This Small Town Has Split Over Two Christian Missionaries

Leland — This small town in Northern Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula is known for wineries, gorgeous scenery, expensive houses, and historic Fishtown—a preserved neighborhood of historical fishing houses.

What it’s also been home to recently is a divisive legal battle between a missionary group and the township that has divided the community in two.

Leland has recently redeveloped its downtown, with a goal of driving tourism and tax revenue to help support the township and wider area. Leland, like most Up North vacation towns, has basically no industry and relies mostly on tourism to survive.

The revitalized downtown was supposed to be a big boost to the town. What the town didn’t expect was the opening of a nonprofit center called Youth for Christ, which purchased property and designed a center for youth.

The center includes a devotional room, a coffee bar, pool tables, and a space for teens to hang out. The planning commission denied them a permit to operate, because, according to the zoning, the area was designated for commercial use and a nonprofit “club” that didn’t produce tax revenue was not allowed in the area.

So, at first glance, this sounds like a boring story, right? A dispute between two entities over zoning laws hardly sounds like news. But the backstory behind this argument, and the legal fallout that’s followed, is where it gets interesting.

The Youth for Christ center, otherwise known as The Lighthouse, is run by two missionaries, Micah and Kya Cramer. They moved to Leland full-time in 2024 with the goal of starting a youth mission in the community.

The are sponsored by Mycah’s uncle, a believer known by the nickname “Bearman” because of a near fatal bear attack that he suffered in the 1990s. Bearman has been supporting the couple and helping to fund both Youth for Christ Mission work and the center at large.

He purchased the property where the center is located and has been hosting YFC events (like coffee hour and after-school meetings) at his house in lieu of another venue.

The couple’s arrival was extremely divisive. They hoped to ingrain themselves in the community and even volunteered at the local school during lunch hour. They say that they never talked about faith and simply wanted to do more for the community they lived in.

Some parents, however, accused them of proselytizing their children in a public school. Hundreds of angry parents sent letters to both the school and the couple, and they stopped volunteering there.

But they continued to stay in the community and have continued their mission of spreading the Gospel to young adults in Leland. So when the planning commission denied their permit for the center, they saw it as an attack on their mission and their faith and filed a lawsuit alleging First Amendment rights violations.

The community has been severely divided. Detractors say that Mycah and Kya are akin to a cult, preying on their children. Many found it abhorrent that they wished to share their faith with kids and accused them of bribing kids with gifts and activities.

Some parents felt their kids were being lost to the group, entering into something they didn’t really understand. They also say that the group hasn’t done proper youth training protocol to avoid problems like grooming or sexual abuse.

But the group also has lots of fans. One resident and business owner I spoke to called the organization “wonderful” and described what they are doing as “investing in kids in the community.” In a town that is aging fast and which struggles to attract young full-time residents, that feels pertinent.

Many people, including parents of children involved, students themselves involved in the group, and even teachers from the school, spoke at the planning board in favor of the group.

They point to the fact that the group does more than just teach about faith but also gives students a “third space” where they can have fun and express themselves. Many residents feel like their impact is extremely positive and say that not allowing them to operate is putting money before Leland’s youth.

The lawsuit is now heading to court. Leland maintains that it has nothing to do with the First Amendment, and that their only concern is with the zoning laws as they stand.

YFC says that this is just a convenient way to get them out of the community. Whatever your opinion may be, let’s just hope this issue doesn’t create any more conflict in Leland.