Soon after stepping into my full-time role with National Network of Youth Ministries, my mind started to think about the areas of the country where there aren’t as many churches. Within Colorado, that definitely includes the mountains and the rural areas. I knew it was going to be a lot of work and would take some time, but I felt God calling me to reach out to them and see what needs they had.
When I was at the Orange Conference in April, God connected me with two children’s ministry leaders in Breckinridge who were passionate about seeing the middle and high school students in their town/county reached with the Gospel. So, on the way back from speaking at Camp Como, I met up with them, another church pastor, and a YoungLife leader.
While we didn’t solve everything and suddenly have a plan to reach all the teenagers there, it was a great starting point! I got to learn from them about what life is like, especially for students, in Breckinridge. The leaders are so excited about the future and really praying hard for revival in their county, strongly desiring for the churches to come together even more. We prayed together, and I also found out there are a couple churches who have been partnering together already and are definitely open to doing more in the future. I was so encouraged by my time there, and I can’t wait to see what God does next!
Please keep all youth leaders in your prayers, but especially those who are in more rural and mountain areas, who do not have a ton of others to connect with.
Steve Cullum 