In May of 2024, Adalie Clemmer, who attends Grace Point Church in Paradise, was contacted by lead pastor Tim Rogers with a request. "Tim asked me to join the conversation (about a young adult group)," recalled Clemmer, who noted that Rogers had been discussing the idea with a number of pastors from area congregations.

Clemmer responded by joining a committee of young adults who are age 18 and over and out of high school who were discussing the wants and needs of others in that stage of life. The group began discussing the answers to questions, such as "What are we looking for in a young adult group?" and "Why would we do this?" and "What do we want from this?" "We started from scratch and talked through whether we saw this as a need in our own lives," Clemmer remembered. "We saw it as something a lot of us desired." From that point, the committee began taking steps to form a young adult group in the greater Pequea Valley area.

The Collective, which first met on Jan. 30, now holds meetings on the first, third, and fifth Thursdays of every month from 7 to 9 p.m. in the basement of the Chestnut Street Chapel, 866-888 Chestnut St., Gap. Clemmer serves as leader, with Kevin Hackett of Grace Point Church and Joel Wood of Keystone Church as coaches. The Collective is supported by Grace Point Church and Keystone Church, both of Paradise, and Gateway Church in Parkesburg.

According to Clemmer, each meeting starts with snack and conversation, followed by a master of ceremonies introducing the study subject for that event. "We will always be in a series of some sort studying Scripture or a topic," said Clemmer. "We might have a guest share a story or testimony." Clemmer added that following the main presentation, the group will break up for table discussion. The first series took Scripture from the Gospels to dissect. "We studied it and answered discussion questions," explained Clemmer, who noted that the second series will focus on the book of James. "For activities, we have talked about game nights and bonfires and other outside activities," she said. "We are excited for the warm-weather (activities)."

Before The Collective kicked off, core committee members in addition to Clemmer - Korey Stoltzfus, Anna Graham, Connor Ranck, Elli Stoltzfus, Josh Stalmaker, and Justin Budzik - worked to create the format and to write a vision statement. "We worked hard to define that," reported Clemmer. "We spent a lot of time on it." The vision for The Collective reads, "We desire a welcoming environment where intentional conversations around faith and life deepened friendships, clarify purpose, and created discipleship opportunities for young adults in the Gap and surrounding area." Objectives of the group include providing a comfortable environment for authentic connection and Christ-centered conversation that provides encouragement and empowers disciples of Jesus to serve.

Because meetings have attracted an average of 50 young people, Clemmer said a larger venue may need to be sought. "It's been so cool," she noted. "I am so happy I am a part of it. It's so life giving."

Readers may find The Collective on Instagram at @the_collective_ya or call one of the sponsoring churches for more information.