About YXL
YXL stands for Youth eXcelling in Leadership. It is the youth leadership program of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). YXL Northeast is a weeklong summer conference in central Pennsylvania dedicated to preparing youth to be leaders for Christ – in the church, in their homes, in the workplace and around the world.
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Youth eXcelling in Leadership is an intense leadership conference for high school students who feel the call to grow in their faith. It isn't a place to send your entire youth group, but rather those students who are already demonstrating leadership qualities and want to be challenged to become more. These students are discipled and sharpened to be stronger leaders. It is a place where students are known and challenged to become the next generation of Christ-like leaders.
Our History
We praise God for all He has done in the lives of so many students and adults as a result of their participation in YXL Northeast. To Him be all the glory and the praise!
In the fall of 2009 a small group of youth leaders came together to talk about the possibility of bringing a reformed youth leadership development conference to the Northeast. These leaders had seen the impact and potential of Youth Excelling in Leadership through their experiences at the original YXL conference in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. As this group of committed leaders met and prayed, the question arose: "why couldn't we do YXL for the students in the northeast?" From these prayer meetings, YXL Northeast was born.
From our first year, YXL Northeast began to experience growth and development. So much so that after YXL 2013, it became clear that we were quickly out-growing our home at Refreshing Mountain. The team started the job of praying and seeking a new home for YXL Northeast in 2014. That search led to our present home at Kenbrook Bible Camp in Lebanon, PA. With the exception of an interruption due to Covid, we've been here every year since! We are a family here at YXL Northeast; every year our family expands as new students experience YXL Northeast.