ANDREW and SARAH LANCASTER
Ministry As A Lifestyle
story by K.J. NALLY photos by GREYSON JOHNSTON
In our ever-changing culture of social media, individualism, and Hollywood enticing young people to experience life in the “fast lane,” Young Life offers teens purpose, true success, and lasting friendship. Since 1941, the non-profit, non-denominational ministry has walked with over two million teenagers in over 100 countries to introduce them to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith.
Area Director and Young Lives Coordinator, Andrew and Sarah Lancaster, share the history and ministry of Beaufort Young Life. “This ministry is changing lives and bringing hope to our community,” Sarah explained.
“Young Life began with a few simple ideas about sharing the truth of God’s love with adolescents. Those simple ideas have become time-tested methods for reaching out to middle school, high school and college students in friendship and hope,” explains Andrew. “Kids don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
Young Life leaders show they care by going where kids are, meeting them as they are, believing in who they can be. Within Young Life the persistent going out into the world of kids is called “contact work.” Kids just call it friendship.
Beaufort Young Life History of Relationships
In 2006, Young Life began an impactful legacy in the lives of our Beaufort teens under the leadership of Dave Brown. “At that time, we had just Young Life, which is our ministry to high school students,” said Andrew. “Dave was amazing relationally with the kids.” After Dave transitioned off staff in 2010, Alex and Ali Holroyde became the Area Directors. “It was through the Holroyde’s that the Lord really began to grow this ministry,” Andrew shared. As the couple worked together, in the Spring of 2014, they added WyldeLife, the ministry to Middle School students, and another full-time staff joined the crew. That same year in the Fall of 2014, Young Lives, the ministry to teen moms, was launched.
When the Holroyde’s transitioned to Columbia in the summer of 2017, Andrew and Sarah took over their roles when the Beaufort Area Director and the Young Lives coordinator positions became available.
“God is doing amazing work growing the ministry,” explained Andrew. “Just this Fall, we added Kimani Brown-Carpenter, as a part-time Young Life staff and our new WyldeLife Coordinator, Chas Martin.” Together, the staff and over 30 volunteers, are building relationships with 250 middle and high school students.
Directly Impacted to Area Directors
Andrew and Sarah both became involved in their hometown high schools’ Young Life. The impact the ministry had on their lives paved the way for their future roles in Beaufort.
“I remember my leader Danielle Callis coming to Apex High School,” shared Sarah.
“Danielle walked up to my group of freshman friends in the courtyard. I remember thinking why on earth would a college student want to come hang out with high school freshman. The craziest part was she kept showing up. She came to school lunches, watched me cheer on Friday nights, and would get dinner with my friends and me at the local Mexican restaurant. We had awesome clubs where I laughed harder than ever, fantastic camp trips, and precious memories sitting on the floor with my friends at Campaigners doing Bible Study, but the thing that stuck with me the most was this constant contagious joy that Danielle had. I wanted that joy too. That joy in the daily pressures of being a high school student (which how many more pressures are there now).
Through my friendship with Danielle, I learned that her joy was her personal relationship with Jesus Christ. She shared with me and my friends that Jesus came so that I could have life and live to the fullest. He died and rose again for every person to know Him. It hit me back then, He was writing the greatest love story ever written for me, and He wanted me to join in telling others, it is their love story too! There was no question when I went to North Carolina State University, I was called to be a Young Life leader to girls at a local high school and do just that. I haven’t stopped leading since.”
Andrew also was first introduced to Young Life in high school. “Similar to Sarah, my Young Life leader from my high school in Goldsboro, NC supportedmy sporting events and high school lunches without an agenda, but to build relationships with us.”
Looking back, I now understand that he was simply doing what Jesus did for us. He was meeting us on our turf, developing relationships with us, in hopes of earning the right to be heard so that he could share the good news of the Gospel. I was never really considered what most Young Life staff folks would call a “club kid.” I did not regularly attend Young Life’s weekly meetings or even church, for that matter. In high school, I was far from what most adults would call a “good kid.” I ran with the fast crowd who lived a lifestyle that was far from God. In fact, if I we’re to be given a superlative in high school, it would probably be, Most Likely Not to Succeed. It was not until I went to Young Life summer camp during my senior year of high school that my life was changed forever. At camp, I gave into what the Lord had planned for me all along.
I said “yes” to a relationship with Him, surrendering my will for His Lordship and plan for my life. After that, my Young Life leader took me under his “wing.” I graduated high school and then began voluntarily leading Young Life while attending a community college. After two years of community college, I transferred to North Carolina State University, where I ecstatically majored in Parks and Recreation. God was gracious to me at NCSU, introducing me to Sarah. During my time in Raleigh, I continued to lead Young Life voluntarily for five years until it became a career path for me immediately after College. Joining Young Life staff was something I felt called to the moment I came to know Christ.
Ministry and Marriage
Andrew and Sarah were leaders at NCSU, volunteering at two different local high schools. During their local leadership meetings, the two met. “I totally had a crush on this hilarious guy with an even more hilarious laugh,” Sarah shared. “Lucky for me, Andrew came and knocked on my door one day to ask me on a date, and really the rest was history! Young Life is a huge part of our story together. It was so easy to fall in love with someone who was on mission with me with a heart for high school students to know Jesus.”
With a big smile, Andrew shared that he would watch Sarah doing ministry from a distance, “not in a creepy way,” he added. “Initially, I didn’t have her number. So, I thought it was a good idea to jog by her house for several weeks in a row (even though I hated running) until I ran into her and got her phone number,” Andrew laughed.
“Her love for Jesus and others was what was most attractive to me. She also has a super contagious joy about her that clearly came from the Lord,” continued Andrew.
Andrew and Sarah married after college and took Young Life staff positions in Goldsboro. “We were super excited to be missionaries in Andrew’s hometown,” said Sarah. Within a few years of marriage, they left their work in Goldsboro to take positions with Beaufort Young Life. “Sarah and I loved Beaufort from the moment we drove onto Bay Street. It has all the fishing and hunting that I could ask for as well as the southern charm that Sarah loves. We hope to be here for a very long time,” said Andrew. “We bought a house within eight months of living here to make sure they can’t kick us out,” laughed the couple. “We feel so lucky to call this place home and get to continue doing ministry together!”
Andrew shared their life perspective, “Ministry isn’t just a job that you simply turn on and off. It isn’t just a thing we do while we’re out at the school or Young Life club on a Tuesday night. Ministry is a lifestyle. It’s simply us spending time with Jesus regularly and then being compelled by Christ’s love to share Him with others.”
A Time-Tested Approach
Young Life has three ministries, Young Life impacts high school students, WyldeLife impacts middle school students, and Young Lives impacts and encourages teen moms. “Young Lives has never wavered from the original vision to reach pregnant and parenting teens by entering their world, modeling the unconditional love of Christ, and encouraging them to become the women and mothers God created them to be,” shared Sarah, who is passionate about this particular ministry within Young Life. “Through Young Life’s time-tested methods and life-on-life mentoring, teen moms are empowered to make positive choices, set and achieve goals, and live a future rooted in Christ.”
Within these three ministries, students meet for Club, Campaigners, and Camps. A fantastic group of 30 volunteers help the staff mentor the teens involved in weekly meetings.
Young Life has an annual fundraising event in the Fall called Celebration, an annual Young Life Trivia Night in the Spring, as well as a new camp fundraiser, the Fishing Derby, that just took place in early November.
The ministry is making a difference in the lives of kids around the world because of the adults who care about kids in their community. For every talented Young Life staff person, there is a team of dedicated leaders who works directly with kids. In each community, the local “committee,” comprised of parents, Young Life alumni and civic leaders, provides a foundation of financial, administrative and moral support for the local Young Life team.
A Party with a Purpose — Club
Club is controlled chaos that’s almost impossible to describe, but kids know it when they see it. And before the party ends, staff or volunteer shares a simple message about God’s love for them. After all, that’s what the Celebration is all about.
The Best Week of Their Life — Camp
Camp is a week where deep relationships are forged amid mind-boggling fun, and where the kids get to experience and listen to the greatest love story ever told.
A Time to Question, Learn and Grow — Campaigners
Campaigners is a weekly gathering for kids who wish to learn more and grow in their faith through study, service, and leadership. Kids are invited to follow Jesus Christ actively, and mentors are with them for the long haul to help them take those steps of faith with unconditional love. Along the way, kids are encouraged to celebrate their faith through participation in a local church congregation.
The Legacy of Young Life
“I am confident that the Lord will continue to grow this ministry deeper and wider in His time,” shared Andrew. “We hope to grow from 30 volunteer leaders to 50 to reach more kids. We hope to reach kids from all backgrounds and have a leader presence in all of the schools in Beaufort.”
Andrew continued, “It is hard to plan for what the Lord has in store for Beaufort Young Life in the future. The addition of Kimani to part-time staff this year was something we prayed for. Kimani leads Club at Battery Creek High School on Fridays, already 65-70 kids regularly meet. It’s growing fast because the kids are very responsive to Kimani, and God wanted Club at Battery Creek. There is a Young Life ministry called Capernaum that is geared toward teens with disabilities. This ministry has been on our hearts for a while now. We’ll keep praying and see what the Lord does with that too.”
“Sarah and I love working with high school students,” said Andrew. “We love that we get to play a tiny role in helping other kids find true meaning to life in a time where we both desperately needed a caring adult to share God’s love with us.”
Jesus says in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give you, love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
This verse sums up how we feel about our Young Life family in Beaufort, and we hope that’s how our Young Life family feels about us,” shared Andrew and Sarah. “God is bringing hope to Beaufort, one teenager at a time.”
