Leland navigates a lighthouse and a rocky shoal

Allegations of youth grooming, a Bear Man’s tracks, and divisive debate over the role of religion in a small town

UPDATE, Jan. 8, 2026: The Leland Planning Commission heard nearly three hours of impassioned public comment on Wednesday night, Jan. 7, at their monthly meeting—which had been moved to the Northport Public School auditorium to accommodate a crowd that numbered in the hundreds. The commission’s December meeting at the Leland Library was postponed due to a lack of space.

Approximately 60 percent of the 40 people who spoke during three different public comment periods opposed Apollos Properties’ bid for a special use permit to hold a Youth for Christ ministry as a “club” in Jim VanSteenhouse’s property, which sits in the business district overlooking Leland’s Fishtown.

Concerned parents, grandparents and community members opposed the bid because they said only tax-paying retail businesses should be allowed within Leland’s C-1 commercially zoned district. They found Youth for Christ’s mission and previous pursuit and alleged recruitment of students (and minors) within the public school to be divisive. They recoiled at Youth for Christ missionary Micah Cramer referring to them as “the enemy” during a church service in Northport in November—and VanSteenhouse’s suggestion that Leland was an unsafe community. They encouraged Apollos to find another location for their ministry outside of downtown Leland, where the group also owns property.

The 40 percent who supported Youth for Christ’s bid for a ministry said they wanted more religious opportunities for youth in the community. They alleged that opposition to the ministry and to the Cramers suggested a “discomfort with Christianity.” They touted the First Amendment, and praised the Cramers for their “dedication” and “tough skin.” A couple citizens alleged that people “care more about retail businesses than about our kids.” Another grew emotional as she spoke about struggles in her childhood and the positive role of faith in her life.

The Leland Planning Commission will use their next scheduled meeting, on Wednesday, Feb. 4, to review findings of fact for the application and consult with their attorneys. Another large venue might be needed for next month’s meeting, to accomodate impassioned debate. Township supervisor Clint Mitchell predicted that the Planning Commission might hold a vote during their March meeting, “at the earliest.” The result of the commission’s decision could be appealed to the Zoning Board of Appeals.

A lawyer representing Youth for Christ, who owns property in Leland, has already alluded to the threat of lawsuits.

To add another wrinkle to an already complex story, Planning Commission chair Ross Satterwhite announced Wednesday night that he would step down, effective this week. As township supervisor, Mitchell may nominate a new chairperson in the coming weeks. That candidate would need to be officially appointed by the board. If the new planning commissioner is not in place by March, a vote on the Youth for Christ ministry application could be decided by four commissioners. In the event of a tie, the special use permit bid would fail.

ORIGINAL STORY FROM NOVEMBER:

By Jacob Wheeler

Sun editor

The professionally produced Instagram video opens with aerial footage of teenagers frolicking on the Lake Michigan shoreline near Leland on a beautiful summer day. Soft piano music and synthesized melodies pull us into the social media post and beckon us to listen as six local teenagers take turns offering their devotions and thanking missionaries Micah and Kya Cramer. “I’m a student at Youth for Christ,” they happily take turns declaring.

In the video’s closing frames we watch the charismatic young pastors wearing shirts sporting the words “Made New.” as they lower the emotional young people into the Great Lake’s inviting waters and baptize them. Adults tear up and cheer from the shore.

The Cramers, ages 25 and 23, respectively, have used their savvy Instagram marketing—and until recently, their regular presence inside Leland School—to attract dozens of local high school students to Sunday evening worships, Friday morning coffee dates, and summer beach hangouts held under the auspices of their youth ministry Leelanau Lighthouse.

The parachurch is under the umbrella of the international organization Youth For Christ, which has approximately 110 chapters nationwide and 10 in Michigan. Since landing in Leland in 2024 and launching 18 months ago, the Cramers have impacted—some parents and community members say rattled—this close-knit, tiny town of little more than 400 residents.

A debate over the role of religion in public schools and in the public square has roiled Leland this fall—the conversation a microcosm of an explosive reckoning on the national stage. This conflict also generates whiplash for some.

Five years ago, Leland School’s previous superintendent wrote a bold community letter that addressed race relations in the United States—just weeks after George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis and during the apex of Black Lives Matter demonstrations. The well-intentioned words inspired reflection. But they also prompted neighbors to retreat and reinforce their political and cultural walls. A story in The New York Times Magazine in 2022 titled “Daring to Speak Up About Race in a Divided School District,” further cast Leland in an uncomfortable spotlight.

This September, concerned parents began sharing notes and raising concerns that Leelanau Lighthouse was, in their eyes, using lunch hour at school to “pursue” minors, even reaching down to the elementary level. Leaders of Leland’s PTO began hearing from concerned families on Sept. 16. A week later, the school’s administration told parents that Micah and Kya Cramer were no longer volunteering there. Micah has also stepped back from his role tutoring students.

Leland’s current superintendent, Ryan Huppert, confirmed to the Glen Arbor Sun that the Cramers “have volunteered here previously; however, they are no longer serving in any volunteer capacity at the school.” The Cramers filled out volunteer application forms at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year. A redacted copy of the application—which the Sun acquired through the Freedom of Information Act—shows the Cramers answering the question “What type(s) of volunteering are you interested in?” with the following reply: “Elementary, Middle School, High School, Lunch Time, Student Led Bible Study.” (Click here to view the Cramers’ volunteer application.)

On Oct. 22 and on Nov. 18, parents from 78 households, representing 109 minors in Leland and elsewhere in the County, sent letters of “no consent” to the Cramers, stating that they were “increasingly uncomfortable with the methods Leelanau Lighthouse Youth For Christ and Bluewater Thumb Youth for Christ use in and around this diverse, close-knit, generational community to ‘pursue’ our youth.” (Click here to view the “no consent” letter.)

A club or a church?

Earlier this month, Apollos Properties LLC, which is owned by Micah Cramer’s uncle Jim VanSteenhouse, applied to Leland Township for a land use application to convert the north side of a downtown building he acquired for $1.2 million on Feb. 13 into a religious youth activity “clubhouse.” The space, which is leased to Grand Traverse Distillery until the end of November, overlooks the Leland harbor and the historic shanties of Fishtown—a prime tourism draw during the summer months, when thousands flock to Carlson’s Fishery and catch ferry rides to the Manitou Islands.

VanSteenhouse, known as the “Bear Man” for surviving a grizzly attack in the Canadian wilderness 10 years ago—which he credited to divine intervention—retired from a lucrative banking career and launched Bear Man Ministries. He has since settled in Leland, where he bought property in 2018. (MyNorth.com featured his luxury home last year.)

VanSteenhouse and the Cramers represent a family of Christian missionaries. Bear Man’s sister Misty is a national speaker and pastor; her husband Todd Cramer is executive director of Bluewater Thumb Youth for Christ, which is based in Pigeon, Mich. Misty and Todd have five boys, including Micah. The parent organization Youth for Christ was founded in the 1940s by evangelist Billy Graham, reportedly to spread Christianity among soldiers returning home from World War II.

The family’s bid to convert their 2,500-square-foot downtown property into an official Youth for Christ meeting place for Leelanau Lighthouse was heard by the Township Planning Commission on Nov. 5. More than 50 people, including the Cramers, VanSteenhouses and their attorney, packed a room in Leland’s public library to debate whether the faith-based center should live in the business district.

A follow-up Planning Commission meeting scheduled for Dec. 3 was postponed after more than 100 people crowded the library. The impassioned huddle included concerned Leland families and also supporters of the Cramers and VanSteenhouse families, including some who reportedly traveled here from outside the state. With the room way overcapacity, commission chair Ross Satterwhite postponed the meeting. The Leland Planning Commission will hold its rescheduled public meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 5 pm at Northport public school, according to chair Ross Satterwhite.

The area between the Fishtown harbor and M-22 is zoned C-1, or Village Commercial, which permits clubs “via special land use permit.” The application filed with the Township “anticipated that the interior of the building will be remodeled and upgraded in the future, but there should be no significant alterations to the exterior of the building and the building’s footprint.”

While the rhetoric on Nov. 5 revolved around local zoning, allegations of recruitment and grooming minors without parental consent bubbled near the surface. (Click here to read a transcript of the Planning Commission meeting.)

“I absolutely respect the right to gather and worship,” said Leland resident Anna Hogan. “I’m concerned that the proposed use conflicts directly with the village’s established character as detailed in the C-1 zoning intent. While our core business district does contain necessary services—a bank, offices, grocery store, and other outlets serving the local community—this central, high-visibility storefront is zoned and utilized to support tourism and commerce. The retail and visitor experience is the engine of our economy. … Does a religious youth assembly, which is focused on worship and ministry, truly fit the intent of this definition of a club?”

Robert Parker, attorney for the VanSteenhouses and Cramers, countered that Leland should allow the youth ministry.

“When you look at the Master Plan for Leland, which the particulars to the zoning ordinance should be following, the Master Plan envisions the downtown area as being mixed use … There are also professional services, beauty parlors, barber shops, massage.”

Peter Miller, a supporter of the project, voiced that Leland needs a place for young people to gather.

“Part of the space where they’re proposing to have this activity is currently a distillery tasting room … That’s a place where adults can gather. It would be a sad irony if the Township doesn’t include that space young people can gather.”

Leland resident and attorney Larry Acker countered by questioning whether Youth for Christ should be considered a club.

“You cannot find the word ‘club’ on their websites,” said Acker. “I do not think this is a club. … It is similar to a church, in disguise on the application as a club.”

On Nov. 28, several dozen local business owners sent a “memorandum of concern” to the Planning Commission opposing a special use permit for YFC’s ministry.

Meaning of word “pursuit”

At the Nov. 5 Planning Commission meeting, Acker took umbrage with Youth For Christ’s explicit marketing toward teenagers.

“The advertising on the website is that this group intends to ‘pursue’ children in this community,” he said. “Pursue! Look up in the dictionary, it means ‘to follow someone for the kind of catch, or overtake or to accomplish a goal over time.’ You look at the synonyms: ‘chase, follow, trail.’

“I think the parents in this community have a right to know who is chasing their children, where they’re chasing their children, how they’re chasing their children, and say, ‘no, you do not have permission.’ And that is a legally enforceable right.”

The Ackers were among the Leland families who signed the “no consent” letters.

However, fellow Leland resident Jane Keen offered a different definition for the word.

“I know what the Webster dictionary says about ‘pursuit’,” said Keen. “The biblical termination for ‘pursuit’ is to follow with love and grace.”

Bear man Jim VanSteenhouse was unequivocal and unsparing when he addressed the Planning Commission. Leland’s youth need more religion in their lives, he said.

“When my wife and I were walking through this town,” he said, pounding the podium with his hand, “we looked at the Leland Public School, and my wife and I saw two little girls, in third or fourth grade, walking down the street, hand in hand, after school, obviously going home. And there was no parent. We pulled the car over and watched. That doesn’t happen in Houston, Texas.

“We moved here and got acquainted with everybody. What we noticed was some missing faith-based initiatives with our children. We had that in Texas.

“If we don’t teach these kids about the saving grace of our Lord and Savior, who’s gonna do it? … What I think this community needs is a youth center for these children.”

The Planning Commission will consider Apollos’ bid for the religious center again at its Dec. 3 meeting.

Allegations of school recruitment, gifts

Concerned parents who talked exclusively with the Glen Arbor Sun about the Cramers’ activities in Leland over the past 18 months and Youth for Christ’s public messaging, worry that Leelanau Lighthouse has convinced students within the school to recruit their peers on behalf of the ministry.

A video allegedly posted on the Lighthouse Instagram account on Feb. 14, but since removed, shows five Leland high school girls, four of whom are wearing Comets basketball sweatshirts, just after 9 am in what appears to be a school classroom, taking turns delivering lines to recruit others to a Galentine’s party, an event to honor female friendships.

“Hi girls, have any plans this weekend?” one says. “Show up to our Galentine’s party Saturday the 15th,” says another. “We are gonna have Chick-fil-A, prayer boards, charcuterie, and a great time,” says another. “The Cramer house, 5-7,” says another. “Better see you there,” says another.

Language used by the Cramers on social media boasts of the impact they hope to have on young people in the community: “Revival is coming to Leelanau, and generations are being changed because of it,” proclaimed a Leelanau Lighthouse newsletter on May 13; “The Holy Spirit still empowers His people. The fields are ripe for harvest,” wrote Micah on July 13.

Gifts may be part of the allure, concerned parents suggest. An Instagram post on Dec. 13, 2024, invited kids to the Cramers’ home for a Christmas party. The address was not publicly listed but would be provided through Direct Message (which worried parents). Gifts were explicitly mentioned as a draw for attending.

The word “pursue” has been used frequently in reference to attracting and recruiting teenagers at school: “We actively pursue 11-19 year olds who are walking through pivotal story-shaping moments,” wrote Bluewater Thumb Youth for Christ on Aug. 12; “We pursue young people who often feel overlooked, to build relationships at pivotal moments,” wrote Bluewater Thumb on Sept. 16; “Have BIG faith at school … share Christ’s love… with what you wear,” wrote Leelanau Lighthouse on Sept. 4.

The impression the Cramers have made on some Leland students is clear. On March 3, one teen referred to Micah on Instagram as “Captain”; three students called him “King Micah” on Aug. 15; a video on May 23 of the annual “Harbor Night” celebration for graduating seniors showed Micah, not watching from the sidelines, but joyfully participating in water activities together with students; a “Wake and Worship” video on July 28 showed teens wakeboarding with Micah, as well as praying and reading Bibles on the boat.

Leelanau Lighthouse’s media has sometimes revealed intimate details of students. A May newsletter recounted the story of a first-time visitor who was invited by a peer. “Are you ready to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” he was asked. The student reportedly affirmed, ran to his car, grabbed nicotine and drug products he had stashed there, “and with boldness and tears he threw them far into the waters of Lake Michigan in front of everyone.”

Concerned parents begin comparing notes in mid-September about the Leelanau Lighthouse allegedly using lunch hour at the school to “pursue” minors, potentially interacting with elementary students as well. As the month went on, fears grew that some parents felt like they are “losing” their kids to this group.

By Sept. 23, the school’s administration told parents that the Cramers were no longer volunteering there.

Jim VanSteenhouse addressed the fervor and pushback against Leelanau Lighthouse at the Nov. 5 Planning Commission meeting by stating, “We are not a cult.”

The Bear Man also admitted that correspondence with parents could have been different.

“The one mistake I made is I didn’t communicate to the parents fast enough,” he said. “That’s on me. That is my fault. … It is not Micah’s fault. It is not Kya’s fault. They don’t deserve the [now 109] signed form letters that they got spewing vile thoughts and comments.”

VanSteenhouse has played more than a cheerleading role for Leelanau Lighthouse. He conceived of the idea to hold a fundraiser banquet on July 31 at Locals Lake Leelanau, which the Cramers’ estimate drew more than 150 people, including 30 students.

Support for Leelanau Lighthouse

Families and students who have bonded with, and support Micah and Kya Cramer and their mission, have stood with them as vocal advocates. They have shared their support at several public meetings.

“If it were not for a group like Youth for Christ, I wouldn’t be standing here to this day,” parent Chris Butz shared at the Nov. 5 Planning Commission meeting. “When I was 24 years old, newly married, depressed, and suicidal, I had that faith to go back to. And that faith saved my life.

“Please don’t be afraid of these people. … I’m in deep community with Micah … I’m in Bible study with Micah.”

A student who spoke on Nov. 5—whose name the Sun has withheld because she is a minor—shared that “the Lighthouse has been an outlet for those who strive to grow in their faith. Micah and Kya have guided us in a way that allows us to process our faith in God’s timing.

“I have enjoyed every Sunday that I’ve attended at the Lighthouse. I’ve met people that I would have never interacted with at school. By learning more about their character it has created a safe space to connect and interact without the constant comparison of people. I love all the people because they are kind and welcoming. They don’t judge or make you feel uncomfortable.”

Two letters of support for the Cramers were included in the official packet at a Nov. 17 Leland School Board meeting. (Read it here.)

Amy Radford-Earwood expressed concern in her letter that Micah is no longer welcome at the school to volunteer at lunch, recess, or for any student programming. Radford-Earwood asked what reason, behavior or action on his part required termination of his opportunity to volunteer.

“We have been informed that parents, staff, and even school board members have received misinformation and have discussed and circulated reports of unfounded accusations and rumors. As taxpayers and involved members of the community, we are concerned that a certain group or groups are being discriminated against. …

“We don’t want our wonderful community driven by bullies and the leadership uncomfortable standing up for the rights of all our students. … This is not democratic. This is not just. This is not fair and evenly applied.”

Kevin and Taylor Vann also offered a letter of support on Nov. 17. Taylor teaches high school English at Leland. She defended the right of public school students to practice their faith at school.

“We are writing as parents of two high school students to share the positive and lasting impact that Micah and Kya Cramer and Youth for Christ have had on our lives and the lives of our children. Their impact extends far beyond kindness. Their approachability, transparency, and authenticity have created an environment where people feel truly seen, valued, and welcomed. …

“The Lighthouse has been a wonderful hub from which good things come. … Having a centrally-located venue to welcome young people is an essential step in building community. People from Northport, Lake Leelanau, Glen Lake, Suttons Bay, Leland and Traverse City can have a place to learn and serve others.”

“Despite the unfounded rumors circulating in our community, Youth for Christ is not a cult,” the Vanns’ letter continued. “It is an established, internationally recognized organization with the mission to be a place for young people to explore their faith.”

The Vanns reported that their daughter wanted to start a Bible study during her sophomore year. She was approved by the administration to host it during lunch.

“She specifically reached out to Micah and Kya to monitor the study. … As the administration is aware, any public school student has the right to share their faith with others and can lead to a Bible study at school during non-instructional time. This right is protected by the Equal Access Act.” 

Legal threats

Mark Hearne, founding partner of the St. Louis-based True North Law Group—and whose family owns property in Leland—sent a letter on Nov. 21 on behalf of Youth for Christ USA to Larry Acker, and CCd Leland School superintendent Huppert, school board members and planning commission members. Largely in response to the community’s no-consent correspondence, the letter implies the legal stakes surrounding the Cramers’ and VenSteenhouses’ bid for a downtown ministry.

Hearne’s letter meanders between proselytizing (“Youth for Christ proclaims that humanity is fallen due to our sinful nature … it is Youth for Christ’s joy and responsibility to share this good news with those in the Leelanau County.”) and appealing to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Civil Rights laws: “Among the rights our Constitution guarantees are the freedom of speech, the freedom to assemble, the freedom to worship and the freedom to practice our faith.”

The letter takes offense with perceived allegations of YFC as a “cult”—a word used by VanSteenhouse and defenders of the Cramers, but not in the no-consent letter, and tangentially mentions the Brand Davidians in Waco, Texas, the Jonestown cult in Gyana. It also draws a parallel to the Salem Witch Trials, and mentions the movie Ghost Busters and the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man.

“The objection you lodge against Youth for Christ and against Micah and Kya is not about their ‘methods’ or their activities but about their Gospel message,” Hearne’s letter states. “Simply put, you just don’t want Youth for Christ or Micah and Kya sharing the Gospel with youth in Leelanau County.”

Hearne accuses the concerned parents of anti-Christian bias and explicitly mentions the Trump administration’s legal threats.

“Your opposition to the ministry Micah, Kya and Youth for Christ are engaging in Leelanau County is a disturbing demonstration of anti-Christian bias,” writes Hearne. “President Trump signed two Executive Orders establishing a task force to eliminate anti-Christian bias. … Trump’s declaration stated his administration, including the Department of Justice, would ‘uphold religious liberty and the right to engage in religious speech.’ This extends to ‘faith-based organizations’ such as Youth for Christ.”

Hearne ends his letter with a shot across the bow.

“You are embarking upon an extremely risky endeavor. The effort to prevent Youth for Christ from exercising its constitutional right to free speech, to assemble and to worship violates the U.S. Constitution, numerous federal statutes, and Michigan law. Youth for Christ does not seek controversy. But Youth for Christ will stand firm in defense of its right to assemble, worship and declare the Gospel.”

Micah and Kya Cramer, in their own words

I met Leelanau Lighthouse missionaries Micah and Kya Cramer on Monday, Nov. 17, at Trish’s Dishes—a building now also owned by VanSteenhouse.

Affable and charismatic, they still projected the joy of newlyweds (Micah and Kya were married on June 1, 2024, at the Leland Lodge). During our interview, Micah wore a flannel shirt and a several-day-old beard; Kya sported a stylish red sweater. Our conversation flowed with ease.

The Cramers kindly offered to buy my coffee and lunch. Out of the need for journalistic independence, I politely declined.

During the nearly 90-minute interview, several parents who knew them through Leelanau Lighthouse stopped by to introduce themselves. A recent Leland graduate who had returned to volunteer at the ministry after a brief stint at college sat at a table nearby. It was unclear to me whether the presence of their supporters was intentional—a performance for our pre-arranged interview—or spontaneous.

“We love your kiddos very much,” said Kya to a mom as her family celebrated a birthday lunch for her child at a nearby table.

While no longer volunteering inside Leland school, the Cramers continue to host local students at Sunday evening Bible studies and Friday morning “Arise and Shine” coffee and breakfast events. Micah is an avid basketball fan (his older brother Stephen was a Division III All-American at Hope College) and he looks forward to attend Leland Comets’ hoops games next month (The season begins on Dec. 1).

Occasionally they have branched out and attended events elsewhere in the region. On Oct. 6, the Cramers met Ben Carson—a former presidential candidate and secretary of housing and urban development during Donald Trump’s first term—at a “Focus on Life” dinner at the Grand Traverse Resort hosted by the anti-abortion group Grand Traverse Area Right to Life.

“An absolute honor to attend the Right to Life event in TC,” Micah posted on Instagram the following day “We must continue to fight for the life of the unborn…not just in how we vote, but in how we live. Pray, donate, speak the truth boldly, and BE the love of Jesus to those around you. Lives really do depend on it.”

I asked Micah whether conversations about politics, current events or social issues come up in conversation between him and local students.

“We don’t do a specific set of teachings on today’s policies,” he responded. “We teach from the Bible, and we have conversation about it … It’s impossible to do consistent community with people and have them never bring up what’s going on in the world? So those conversations are brought up, as are conversations where students are telling us what they’ve been struggling with and what they need support with. We preach from the Bible and teach from the Bible, and we’re looking at things through a Biblical worldview.”

Micah cited the assassination of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk as an example of a divisive event that students discussed.

“You have students coming in with, ‘Why are some people happy? Why are some people mad?’ And we are able to process these things from a Biblical worldview. The generation we’re in, this social media age we’re in, I could see on social media people were dressing as (Charlie Kirk) for Halloween with blood all over their neck. These are the kinds of things that students will come in with. ‘Why is someone celebrating this?’”

Students also asked Micah “‘Is Halloween okay? Is it bad to have a Halloween party?’ That’s kind of a funny one,” he and Kya chuckled. “‘Can I carve a pumpkin? Is it Christian to carve a pumpkin?’ And we’re like, ‘You know what? Let’s carve some pumpkins. Okay?’”

Front row seats

Micah explained that he was living in Grand Rapids getting a degree in marketing, but he realized he didn’t care for marketing. Instead, he connected with a local church. “I just realized that I love ministry. I love preaching the gospel … I got plugged into a church and was mentored and discipled there.”

He moved to Leland first in April 2024 and began volunteering in Leland School near the end of that schoolyear. Leelanau Lighthouse launched in earnest after Kya and he were married. Connecting with youth in the community became the primary goal. They say the Bible study officially started in August 2024.

“We want to be active members of the community,” Micah said. “We want to be a light. We want to help where we can help and serve where we can serve.”

Micah described the ministry as a “parachurch,” which in and of itself is not a church and doesn’t intend to replace local churches. “We’re aiming to be allies and to supplement local churches.”

Micah pointed out the relative lack of full-time youth pastors in Leelanau County—owing in part to an aging population here.

“There aren’t very many active youth ministries.”

“You look outside of the county, they’re everywhere,” said Kya.

“You go to Traverse City, and every single church has a full-time youth pastor,” said Micah. “There are probably more modern churches in Traverse City.”

The Cramers began volunteering at Leland School—Micah on most Fridays and Kya about once a month. Basketball, too, proved an effective way to meet students.

“Just trying to be active in the community and trying to create awareness about what our organization is,” said Micah.

They ran frequent weekly advertisements in The Leelanau Enterprise, the county’s paper of record, which included their email and phone number.

“So if anybody’s curious about the organization, they can call us, they can meet with us … If somebody stumbles across our Instagram, they’ll say, ‘Wait a minute, I’ve seen him at the games, cheering. I’ve seen him and her talking with my friends in the community.’ … We just want to be present and just be a familiar, loving, kind face who’s ready to be just an engaging, active member of the community.”

Micah sought to clarify that his time in the school wasn’t Leelanau Lighthouse “pursuing.”

“That’s not outreach, that’s just volunteering in the school. Being a member of the community. And we want people to understand that. We’re just trying to be a benefit to the community.

“What we did when we moved here is that we reached out to the schools and said, ‘Would you like us to be a volunteer?’ And the response was, ‘Can you be a K-12 volunteer? Can you supervise recess?’ For example, if the ball goes across the street, I’m not going to let a kid get it, so I would go get it. I spent, technically, three different school years just serving at the school.”

Micah clarified that he volunteered during lunch and during recess at Leland, but not in the classroom.

“We met with the administration at Leland,” Micah added. “We said ‘This is who we are. This is our ministry. We just want you guys to know that we live here in the community. We want you guys to be aware of who we are.’ Because it’s a small town. If two random people are suddenly at the front row of every basketball game, people are like, ‘Who’s this?’ So we made an effort to meet the administration, and we also said, ‘If there’s any way we can serve, we’d love to do that.’ The way for us was, we got to be lunchtime volunteers.”

Micah added that he and Kya were following the playbook for missionaries.

“Nationwide, this is a tactic that most people with our position do,” said Kya. “Being a volunteer, you just get plugged in whatever way you can in the community.”

“Why are you here?”

Micah clarified that the Cramers understood they couldn’t push a religious message in a public school.

“We don’t go into the schools, you know, stand on a lunch table and preach,” he said. “We don’t go into schools with any bad intentions.”

“Or religious intentions,” Kya added.

“We’re there serving. We made that clear from the start with the school administration, and they welcomed us in,” said Micah.

“We’re aware of their protocol from a Supreme Court level of proselytizing,” added Kya.

I asked them what school staff did to make clear what they could or couldn’t do.

“With respect to faith, it’s pretty straightforward,” said Micah. “You can’t come in and pass out fliers. You obviously can’t just walk up to somebody and pray with them and start preaching to them.

“We’re also not there to recruit. That’s not what we’re doing.”

Micah described many interactions in school as initiated by the students, themselves.

“Sometimes when I was in the lunchroom I would just stand on the corner. If somebody wanted to talk to me, they could come talk to me. Students would come up and give me a high five. We’d talk about the day. We’d talk about school. We’d wipe down tables. There would be times when students would ask, ‘Hey, what time is it on Sunday?’ Six o’clock,” said Micah, referring to Leelanau Lighthouse’s Bible study. “Not there to recruit and to shout, but I’m just going to be there on the corner.”

I asked if the students in the lunchroom asked more about what Leelanau Lighthouse or Youth For Christ is.

“Well, that’s the fine line of if it’s initiated or not, right?” Kya responded.

Micah pivoted to a conversation he had a year and a half ago with a student who asked him, “‘Why are you here?’

“I said, ‘I’m here because I think students should know that people in the community care about them.’

“And then he said, ‘What do you do for a living?’ I said, ‘I’m a missionary,’

“There were probably five or six people there. It was kind of like a joke … And one of the other students said, ‘You should apologize for your tone.’ He apologized to me, and that was how the conversation wrapped up.”

Lighthouse message spread through word of mouth

As the Cramers tell it, word about Leelanau Lighthouse has spread organically, from the mouth of one teenage student to the next.

“I think what speaks to the students is testimony from their own peers,” said Micah. “We came in and started a summer Bible study. We put fliers up around town (including at the Leland Mercantile grocery store). We started our first Bible study with eight people. Next Bible study was 12 to 15 people. And it just kept building from there. So by the time this school year came around, there’s people who are inviting their peers to our Sunday night gatherings. So, it’s really word of mouth.”

Curious students learn that the Sunday night hangout is a Bible study “as soon as they go on our Instagram,” said Micah.

“It’s not even a Bible study where you crack open your Bible, you sit and you read together,” said Kya. “We call it a gathering. We’re hoping to incorporate worship and there’s a message … and we have dinner, and it’s so much fun. But the kids always call it ‘Bible study.’ They make it their own.”

The Cramers say they incorporate food, crafts and cultural events to make the students feel at ease. On “small group Sundays,” the groups separate by gender. Micah has taken the boys to get wings and watch football at Locals Lake Leelanau. Kya has led the girls in stitching sweatshirts or taken them to a pumpkin patch in Traverse City.

“Think of it as like team bonding,” said Kya. “It also gives an opportunity for people who are a little scared of the religious aspect of it. Just come hang out. Just get some wings and watch this game with us.”

“What we’re doing is not some exclusive club,” said Micah. “It’s a community where, if you want to be a part of it, you’re going to be received with open arms. … It’s not something where you have to fall in line or you’re not part of the group anymore.”

Growing too fast?

Micah paused and reflected on the question of why he’s not currently volunteering at Leland.

“I think there’s definitely a change in leadership at the school, and it’s not a change in a bad sense. It’s a change in the sense that there’s not an awareness of who we are as an organization. And I think there may be a lack of awareness in the community of who we are as an organization and our intentions. And so, I feel like that has played a factor in us stepping out of Leland, because of a lack of awareness of who we are.”

The Cramers echoed Jim VanSteenhouse’s admittance on Nov. 5 that he “didn’t communicate to the parents fast enough.” The ministry has grown at a meteoric pace in a year and a half, in terms of the share of Leland students it has attracted. The family suggests that some of Leelanau Lighthouse’s troubles with the community may be growing pains.

“We came to town, and we had no idea that this many students would be impacted in such a short amount of time,” said Micah. “If we knew that students would be showing up and loving it and inviting their friends, and that we’d have 20 to 30 students. If we would have known it would have been that amount of people, then maybe we could have done even more advertising.

“But what we thought is maybe after a year of ministry, we’d have five students.”

“At the end of the day, we were so focused and instructed to get our roots down, get the community to know you, get your new home, and be married, and then do student ministry a few times a week, (advertising) was kind of neglected,” said Kya.

“I think there is a lack of awareness, and I think we should have done a better job of creating awareness, and we’re trying to do that right now,” said Micah.

Despite worries among some Leland families—particularly those who sent “no consent” letters to the Cramers this fall—Micah and Kya maintain they have been transparent about what the students experience at Leelanau Lighthouse gatherings.

“I think parents know where their students are going, and we’re doing our best to develop personal relationships with these families,” said Micah.

“We don’t necessarily just have doors open to everybody to be around students, so our kids are protected and safe, just like at school,” said Kya.

Bear Man’s tracks, harbor aspirations

I asked the Cramers about the role Micah’s uncle Jim VanSteenhouse plays in Leelanau Lighthouse and their missionary work in the community.

“He has a lot of wisdom. He has a home here. He definitely is a mentor of sorts in my life. He’s really made a big impact on me,” said Micah. “He’s not a Youth for Christ staff. He’s not telling us what to do and what to teach.”

They confirmed that the banquet fundraiser Leelanau Lighthouse held at Locals Leelanau last July was Bear Man’s idea.

VanSteenhouse’s downtown property overlooking the harbor sits vacant as the family waits for the Township to make a decision on their special use permit application. They hope to turn it into Leelanau Lighthouse’s permanent ministry. Micah lists the reasons: it’s close to the school, it’s accessible year-round, it’s transparent and safe; its location is familiar to students; during peak usage it wouldn’t draw parking away from Fishtown tourists.

“We feel that’s a great location and we’d love for it to be our ministry home.

“We’re not going to change the footprint of the property. We’d love to change the interior to be able to create a space that’s for this community and for these students. If you go all around the county, every adult has something that’s just for them. There’s distilleries on every corner. There’s churches designed just for them because they’re really fancy.

“There doesn’t seem to be a space that would be to this magnitude that’s made just for showing the students in this community that we care about them. We’d love for it to have some coffee for the students. We’d love for it to have a little worship platform and a fireplace and just a place where students can come and feel safe and communicate and learn and worship.”

“Resistance from the enemy. Resistance from community members”

UPDATE: A video was published recently by the Northport Evangelical Covenant Church which includes Micah and Kya Cramers’ address to parishioners on Nov. 2—prior to the Leland Township Planning Commission meeting on Nov. 5 and prior to the Sun’s interview with the Cramers. At the 14:29 mark in this video, Micah says: “As many of you know, there’s been a unique challenge in the last couple months. There’s been resistance from the enemy. Resistance from community members. I was kicked out of a local school, no longer able to volunteer there: no reasoning, no feedback, no response, just kicked out. Another school told me to step back, and then reevaluated, and then said they just don’t need volunteers anymore. There’s been people in the community who are either upset at the gospel proclamation, or they’re just a little bit ignorant of what’s going on because they heard the wrong rumor. So people in the community are getting very upset about the ministry that’s happening here.”

Micah referred to letters of non-consent he and Kya have received: “They basically want to tell us we are not welcome here. and that, if we’re going to continue doing what we do in this county, they are going to resist us. They proceeded to tell us that we are not allowed to do things that, honestly, they have no legal backing to resist what we’re doing, because everything we’re doing is within our constitutional rights …”

In the Cramers’ interpretation, the non-consent letters say that “the gospel message being proclaimed to youth in this county is abhorrent, it’s gross, it’s not welcome here.”

“We also have been using our youth building that we have in Leland for the past couple months. We’ve had people call the health department, fire department, sheriff’s office on us. People are really just hammering away on what we’re doing.”

Micah called on the Northport parishioners to: consider Leelanau Lighthouse a legitimate Youth for Christ ministry; to pray for them, and to show up and write letters in support of their special use permit application with the Leland Township Planning Commission on Dec. 3. “We are hoping to rally the people in this community who are in support of the ministry—and not just in support of the ministry, but in support of the movement of God that is happening here.”

Leland concerned parents responded to Micah Cramer’s “Resistance from the enemy” address at the Northport Evangelical Covenant Church on Nov. 2:

“Referring to anyone in this special, proudly-purple, generational community as an ‘enemy’ is wildly alarming. It is possible he may be referring to a ‘spiritual war’ in this moment; but no parent, pastor, nor educator that concerned parents have spoken to across hundreds of conversations thinks of this as a war of any kind. This is about aggressive recruitment, often without parent consent. Whether it’s a ballet studio, a soccer team, a Boy Scout troop, or a youth ministry there is youth protection training and Safesport training that adults go through—training that includes protocols that have not been followed by this group.”

“Calling those who do not endorse aggressive recruitment practices without parent consent ‘ignorant’ is noteworthy.”

“Those who chose to write (no consent) letters to Micah did so following significant due diligence. For some, this included reaching out to Micah (he has yet to respond), attending their sessions with youth to learn more, speaking to both families whose children participate and those who do not, parent-supported conversations with participating minors, and significant written research prior to sending any letters. The decision to write letters was not taken lightly, and was based solely on an extensive collection of facts.”

“The right of a parent to indicate no-consent is legal.”