One of my favorite Bible stories comes from Mark, chapter 2. I never get tired of hearing how four determined friends tore a hole in the roof and lowered a paralytic onto the floor in front of Christ. And I never cease to be amazed at Mark’s commentary on corporate faith. Mark records, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’”

I love that story because it so clearly depicts what I see happening every day in Young Life. Kids keep finding forgiveness at the feet of Christ, but behind every kid stands an entire team of determined adults. And just like the team of faithful friends in Mark 2, the Young Life team consists of four corners. I don’t know the personal profiles of the four friends in Mark, but I am very familiar with the four corners of corporate faith in Young Life. It takes the combined muscle of donors, committee, volunteer leaders and staff to tackle the tremendous task of getting kids to Jesus Christ.

I hope you get the picture. Without faithful folks serving on Young Life committees across this country and around the world, we would stumble badly in our efforts to carry kids to Jesus. We might be able to drag kids to the door, but we would never be able to lift kids to the roof. And the roof is where we often need to be in Young Life — on the edge, outside the box, above and beyond the call of duty — creating a window of opportunity through which kids can see Christ.

One commentary said that Jesus recognized the “ingenuity and persistence” of the four friends as faith. I’m sure He would say the same about the adults who work to make Young Life a reality in their communities. Whether you’re just getting started on a local committee or you’ve been at it a while, we need the ingenuity and persistence that comes from your love of Christ and kids to help shoulder the weight of this tremendous mission. Thank you for joining the team. And congratulations. Just like the four friends in Mark, you’ve just secured a front row seat to watch Jesus work. I hope you enjoy the view.