"The goal, as it has always been, is to inspire and equip young people to become lights in their communities."
This goal is what Word of Life Island’s director, Tommy Sewall, wants to cele- brate and reinforce during the Grand Reopening and 75th Anniversary of Word of Life Island this summer. The landscape of youth ministry is changing. Generation Z, which is currently composed of students in their middle school, high school, and young adult years, is the first entirely post-Christian generation. There is no “pseudo-Christian” moral code amongst their peer group... and, in many ways, that’s a good thing. In the Northeast, the most post-Chris- tian region of the United States, Word of Life Island serves as a haven for young Christians to come to know Jesus and be refreshed in His Word. The goal, however, is not to give students an awesome week- long experience and send them home. The goal, as it has always been, is to inspire and equip young people to become lights in their communities. Furthermore, thanks to that growing post-Christian mindset in today’s youth and culture, the impact is even more noticeable. As the world descends further into darkness, the light of the gospel shines brighter in its midst, and as they notice that difference in their peers, Gen Z is not afraid to ask, “What makes you so different?” If the drive is to reach today’s youth, however, things can’t simply stay the same, and over the past few years of COVID closure and property hopping—
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