who was part of sponsoring the internships last year, that was the biggest blessing because we met every week that I would have missed because I had a baby last year, had youth events last year I had to miss for…Anyone who sponsored the internships last year, that was able to offer us eight more weeks of Campus Life that we had last year, so that was great.”
Overall, the church continually proves to show their love for Youth For Christ, not just through money, but also time and other sacrifices that genuinely are evident of the heart they have for Christ. We are so thankful for all of our churches that provide any sort of support for the ministry God is allowing in Southern Indiana.