I am a firm believer that every individual needs three types of people in their lives. The first is a “Paul,” a “Paul” is someone who is older in their faith, someone who can come along side of you and help you to grow in your walk with Christ. The second is a “Barnabas,” who is someone who is a peer to you and is able to walk with you in life. The last is a “Timothy,” this is someone who is younger than you in the faith who God has placed in your life to encourage, and bring them up in the faith.

In my years in ministry, I have seen that there are plenty of “Barnabas,” but we have a huge deficit of “Pauls” and “Timothys.” A few years ago I started to dream of what it would look like to have a safe place to foster that Timothy-Paul relationship between believers.

Now, years later, Dare Ministries is proud to announce that we are kicking off what we like to call the Timothy Center Initiative! The Timothy Center Initiative is a recognition that there is a void in the intergenerational gap, and we are seeking to fill the void. We would love to develop safe places where young believers, specifically students, are able to find and connect with those who desire to make a difference in the lives of others. 

This summer we are starting the first steps in the Timothy Center Initiative by operating a Coffee House called The Upper Room right here in Colorado Springs. In partnership with Cragmor CRC, Dare will be running this house as a donation-based coffee house and all of the staffing will be operated by volunteers. We are located in the heart of the UCCS neighborhood and our goal will be to reach the students who live in the surrounding area. 

Eventually, we would like to see this grow into a space that is able to sustain staff, host counselors, and reach our community and the University, but we can only do that with your help. We are now in the process of looking for volunteers willing to give two hours of their week to support part of the staffing needs. We need individuals who are willing to be present, and they are free to work on their own things while they are there. If you’re interested in volunteering in this way, please email me at info@dareministries.com. We also recognize that there is a financial need. If you feel moved and would like to give towards this project, donations can be made online at dareministries.com/give-online/, please select The Timothy Center Initiative, in the dropdown menu.

We are praying that the Lord would greatly bless this endeavor and use it to change lives. Lord willing, we will have the coffee house open by the start of the UCCS school year. Please reach out to us if you would like to see the location, we are more than happy to show it to you. 

Brandon Anderson

Executive Director