Young Life, a non-school-sponsored Christian organization in which students are introduced to the Bible, started up again after a three-year hiatus.

Missouri Baptist graduate Willis Weatherford is the current leader after the previous leader moved away three years ago. The Graves family held the first Young Life meeting on March 6.

“I was excited to see some kids I did not know yet here, and even I had fun too,” Weatherford said.

Young Life was founded in 1941, and ministers to over 1,000,000 students yearly, with clubs in 2,867 different high schools across America.

“My mom grew up in a non-Christian home, and she actually came to know the Lord through Young Life, and so she really encouraged me to go,” Hathaway said. “I am glad I went because I really enjoyed it.”

All students are encouraged to attend, regardless of their religious backgrounds or ethnicities.

“The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for everyone. I wanted to start up a place where anybody could come no matter their religion, or belief in anything; a place where people could make new friends, have fun and hear about Jesus,” Weatherford said.

A major component of Young Life is to reach out to students who are not familiar with any particular religion and to introduce them to a Christian community.

“A big thing about Young Life is to bring students who aren’t comfortable with going to youth groups or other churches to hang out. Not specifically completely Christian environment, but more about experiencing Christ through a public school environment,” Hathaway said.

Young Life member sophomore Sadie Hershenow hopes to see a growth in the club in the following weeks.

“I want to bring new people to it, and I want to help others explore their faith. I want them to meet Jesus and know their creator,” Hershenow said.