Strolling across the scenic campus tucked behind the community of Lakeside, Keith Buzzard encountered a group of young students from around the world studying the Gospel and the teachings of Jesus. Moments later, he ran into another group living out the message, volunteering time to paint a building in need of a new coat.
On the campus of Youth with a Mission, or YWAM (pronounced WYE-wam) as it’s called, it’s not uncommon for Buzzard to find brimming activity year-round, whether it’s classroom sessions or music recordings in a premier audio studio, or games in the gymnasium and recreation room.
“When you total up the numbers, it’s common to see 300 people here, even during summer,” said Buzzard, who is co-director of the Lakeside campus with his wife, Mariska.
Thirty years since its inception here in Northwest Montana, the Christian charitable organization is as vibrant as ever and continues to fulfill its calling by training hundreds of missionaries annually.
YWAM is an inter-denominational organization devoted to preparing young men and women for short-term missions around the world. The base at the foot of Blacktail Mountain near the north shore of Flathead Lake was founded in 1985 and now has 150 staff members and draws over 400 students annually from over 30 states and 24 countries. Nearly one-third of the students were international.
The Lakeside organization is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month with a community event slated for Aug. 22 at its campus, 501 Blacktail
Road. Family friendly festivities begin at 2 p.m. followed by guided tours of the facility at 4 p.m. Starting at 6:30 p.m., YWAM leaders will gather for worship and words of encouragement from author, international speaker and close friend of the ministry, Floyd McClung.
“We want the community to really know who we are and we want to be part of the community and we want the community to be part of us,” Mariska Buzzard said.
The national organization was founded in 1960 to provide missionary opportunities for Christian youth after high school, regardless of their denomination.
YWAM has grown into one of the largest missions agencies in the world with over 18,000 full-time volunteers in more than 1,100 ministry locations in over 180 countries. The Lakeside campus has recently focused its efforts on six nations: Ukraine, Nepal, India, Thailand, Tawain and Cambodia. Most students spend three months training in Lakeside before visiting one of these nations with YWAM leaders for missions work.
“The main characteristic is that we all believe in Jesus and we all believe that he died on the cross to save us from hell,” Keith Buzzard said. “We don’t try to get into big theological debates with one another, because everybody was raised differently and they have different church backgrounds. Our heart is that people hear about Jesus.”
The Lakeside campus resides in the former Kalispell Air Force Station. From 1959-1978, the U.S. military operated a general surveillance radar station on the forested camps. After being closed in the late 70s, it sat empty for several years and became dilapidated. In 1985, the valley’s first group of YWAM leaders gathered $50,000 of donated funds and bid on the property after it went up for auction. They completed the purchase for $450,000, raising the remaining funds through the community.
Through volunteer work and continuous community support, YWAM transformed the site into a vibrant campus that continues to grow. A fundraiser golf tournament held last week at Northern Pines Golf Course aimed to raise support for an expanded cafeteria.
“We’ve been blessed by a lot of support from the community,” Keith Buzzard said.
For more information about YWAM, visit ywammontana.org.