LOLYA STORY
A group of small size church youth pastors got together to create a joint retreat with some thoughts in mind. We wanted our youth kids to understand the church of God in a bigger picture. Church is not a building. Church is not just individually titled communities. We had this desire for youth to understand the church as the gathering of believers. Youth kids in small churches do not get to experience the powerful movement of the Holy Spirit when many are gathered together in the name of Christ. We, small church pastors, join our spiritual forces to create such experience for them to be encouraged and be empowered. The force started in 2000. Of course, the very first retreat was amazing. We witnessed what God can do when we work together. The size of the first retreat was about 200 students, 30 leaders, and 7 pastors from 7 churches in different locations. We did joint leadership training on Saturdays three months prior to the winter retreat 2000. From the 2000 winter retreat, we continued until today.
After 2010 winter retreat, LIVE LOUD, with the grace of God and the passion we have, we became a non-profit organization, LIVE OUT LOUD YOUTH ALLIANCE since 2011. Our first official lolya winter retreat started in 2011. Winter retreat can be a life-changing experience for many students. Even though just ONE retreat, we realize how much God can do to impact the lives of youth. Started in January of 2011, our first official retreat prep began. Throughout the whole year, three pastors, Pastor Jae, Pastor Rachel, and Pastor David, got together to prepare for 2011 winter retreat. God is good. Our prayer was that He would take over and show us what He can do through the retreat, which was prepared throughout the whole year with our prayers, leadership training, and all little detail works. We were only THREE. However, we witnessed what God can do when He takes over! As much as the grace of God, serving is quite addicting. There is nothing more joyful than to see the changes and the growth of youth students as their pastors.
We started LOLYA with a tremendous heart for youth. However, God has been moving us to see the importance of training leaders and inspiring youth pastors. Now we are expanding ourselves in thoughts and experiences. We do not know what the future holds for us. What we know is that we desire for our youth to know their power in Christ and be able to use it as they go out to the world in season.
God's people must get together often!! We all fight our own battles in the places we belong. When God calls us to make some serious impact, we join our forces together! Nothing stays with LOLYA after a big fight. We come together with other pastors and leaders with students to make some serious impact that goes a long way, and we all go back to our own local battlegrounds. When the moment comes, we gather again. What a battle! As we grow, we desire to make a bigger and stronger impact as we get together with others with such passion.
Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
After 2010 winter retreat, LIVE LOUD, with the grace of God and the passion we have, we became a non-profit organization, LIVE OUT LOUD YOUTH ALLIANCE since 2011. Our first official lolya winter retreat started in 2011. Winter retreat can be a life-changing experience for many students. Even though just ONE retreat, we realize how much God can do to impact the lives of youth. Started in January of 2011, our first official retreat prep began. Throughout the whole year, three pastors, Pastor Jae, Pastor Rachel, and Pastor David, got together to prepare for 2011 winter retreat. God is good. Our prayer was that He would take over and show us what He can do through the retreat, which was prepared throughout the whole year with our prayers, leadership training, and all little detail works. We were only THREE. However, we witnessed what God can do when He takes over! As much as the grace of God, serving is quite addicting. There is nothing more joyful than to see the changes and the growth of youth students as their pastors.
We started LOLYA with a tremendous heart for youth. However, God has been moving us to see the importance of training leaders and inspiring youth pastors. Now we are expanding ourselves in thoughts and experiences. We do not know what the future holds for us. What we know is that we desire for our youth to know their power in Christ and be able to use it as they go out to the world in season.
God's people must get together often!! We all fight our own battles in the places we belong. When God calls us to make some serious impact, we join our forces together! Nothing stays with LOLYA after a big fight. We come together with other pastors and leaders with students to make some serious impact that goes a long way, and we all go back to our own local battlegrounds. When the moment comes, we gather again. What a battle! As we grow, we desire to make a bigger and stronger impact as we get together with others with such passion.
Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
MISSION STATEMENT
Live Out Loud Youth Alliance exists to transform the lives of youth through pastoral seminars and network, leadership training and mentoring, unique youth retreats and various youth events so that they can be equipped and be prepared to go out to the dark and Christless world to be the strong and powerful light!
CORE VALUES
Commitment to Motivate, Inspire, and Support Youth Pastors
LOLYA staff pastors have been youth pastors for a long time. We would love to share our experiences as youth pastors with many young pastors. Our general pastoral fellowship brings opportunities for young or inexperienced youth pastors to hear our thoughts on their ministry challenges. We understand because we all are youth pastors and have been there once. We love to support them through our prayers and encouragement. LOLYA would like to host many seminars to invite local youth pastors to learn from older and wiser spiritual leaders who have been serving in their own ministries for a long time
Commitment to Train, Encourage, and Challenge Leaders
LOLYA sees the importance of training local youth ministry leaders. Many small church leaders do not even have their pastors. We provide a community for them to grow and to learn so that they may continue to serve their youth.
Commitment to Create Quality Spiritual Events and Programs for Youth
LOLYA believes in passion! Why not providing high spiritual quality retreats and events? LOLYA's such dedication makes the winter retreat to be an amazing spiritual experience for those who attend. We want to work hard. We want to go all the way to serve youth.
Commitment to Keep the Winter Retreat in LOLYA STYLE
What LOLYA desires to keep regardless of our growth in size due to increasing numbers of joining churches is personal caring in small group settings. We know the importance of maintaining a relationship with youth at a personal level. We desire to focus on each student. For us to do that, we need to train many youth leaders. We begin to see those who attended as a youth before coming back to the retreats as leaders. We want to raise influential spiritual leaders through LOLYA retreats for setting great role models of leadership.
What is LOLYA STYLE RETREAT?
1. Develop throughout the year
2. Creating youth pastors' fellowship and network
3. Joint leadership training (small group leaders), and leaders' interaction through preparing skits and body worship for the retreat
4. Keep groups small for individual attention
5. Team building games
6. Practical Maket Place Christian -- seminars
7. Powerful and theological sound messages
8. Awareness of spiritual warfare and our power in the battle
9. Youth Network
10. Challege to Live Out GREAT COMMISSION
Commitment to Mission for Youth all around
We are youth pastors! We want to reach out to many youths, not only in the states but also in the mission field. We are at a starting point at the moment. We will develop our mission in several elements, but overall we want to reach out to youth in the mission field. Many people do VBS, and that is wonderful. We do the same as well. However, no one seems to reach out to youth in the mission field. God has put a tremendous burden upon our heart for youth not only in the states but also in other places. We will humbly see where God is leading us from here
Commitment to Follow God’s Faithful Direction and Guidance
We may fail, but God never fails. LOLYA believes in His faithfulness. We desire to follow God's direction and guidance for doing our ministry through LOLYA. We will always be sensitive to what God has to show us! Conditions can be changing. What matters is keeping our relationship right with God at all times.
Commitment to Be Passionate
Passion attracts people. We desire to attract like-minded passionate people to impact the lives of youth together with LOLYA. LOLYA will always go all the way. We will never stop. "Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can." -John Wesley
Commitment to Grow in Spiritual Power and Maturity
LOLYA seeks growth in Christ. We will go forward in the journey of becoming great men and women of God. We will continue to grow as leaders and pastors. We certainly do know what such growth does to us and to others we serve. It is our way of setting a great role model for many to follow after us THAT IS FOLLOWING CHRIST and be His disciples.
Commitment to Keep a Meaningful Network with Local Youth Ministries
LOLYA is open to share our resources and ideas with local ministries. We are open to any local youth ministries.
LOLYA staff pastors have been youth pastors for a long time. We would love to share our experiences as youth pastors with many young pastors. Our general pastoral fellowship brings opportunities for young or inexperienced youth pastors to hear our thoughts on their ministry challenges. We understand because we all are youth pastors and have been there once. We love to support them through our prayers and encouragement. LOLYA would like to host many seminars to invite local youth pastors to learn from older and wiser spiritual leaders who have been serving in their own ministries for a long time
Commitment to Train, Encourage, and Challenge Leaders
LOLYA sees the importance of training local youth ministry leaders. Many small church leaders do not even have their pastors. We provide a community for them to grow and to learn so that they may continue to serve their youth.
Commitment to Create Quality Spiritual Events and Programs for Youth
LOLYA believes in passion! Why not providing high spiritual quality retreats and events? LOLYA's such dedication makes the winter retreat to be an amazing spiritual experience for those who attend. We want to work hard. We want to go all the way to serve youth.
Commitment to Keep the Winter Retreat in LOLYA STYLE
What LOLYA desires to keep regardless of our growth in size due to increasing numbers of joining churches is personal caring in small group settings. We know the importance of maintaining a relationship with youth at a personal level. We desire to focus on each student. For us to do that, we need to train many youth leaders. We begin to see those who attended as a youth before coming back to the retreats as leaders. We want to raise influential spiritual leaders through LOLYA retreats for setting great role models of leadership.
What is LOLYA STYLE RETREAT?
1. Develop throughout the year
2. Creating youth pastors' fellowship and network
3. Joint leadership training (small group leaders), and leaders' interaction through preparing skits and body worship for the retreat
4. Keep groups small for individual attention
5. Team building games
6. Practical Maket Place Christian -- seminars
7. Powerful and theological sound messages
8. Awareness of spiritual warfare and our power in the battle
9. Youth Network
10. Challege to Live Out GREAT COMMISSION
Commitment to Mission for Youth all around
We are youth pastors! We want to reach out to many youths, not only in the states but also in the mission field. We are at a starting point at the moment. We will develop our mission in several elements, but overall we want to reach out to youth in the mission field. Many people do VBS, and that is wonderful. We do the same as well. However, no one seems to reach out to youth in the mission field. God has put a tremendous burden upon our heart for youth not only in the states but also in other places. We will humbly see where God is leading us from here
Commitment to Follow God’s Faithful Direction and Guidance
We may fail, but God never fails. LOLYA believes in His faithfulness. We desire to follow God's direction and guidance for doing our ministry through LOLYA. We will always be sensitive to what God has to show us! Conditions can be changing. What matters is keeping our relationship right with God at all times.
Commitment to Be Passionate
Passion attracts people. We desire to attract like-minded passionate people to impact the lives of youth together with LOLYA. LOLYA will always go all the way. We will never stop. "Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can." -John Wesley
Commitment to Grow in Spiritual Power and Maturity
LOLYA seeks growth in Christ. We will go forward in the journey of becoming great men and women of God. We will continue to grow as leaders and pastors. We certainly do know what such growth does to us and to others we serve. It is our way of setting a great role model for many to follow after us THAT IS FOLLOWING CHRIST and be His disciples.
Commitment to Keep a Meaningful Network with Local Youth Ministries
LOLYA is open to share our resources and ideas with local ministries. We are open to any local youth ministries.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
`We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, authoritative, and the inerrant Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
`We believe there is one God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14, Deut. 6:4)
`We believe in the spiritual unity of the believers in our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:12-13)
`We believe in the deity of Christ (John 10:33); His virgin birth (Isa.7:15); (Matt.1:23) His sinless life (Heb 4:15); His resurrection (John 11:25; 1 Cor 15:4)
`We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; those who are saved unto the resurrection of life, and those who are not unto the
resurrection of damnation (John 5:28-29.)
`We believe that salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone, to whom we must respond with repentance, faith, and obedience. Through Christ we come
into a right relationship with God, our sins are forgiven, and we receive eternal life. (Romans 5:8-9, Romans 10:9-10)
`We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ, in the resurrection of the dead, in God's judgment of all persons with perfect justice and mercy, and in eternal
reward and punishment. Ultimately, Christ's kingdom will be victorious over all evil, and the faithful will reign with him in eternal life. (Rev. 3:11,Acts 1:11, Romans
19:11-16)
`We believe there is one God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14, Deut. 6:4)
`We believe in the spiritual unity of the believers in our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:12-13)
`We believe in the deity of Christ (John 10:33); His virgin birth (Isa.7:15); (Matt.1:23) His sinless life (Heb 4:15); His resurrection (John 11:25; 1 Cor 15:4)
`We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; those who are saved unto the resurrection of life, and those who are not unto the
resurrection of damnation (John 5:28-29.)
`We believe that salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone, to whom we must respond with repentance, faith, and obedience. Through Christ we come
into a right relationship with God, our sins are forgiven, and we receive eternal life. (Romans 5:8-9, Romans 10:9-10)
`We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ, in the resurrection of the dead, in God's judgment of all persons with perfect justice and mercy, and in eternal
reward and punishment. Ultimately, Christ's kingdom will be victorious over all evil, and the faithful will reign with him in eternal life. (Rev. 3:11,Acts 1:11, Romans
19:11-16)
pastoral staff
Executive Director - Pastor Jae Lee (MDiv, Talbot Theological Seminary)
Director - Pastor Rachel Lee (MA NT & MA Philosophy, Talbot Theological Seminary)
Program Director - Pastor David W. Kim (MDiv, Talbot Theological Seminary)
Program Director - Pastor Joseph Lee (MDiv, Talbot Theological Seminary)