Young Life comes to Morgan County

A new youth ministry support organization called Young Life is starting up in Morgan County.

“Young Life is an organization that’s committed to reaching out to the youth in the community, introducing them to the gospel and no matter how they respond to that information, still caring for their lives, and making an impact in their life,” volunteer and Young Life Committee member Nicole Burns said.

She is far from the only volunteer working with this group.

“It’s composed of all volunteers,” Burns said. “At a certain point you can have a paid staff person, but it’s a group of adults who are really compassionate toward caring for the youth and their community.”

“It’s international, as well as national,” committee member and initiator Kelly Cupples said. “The closest area that has Young Life is in Greeley.”

Cupples, who is a pastor in Fort Morgan, said the organization is across Colorado, as well.

“We’re looking at establishing it in the area through outreach,” he said. “We’re hoping to get as many kids as possible.”

Cupples said they are reaching out to churches throughout the community, not just one.

“The research shows us that 85 percent of the kids in the United States don’t have a home church or go to church,” he said. “We did a little bit of research on our own and that just about fits us, too.”

Cupples added, “You know those trucks that drive around, called ‘Snap-on Tools’? That’s what Young Life is to the local churches. It doesn’t come in and take over and do the youth ministry. They come in with an idea of proven methods to come in and assist and help our local churches to reach kids in their community. They’re kind of like a Snap-On toolbox for us.”

Burns and Cupples said their first step in establishing a Morgan County chapter of Young Life was to form a committee.

“The whole committee is made of different people who attend local churches. It’s a huge community collaboration,” Burns said.

The committee members include: Kelly Cupples, Nicole Burns, Matt Brasby, Drake Hunter, Jen McBride, Alex Vance, Donna Oleari, Matt McClain and Staci Williams.

“I started somewhere in June [2018],” Cupples said. “I contacted the Greeley chapter and area manager and talked with her. I’ve had a little bit of personal experience with it when I was working with kids in inner cities.”

Cupples said he had this experience when he worked in New Orleans, Louisiana. He said he’s been in the Fort Morgan area since about 1984.

“I thought, this is a tool to help us reach through to those 85 percent that don’t have that and help them realize what is out there for them in a very positive way,” he said.

Burns said they are in the “tier two” step, now that they have solidified their committee.

“We’re in the ‘raising the funds’ portion to send kids to the camps and to initiate the program in the community,” Burns said.

“It’s the funnest selling point of Young Life. They get to go out and connect with other youth in a fun setting,” she said. “It’s like a five-star resort setting for these kids. It’s an amazing experience for them. They get to [be] involved in activities that help them develop life skills and that sort of thing.”

Once they reach a certain fundraising goal, the Young Life organization will match the funds raised up to $25,000, Burns said.

“We’ll be able to use those funds for youth to go to camps, to provide training to the volunteers and start getting out there and making connections with the youth in our community,” she said.

Cupples said right now they are also working on exposure of the organization in the community, as they lead into their fundraising efforts.

“That’s the process, building for Camp, to Club, then to what’s called Campaigners,” Cupples said.

Burns said the small size of the community will allow them to connect to a broad range of youth in the area.

“We’re looking for middle school-age up into the young adult ages and college-age,” she said. “Out of that, we’ll blossom these community events for these kids.”

“The really big step is the camp,” Cupples said. “If we can take some kids to camp, they get a feel for it and they can spread the word of it. It’s much more organic in that way.”

In September, Cupples said they hope to start a weekly “Club.”

“It’s a weekly gathering of kids that want to be a part of this, with the idea of them inviting other kids and at the same time involving parents,” he explained. “For the kids that want to dig deeper, there’s a discipleship program there, too.”

Cupples explained how the organization connects to the community beyond the children.

“Part of that is helping the local church people realize they are a very important part of this equation, in contacting and being around kids,” he said.

Cupples gave the example of a church member who works with children as part of her music lessons business.

“There’s a bridge of contact there, so if some kid says, ‘What church do you go to?’, then they can share that,” he explained.

As Cupples and Burns said, Young Life is just at its beginnings in Morgan County.