You might be asking,
"Who's Bailey?"
And "why
does he have such an amazing looking lodge?!"
To which I would respond,
"I'm glad you asked!"
When I first met and fell in love with his older sister, Kelsey, he asked me as soon as we met, if I was his brother-in-law! Kelsey and I did go on to get married, but that day, he instantly
welcomed me as a friend, and as time would go on, our friendship effortlessly became something
that I cherished. I quickly came to love every
moment I got to spend with him. His love for
God was inspiring, his heart for people and his
acceptance of everyone, taking on the cares of
the world ahead of his own, was something
that really truly characterized his personality.
Tragically, we lost Bailey when he took his life in
the Fall of 2018 and his parents, Gene and Brenda Hoyer, decided that to
honor his memory, a space would be created
in which we could connect with young people
and offer hope for those walking through their
own dark night of the soul. Our goal now, as
the dream of 'Bailey's Lodge' continues to grow
and expand, is to create programs that act as
connection points with youth, aim to build
relationships, bring hope, and see lives
changed for the Kingdom.
Life is meant to be
walked out in community.
Especially now,
with youth anxiety and depression rates higher than ever before, it's so important to
reach out and connect with them.
Would you consider partnering with us as we do that?
The
need is great but our God is greater!
Sincerely,
Justin Schultz,
Executive Director
For our most recent video update:
(Summer 2023 Update Video)
From Our Friends
Bailey's Lodge means so much to our family, as did Bailey himself. It has been an honor to get to know the whole family.
This is a place [Haven] where all teens can feel welcome and have a great atmosphere to hang out, with a Christian feeling from those who supervise.
It is also an honor to have one of my son's paintings hanging on the wall in memory of Bailey as he [Bailey] was a good friend to him.
-Lynda Gomez
What is Bailey's Lodge?
Relationship.
Bailey's Lodge is all about relationships: inviting our youth into deeper community, to build friendships, and to be known and know others. You're going to see a lot of people at our programs who don't have it all together, people who are normal, and probably just a bit 'messy'. A Bailey's Lodge program invites young people to be themselves, whoever, and as unique as, they are.
What does Bailey's Lodge Do?
Connect.
Today's youth are just like every generation before them: Unique! Knowing this, we aim to create programs just as unique to welcome young people, engage with them, and help them be known.
Engage.
Life is just better with deep friendships, and walking out the everyday with people you care about is important. We all need people to pour into us and help us grow and develop, so helping young people grow healthy relationships, build resiliency, serve one another, and have a clear purpose in life are just some of the outcomes we aim for.
Invite.
As a Christian faith based organization, we realize that so many people have objections and questions about who Christians are and what we stand for. At our programs we have a short event we call Coach's Corner where youth have the opportunity to direct the conversation, ask questions, and share their perspectives on the topic at hand.
Disciple.
Being a disciple, modeling a life long relationship with Christ as well as living from our identity as sons and daughters in God's family is a priority. Coming along side young people on the Christian journey, whether new believers or long time adherents, we strive to encourage, build up faith, and walk side by side on the journey we call life.