COMMUNITY: Only a few blocks from the Salisbury University campus, dozens of students gathered together on Sep. 4th, 2024 to play an assortment of games, bond with peers and express religious faith. The Eastern Shore branch of Young Life is a Christian-oriented group centered upon providing students of various ages the opportunity to be part of a tight-knit community, which is strengthened by their access to a warehouse on the outskirts of SU. 

Attached to a nearby Church called the Salisbury Bible Fellowship, the warehouse was given to Young Life to make use of in 2019 for a span of ten years. Since that time, leaders of the group have been able to transform the once empty warehouse into a space for students to escape from the stresses of everyday life and bond with the community. 

Dave Etling, the Young Life Area Director for the Lower Eastern Shore, has been involved in the organization since his high school years, marking over three decades of Young Life membership. 

“I think the biggest thing is building relationships with people and trying to encourage them in their life, and getting them to consider things for themselves,” Etling said. “In Young Life, we’re building relationships, we’re talking to people, giving them the opportunity to seek out who they want to be and who they want to become.”

“Everyone has a God-given gift, and He desires for us to use our gifts to the best of our ability.”

Several of the current SU students who are regular Young Life attendees or serve in leadership positions also have a history of participation in the group. 

Kirby Henneman, a senior majoring in Elementary Education, has been involved in Young Life since her freshman year of high school. Since transferring to SU last year, she has made a splash in the Salisbury branch of the organization. 

“It’s been so amazing, I met so many great friends, there’s a really great community, and it’s just been super fun and a great way to get to know the Lord better and just escape from the craziness of life, [and] meet new people,” she said. 

The Young Life warehouse is filled with furniture, games and devices which have been donated over the course of the past four years or, in cases like the “gaga ball pit”, built by past leaders. 

“It’s so random, it’s just the most young life thing, there are so many different things to do,” Henneman said. “I just like that there are different places to sit and different places to play, so there’s something for my mood, whether it’s being active or not being active, and sitting on the couch.”

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By COLIN McEVERS

Editor in Chief