Young Life’s first club with kids with disabilities happened 40 years ago this month! Here’s the story of how the ministry began and many of the lessons the mission learned during the early years.
Nick Palermo, front row, second from right, with his friends at Capernaum club in the fall of 1986.
Who Are Those Kids? [Being Seen]
Certain moments hold a special place in the history of Young Life. Many of the dates for these moments (the first prayer in Gainesville, Texas, the initial contact work experience, etc.) are not recorded; fortunately, March 10, 1986, was. This was the day of the very first Capernaum club, an event which would help bring about a paradigm shift in the mission’s thinking and, more importantly, hope for thousands of overlooked kids.
Six years earlier, Nick Palermo had entered the halls of Blackford High School in San Jose, California, where his own life changed in a matter of minutes. After nearly being mowed down by a contingent of 25 teenagers in wheelchairs on their way to lunch, Nick asked, “Who are those kids?”
Unbeknownst to him, Nick would be God’s chosen instrument to begin the process of reaching out to this community. After that encounter in the hallway and his interactions with the teens moments later, Nick couldn’t get these precious kids out of his mind. As he describes in his book, Missing Stars, Fallen Sparrows, Nick was on a lifelong journey to learn how to walk alongside kids with disabilities, to learn how “to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
A Village of Comfort [Belonging]
Six days before the first club, Nick decided upon the name “Capernaum Project” for the ministry. The name came from the story in Mark 2:1-12, where four men lower their disabled friend through a roof to bring him to the feet of Jesus. The town where this occurs is Capernaum.
While the initial club was small by Young Life standards, Nick and the team were excited about the endless possibilities in connecting with kids with disabilities. It seemed the sky was the limit! That’s not to say, however, that the movement was without resistance. Often Young Life staff misunderstood the importance of the new work. “This ministry was new, different, and, for many, threatening,” Nick explained. “Some Young Life staff concluded that since Capernaum was not really Young Life (as they perceived it, anyway), we should not even think about beginning this type of ministry.”
The road to acceptance would be a long one, and like those before him who had started new work within the mission, Nick’s learning curve was steep. Among many other principles, Nick learned that these were “kids who happened to have disabilities, instead of disabilities who happened to be kids.
A Prophetic Voice [Being a Change Agent]
Yet another lesson was the diagnosis of the ones with disabilities offered to those without. “The crazy, unexpected and sad thing,” said Nick, “is that we — the able-bodied and fully functioning ones who are supposedly disability-free — are the ones who are so uncomfortable. Not only around kids with disabilities, but tragically, with ourselves.”
Over the years, Nick and his fellow leaders faithfully and patiently soldiered on, spreading the news about their friends with disabilities to other Young Life staff. “As we involved our friends in clubs, camps, and other activities, it slowly but powerfully began affecting the Young Life family and culture. When I spoke about our ministry, people were often shocked and shed tears. ‘I had no idea,’ they told me. ‘I never thought about these kids.’ God had made us a prophetic voice within our own organization.”
Today [Better Than Ever!]
What started as a small seed in San Jose four decades ago has now grown into a global movement. Today, Young Life Capernaum ministries can be found all around the world, and the effects are profound. According toa survey of 1,000 people:
- 80% of Capernaum friends participate in social activities more often than before Capernaum.
- 84% of Capernaum friends now have friends who pray for them.
- 96% of families say it provides them with a sense of hope and encouragement.
- 99% of volunteers say they have developed friendships with people with disabilities.
And our Capernaum friends are greatly desiring to influence their peers for Jesus, too. Read about how we’re equipping them for leadership with their friends.
Thank you to everyone who has ever played a part in the ministry of Capernaum. Your efforts are truly having a Kingdom impact on these dear kids.
Adapted from Made for This: The Young Life Story
