How to Sponsor Persons to Chrysalis

1. 1. The Aim of sponsorship.
      The aim of sponsorship is the same as the aim of Chrysalis: the spiritual growth of young Christians as disciples of Jesus Christ through churches and their youth groups. The aim is not to get all your friends to go, to have a full three days, or to fix a problem. Rather, sponsorship is motivated by hopes that friends will experience the accepting and healing grace of God through Christian community; hear anew the gospel of God’s love in Jesus Christ and the basics of Christian faith and life; make friends with other youth who share the faith and will support each other in living as Christians; develop relationships with mature Christian adults, relationships that might extend beyond the Chrysalis three days; be strengthened in their decisions to follow Jesus and become better prepared to live as Christian witnesses at home, school, church, and community; and bring new vitality to the church and youth group after the three days.
   2. Ages of participants.

      High School Chrysalis (Flights) is for young people fifteen to eighteen years of age (normally in the tenth through twelfth grades). Chrysalis is for young people who are ready to think about the realities and struggles of life on a more adult level: “What am I going to do with my life?” “Who do I want to become?” “What do I believe?” “What kinds of relation-ships are lasting and meaningful?” “What does it mean to live as a Christian, and how can I do it?” Young people who have not yet completed ninth grade will benefit by waiting to be sponsored with their age group. Young people gain more from Chrysalis when they are spiritually ready, and when they are looking toward their future.

      College-Aged Chrysalis (Journeys) is the same program for young adults nineteen to twenty-four years of age. College-aged Chrysalis has emerged to fill an age gap of persons who are often not being reached by either high-school Chrysalis or The Walk to Emmaus for adults. However, young adults who are beyond high school can be sponsored to The Walk to Emmaus as well. Sponsors need to offer both options and allow the young persons to choose where they would feel most comfortable.

   3. Whom to Sponsor. Who is Chrysalis really for and who is to be sponsored?
      • Young people who are attending church and youth groups
      • Leaders in the church youth group
      • Mature youth and leaders on campus
      • Youth with fledgling faith or limited Christian background
      • Youth in the church who are not involved in the youth group activities
      • Youth of various races, economic backgrounds, and churches

      Sponsorship is an act of love for God, for young people, and for the church. It is a living demonstration of agape love. As sponsors we become instruments of God’s design.

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