Nestled along the shores of Lake Michigan, halfway between Muskegon and Ludington, is the small town of Shelby. Tucked within the town limits is one small high school.
Each day, 390 students pass through the doorways of Shelby High School—students overwhelmed by the pressure of trying to fit in, students searching for meaning and purpose, students longing to be known and loved.
Navigating high school is hard. But this year has been especially difficult with the mask-wearing, social distancing, and virtual learning due to Covid. Students at Shelby are aching for a little hope and normalcy.
So imagine the look on their faces as they walk into school one morning to find free donuts and friendly faces wishing them a good day. It’s a small gesture with a big message that says, “We know it’s been a hard year, we get it, and we care.”
One of those friendly faces handing out donuts is Brenda Dickman.
Brenda isn’t a stranger at Shelby High School. She’s a mom to a ninth grader, a coach, and a member of the community. But on this particular morning, Brenda is on campus representing Shelby Young Life, the newest Young Life ministry in the region.
The mission of Young Life is to introduce kids to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith. We do this by showing up in the lives of kids, walking alongside them, and earning the right to share with them the Good News of Jesus in terms they can understand.
But the story of Shelby Young Life doesn’t start here. It goes back about two years, back to the summer of 2019.
While scrolling Facebook one day, Brenda came across a post from long-time friend Chris Theule-VanDam, Regional Director for Young Life’s Western Great Lakes Region. Chris and some team members had been praying for the Lord to open doors for future ministries to begin in small towns like Shelby. His post was asking for connections in Shelby while also getting the word out about an upcoming interest meeting.
Brenda and her husband Joel were intrigued. Their past experience working for Youth for Christ back in their college days, coupled with a desire for their own children to be involved, led them to respond.
Another couple who had seen the Facebook post was Jim and Bonnie Nicholas, both of whom knew Young Life well. Jim and Bonnie had recently relocated to Shelby to be close to Lake Michigan following Jim’s retirement with the US Geological Survey.
“I’m a Great Lakes guy,” shared Jim. “My wife grew up in an unchurched family, went to Young Life camp at Castaway, and became a Christian there. We met at Wheaton College. Later our son got involved with Young Life in high school, went to Wheaton, was a leader for four years, and then served on Young Life staff.”
The Dickmans and Nicholases, along with a few other community members, showed up to the interest meeting in August of 2019, led by Chris Theule-VanDam and Associate Regional Director Kevin Eastway. That group of dreamers and visionaries eventually formed the Shelby Young Life Committee.
Starting a brand new ministry from scratch meant they had their work cut out for them. Building relationships, vision-casting, getting to know the community, and prayer were their top priorities.
“We quickly learned nobody knew the names of para-church ministries like Young Life and Youth for Christ that are often in the city schools. So a big challenge has been the education piece,” reflected Brenda.
Some in the community had been praying for a ministry such as Young Life to come to Shelby. “[The high school] needs something,” Brenda shared. “There are churches in the area, but it is untapped. That is what happens in rural communities, there aren’t five different ministry clubs meeting on campus, you have none. You might have a youth pastor going into the lunchroom and that’s about it.”
Most kids in Shelby aren’t plugged into a church so Young Life’s mission of going to kids felt like the right fit.
The committee got to work meeting with community members, sharing the vision, and reaching out to financial partners. It wasn’t long before they took the step to hire a part-time staff person. Jim shared, “We were fortunate to have a very experienced, skilled, passionate, imaginative, hard-working person who said, ‘I’ll do it!’”
That person was Brenda.
“I definitely wanted to help out. I’m just trying to be obedient to the call,” said Brenda.
From that first meeting in 2019 until now, God has been pulling together this dream team in Shelby. In the midst of a year filled with shutdowns, cancellations, and people not out doing a lot because of Covid, the community came together to start Young Life and even raised half their annual budget!
The backbone of Young Life is teams of people, not just a lone staff person. It’s teachers, parents, administrators, builders, farmers, pastors, young professionals, and retired members of the community coming together with the goal of reaching kids.
Currently, there are six volunteers that make up the committee, ten volunteers who’ve stepped up to lead with kids, in addition to prayer warriors, community champions, and financial partners. An exciting partnership that’s formed has been with The Ladder Community Center, which has allowed Young Life the use of their meeting space.
Starting a ministry from scratch during a pandemic has meant a lot of patience and flexibility. “We get ready to do the next thing but then need to adjust,” shared Brenda. “But overall there has been a lot of momentum.”
It’s forced the Young Life team to put first things first, like prioritizing prayer—specifically praying for kids by name—in a way that might have been overlooked had they been able to meet in-person right away.
They’ve found covid-safe ways to make themselves known in the community, like dropping off treats for teachers, surprising students with donuts, and getting creative about connecting with kids. And after months of waiting, Shelby Young Life was able to have their first meeting in February.
“It’s one of those situations where you do your work and leave the outcome to God because he’s in charge and it’s his ministry anyway,” shared Jim.
Shelby Young Life is a place for everyone who wants to get the most out of life. High School students—whatever their interests or abilities—are invited to come experience life as God designed it to be lived.
Young Life wants to reflect the diversity of Shelby High School where about 55% of kids in the school identify as Hispanic. The Young Life Committee is seeking out connections with local Christian Hispanic leaders in Shelby. If you’re a parent, community leader, or simply an adult who cares about kids in Shelby, please contact Brenda Dickman or Jim Nicholas to learn more.
More about Shelby Young Life—
FOLLOW Shelby Young Life on Facebook, Instagram or visit shelby.younglife.org.
GIVE to Shelby Young Life. They depend on donor gifts to keep the ministry running. The partnership of financial supporters will guarantee countless teenagers receive the support and guidance they need while learning about God’s love for them. Give online.
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