The Similkameen News Leader
Editorial
April 14, 2009
THE TEN KILOMETRE CHALLENGE
This newspaper has had a pretty good relationship with Young Life of Princeton.
I can't think of a single function hosted by the group at RockRidge Canyon that we have not attended. So when Area Director Scott Musgrove came into our office last month to place advertising to promote the Dessert Night held April 7th at RockRidge Canyon I knew we were going to be there, even if it meant canceling or rescheduling something.
If you've never been to RockRidge Canyon I will try to explain one of my first visits there - which dates back a few years.
Simply put, I was stunned.
I did not expect such a massive sight.
And I continue to be stunned by the beauty of the setting and the facility itself as it continues to sprawl out on the property located ten kilometres from Highway 3. The challenging part, of course, is the sometimes interesting - yet never dull - road trip to the site.
I'll be the first to say it's a pretty amazing introduction to the place where many teens may receive their first real introduction to God. Oh, and for those of you who aren't so sure about this God fellow, don't worry. There's no hard sell.
You won't be bombarded with crosses at every corner, framed photos of Jesus on every wall or stacks of Bibles to trip over. Although I'm sure those things are out there, it's not the style of Young Life.
They prefer to get to know someone and build a friendship of trust and sharing rather than get in your face about what they are doing.
It's a pretty passive way to spread the gospel but it works.
And it's worked for them so far for over 50 years, so it's safe to say they've tapped into something incredibly special and incredibly effective in the way they do their job.
Whenever I visit the site (on average, once a year) I'm reminded of something Young Life's Hal Merwald (Assistant to the National Director at the time) told me a few years ago when I asked him if it wasn't just a little 'over the top' having such a big facility to basically entice people to get to know God.
He told me he couldn't think of a better way to show the beauty of God than by being surrounded by the beauty of God and what can be achieved by believing in God.
I couldn't agree more and it's pretty obvious to me that God is pleased with the work Young Life is doing in Princeton.
