About
Every kid deserves someone who knows their name.
Central Indiana Young Life exists to launch Young Life in every public high school and middle school in Central Indiana — because every kid deserves a loving and caring adult in their life who points them to Jesus.
Why We Exist
Young Life didn't start in Texas because someone had a great strategy. It started because a group of women had a heart for kids and started praying — and then started showing up. Sixty years later, the same thing is happening here in Central Indiana.
Every week, leaders walk into schools, sit in the stands at Friday night games, and learn kids' names — not because they can see the harvest yet, but because they know something is being planted. That's the whole idea: showing up, again and again, until a kid knows they are known.
How We Work
Everything our board does falls into three callings:
Launch. We start new Young Life work in schools that don't have it yet — leaders building relationships from scratch, week after week. New ground is being broken right now in places like Anderson, Grant County, and Avon.
("Go into all the world." — Mark 16:15)Grow. We grow deeper to reach every kind of kid, not just the easy-to-reach. That's why Central Indiana Young Life includes YoungLives (for teen moms), Vida Joven (for Spanish-speaking kids), Capernaum (for kids with disabilities), Young Life One (for kids who are homeless, in foster care, or on the margins), Small Towns, and WyldLife (for middle schoolers). ("Come away and rest a while." — Mark 6:31)
Sustain. We keep the work going for the long haul — the leaders, committees, and partners behind every ministry. Today that's 10 areas, 17 staff, and 17 ministries across Central Indiana, and we are not done.
("Let us not become weary in doing good." — Galatians 6:9)
Our Board
Young Life happens locally — every area has its own committee of adults who pray for it, give to it, and build it where they live. Our board works across all of Central Indiana to help local areas launch, grow, and last: finding and funding new areas before they exist, standing behind our staff and local committees, and stewarding the Vision Fund — the seed money that lets us say yes when God opens a door to reach more kids.
Our conviction is rooted in Jesus. He told us the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few, and he calls us to share our lives so the gospel reaches the next kid. We're a group of volunteers responding to that invitation — praying, giving, and sending workers into the harvest across Central Indiana.
Leadership
Central Indiana Young Life is led by Michael Redding, Associate Regional Director, alongside a local board and committees who pray for this work, fund it, and build the structure that lets leaders focus on kids.
Michael grew up in Lafayette and first found Young Life as a college student, where he saw what happens when a caring adult steps into a kid's life and points them toward Jesus. After college he followed that calling onto Young Life staff in Noblesville, serving as area director for many years — and he still lives there with his family today. Now he pours himself into supporting leaders and local committees across Central Indiana, while dreaming about the next area to launch and the next kids who'll come to know Christ.
Join the Mission
This work only happens because adults across Central Indiana decide to be part of it. Our vision is to engage and inspire people like you to join the mission — locally and regionally — with your time, your talent, and your treasure.
Give your time and talent. Show up for kids as a leader, serve on a local area committee, or help steer the vision on our regional board.
Give your treasure. Send a kid to camp through the Camp Fund — for many, camp is where faith becomes real. Support the local area near you. Or invest in launching what's next through the Vision Fund.
However you're wired, there's a place for you in reaching the next kid.
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