Star Ranch

STAR RANCH — 1946

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions” (Joel 2:28).

In 1935, six years before Young Life was incorporated, Maxine Rayburn recalled Jim Rayburn saying, “Maxie, I have a dream of a real camp for kids. A camp that’ll be so great that when they get out of the bus and they walk onto the camp, they’ll know somebody was thinking about them before they got there.” Jim had a dream, and he wasn’t afraid to share it with anyone who would listen. Fortunately, Herb and Gloria Taylor shared Jim’s vision and were willing to listen. As told in Made for This: The Young Life Story, “In 1946, after a failed attempt to land Crystal Park, a property a few miles east of Pikes Peak, an excited Rayburn notified Taylor of another opportunity ... ‘I know why the Lord didn’t want us to have Crystal Park,’ Rayburn explained to Taylor. ‘We’ve found something better. It’s all complete, ready to move into. It’s a beautiful spot. I want you and Mrs. Taylor to fly out here and take a look at Star Ranch.” The Taylors accepted Jim’s invitation and, even though Jim was unable to join them due to a delayed flight, they toured the property. Later that same day Jim joined the Taylors for dinner. In Jim’s own words, “We weren’t very long in the meal until this eminent gentleman turned to me and said, ‘Do you think you could use Star Ranch for Young Life work? Is it the kind of thing you want?’ I told him I’d never seen anything in my life like that. It was a dream spot! I never imagined there could be anything so wonderful. Then he looked at his wife and said, ‘We’ve decided to buy it for you.’” The Taylors purchased Star Ranch one month later, and it became Young Life’s first camp. Star Ranch hosted campers for 26 years and served as Young Life headquarters from 1947 to 1961. The Taylors purchased Star Ranch for $50,000 and leased the camp to Young Life for one dollar a year. When reflecting on Star Ranch years later, Taylor said, “Best investment I ever made. Probably thirty thousand kids heard the gospel at Star since we bought it. That’s about a dollar and a half apiece.” (MFT, p. 15)

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Jim Rayburn had a dream, a God-sized dream beyond anything he could accomplish alone. A dream that was affirmed and fulfilled in community. Do you have a God-sized dream? Have you shared it with anyone? Do you believe that God can and will fulfill it?