Looking for purpose and mission? Each summer, the Southern California Conference Youth Rush program trains students to be literature evangelists and—more importantly—to love people and to share the gospel with them. Students come from many different backgrounds and encounter thousands of people during the course of this 10-week live-in program.
Not only do the students share Jesus with others, they also grow closer to Him through their Youth Rush experience.
Marco Topete was born in East San Jose and brought up in a non-religious home. Early on, he was introduced to a life of drug dealing and addiction. When that road led him to a dead end, Topete began to seek a better life, which he found in Jesus. In 2014, Topete joined Youth Rush, and his experience with raw ministry changed him. “It put me in a position where I saw the real needs of the people and how God could use an ordinary person like me to meet their needs,” he said. “At the same time, God met my needs by meeting the needs of others.”
Rachel Minor heard about Youth Rush in her Bible class at Glendale Adventist Academy. After taking time to think and pray about the challenge, she joined the Youth Rush team. Through the course of that first summer, Minor grew in many ways. “I’ve heard it said that a person doesn’t truly know something unless they can teach it,” she said. The more I tried to teach the gospel through literature, the more I learned myself. The more I learned of Christ, the more I fell in love with Him and wanted to share and teach others more. This became a cycle for me that changed my life and brought me closer and closer to Christ.”
A few lines in the book Education have been pivotal in the development of the SCC model for summer literature evangelism programs. “Success in any line demands a definite aim. He who would achieve true success in life must keep steadily in view the aim worthy of his endeavor. Such an aim is set before the youth of today. The heaven-appointed purpose of giving the gospel to the world in this generation is the noblest that can appeal to any human being” (Education, p. 262).
The goal of the SCC Youth Rush program is to place before the youth and young adults of today the noblest purpose that can appeal to any human being. The mission of taking the gospel to the world is the most fulfilling and life changing possible. While there are many ways to share the gospel, Youth Rush is a place to deepen and experience this mission in a tangible way. Join Youth Rush this summer by applying at sccyouthrush.org.
