When thinking of a religious club you might envision children tightly knit around a fireplace, books in hand reciting prayers. However, some clubs are starting to change that image; one of them being Young Life. A free club, Young Life has sects all across the United States. Though its main focus is Christianity, it is open to all religions and nationalities. Gaining funds from its periodic summer camps, Young Life programs among communities like Annandale are run by volunteers. Although its basis is a “religious club for teens” most of its members don’t see it as that.

“It’s a mix of both religion and fun activities, but more over I think of it as just a fun thing to do on a Monday night,” junior Jack Deible said. “Also, it helps that a fairly substantial number of my friends also attend it; it’s sort of a social thing.”

Young Life traditionally begins with a game where everyone who attends participates in, then there is a skit where a few – usually five or so- “entertain” the members.

“The skit is probably the best part of the evening,” junior Kyle Kowalcyzk said. “It’s always different and you never know what they’ll think of next.” The program usually comes to an end when one of the volunteer leaders gives a 5-10 minute talk that could include anything from saying a prayer, to a full fledged story.

Young life also engages in outside-of-the-house activities; things like a burrito eating contest at Chipotle and meeting up at Fuddruckers are pretty common. This coming week Young Life will be doing a cookout to not only recognize the last meeting of the year, but also to celebrate the 2010-2011 school year coming to and end. Although it may not be a trip to Disney World, most teens who attend Young Life see it as a fun social gathering and a way to fill up what would’ve been a boring Monday night.