ABOVE: Martin County Youth for Christ (YFC) Area Leader Hunter Schmidtke stands outside of the building on Downtown Plaza in Fairmont. Schmidtke began his duties officially in August. The drop-in center will be open for youth in grades 6 to 12 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

FAIRMONT — The Martin County Youth for Christ (YFC) drop-in center, The Lighthouse, aims to be a beacon of light for local youth and will continue its mission under its newly introduced Area Leader, Hunter Schmidtke.

“I became a Christian in my senior year of high school. I was like, ‘I’m missing something’,

And when I finally found it, I thought, ‘why isn’t it more ‘out there’ that there’s a place where people care’,” said Schmidtke. “I want to keep kids from going down the same dark paths I went on when I was in high school. I know that Christ is a light, and this job essentially fell into my hands. On Sunday after church, I was handed a note that said, Chuck would like me to become the successor if I was interested.”

Schmidtke took over the role from Chuck and Evelyn Rudolph and has been training for it since June in the Albert Lea YFC drop-in center, The Rock. There he learned how to operate the drop-in center and handle select situations before later arriving at The Lighthouse to start duties officially.

“There is no better job than being able to spend your time with the youth and just be able to give them a space to be open and know that they’re cared for and valued and that everything they say has meaning,” Schmidtke said.

At The Lighthouse, youth can participate in numerous activities and enjoy snacks while discussing their beliefs and exploring the Christian faith together. Schmidtke encourages youth to visit The Lighthouse and promotes individuality and inclusivity, regardless of a person’s traits or beliefs.

“Youth for Christ is a space where you can be who you are and we don’t expect anything out of you except that you’d be willing to discuss and talk about who you are as a person and what you believe in and what your purpose is and to make sure that you know you’re valued,” said Schmidtke.

He said that even though The Lighthouse drop-in center has been open for youth for only a few weeks since changes were made, the number of youth attending the drop-in center has been constantly and significantly growing.

“It’s been awesome. In the first week, we had one kid, and then the next week we had four and then eight, and then 16 and then over 20. It’s been spiraling in an amazing way,” Schmidtke said with a laugh.

On that note, Schmidtke explained he would happily accept more volunteers to help with The Lighthouse’s open hours. Currently, two volunteers assist Schmidtke with supervising the drop-in center. He said a bigger team of volunteers would open doors to more possibilities for the drop-in center, including being open on weekends.

The YFC will continue offering many opportunities for youth, including YFC winter and summer camps, activities with other YFC groups and strong civic involvement.

“I really have been trying to make this place like the central hub, just promoting every church’s ministry and community events that involve youth and faith. I mean, we’re dedicated to social involvement. So we want these kids to be out there in the community. Since we’re called The Lighthouse, I think that’s just the calling of we’re going to be a light in the community. We’re going to shine and we’re going to say, here are the kids and the kids are willing to serve you and to love and be loved. We’re going to be a little different and we’re going to, we’re just a little light in a dark world,” Schmidtke said.

The Lighthouse has also recently undergone some remodeling, including an overhead brick wall and more decorations added. Wrapping up its work-in-progress stage, Schmidtke hopes to add signage to the front exterior.

The Lighthouse drop-in center is available for all youth in grades 6 to 12, open from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and is located at 213 Downtown Plaza in Fairmont. For additional information about the drop-in center, opportunities for youth, volunteers, camps, events and more, visit www.scmyfc.org/martin-county or contact The Lighthouse at (507) 235-6016.