OUR set apart story

Our vision is to see the unified body of Christ do life together.

The dream of Set Apart was born after a few trips to different cities where their young adult communities were thriving in their genuine love for God and each other. This type of community was the desire of our hearts and how we believe God designed us to live, but instead of picking up and moving somewhere that already had this established, we felt the Lord strongly stirring in our hearts to bring this ministry to the Cedar Valley.

Set Apart is not associated with one church, but with the ‘big C’ Church. Our vision is to unite the local body by creating additional spaces for connecting with God and a place to form community. We are not designed to be church or to replace church, and we are committed to helping our young adults find a church home if they have not yet found one.

While our main heartbeat for the ministry is the young adult generation, we are also passionate and excited about providing various spaces for everyone to spend time with the Lord and build community. A few ways we envision this happening are through the Set Apart coffee shop, a sanctuary space for intentional times of prayer, and a venue space for celebrations.

Our Hope for the Future

01. Sanctuary Space

The sanctuary space will be a place to slow your pace, to empty yourself of your worldly worries, to lay down your burdens at the feet of Jesus, and embrace time of silence and solitude before the Lord. This is a place for powerful prayers, to believe for miracles, and to reignite your passion for prayer.

02. Coffee Shop

The coffee shop will be a place for all ages to come and enjoy something to sip and snack on while delighting in quiet time with the Lord, a deep conversation with a friend, a book club conversation, or working toward a God-given dream. We will also have products to shop from our favorite Christian creators - homegoods, clothing, Bibles, books, and more!

03. Venue Space

The venue space will be a place for us to share in your reasons to rejoice! We would be honored to host your events at Set Apart - this could be a bridal shower, birthday party, baby shower, or any reason you have to get your people together to celebrate!

Our Core Values

  • We believe the Bible is entirely God-breathed and is a gift to believers. Set Apart is a community of doers of the Word that value reading, studying, and applying it to our daily lives. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, James 1:22, Psalm 119:9, Psalm 119:105, Luke 11:28)

  • We believe our entire lives should be worship to the Lord and lived with reverence and awe of Him. Set Apart is committed to teaching God's Word to show how our lives are not our own, but His, through intentional times of worship. (Psalm 95:1-6, Psalm 105:6, Isaiah 25:1, Colossians 3:16, Revelation 4:11)

  • We believe that when we fully devote our lives to Jesus, we reflect more of Him. We know that we will never fully arrive in our pursuit of holiness but that it should be an active journey with the Lord. (Ephesians 4:24, 1 Peter 1:15-16, Romans 12:1, Colossians 1:22, 2 Corinthians 7:1)

  • We believe in the power of prayer and that it is essential in developing and deepening our relationship with God. What an honor it is to have the opportunity to be in communication with our Heavenly Father. Set Apart prioritizes providing peaceful spaces and opportunities to be in prayer with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Matthew 6:9-13, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Mark 11:24, Philippians 4:6-7)

  • We believe God designed us to walk alongside close community. Set Apart is a space for cultivating an authentic, God-honoring community. We pray for relationships that sharpen one another, call each other higher, provide wise counsel and encouragement, and allow others to be fully known and fully loved. (Genesis 2:18, Matthew 18:20, Acts 2:42-47, Proverbs 13:20, Hebrews 10:24-25)

  • We believe serving others should mark our Christian lives. Our Savior came to serve, not to be served, and we believe our lives should look the same. Set Apart is committed to seeking ways to serve our city and those around us, while sharing the Gospel. (Mark 10:45, Proverbs 19:17, Acts 20:35, Philippians 2:3-4, Galatians 5:13-14)

  • We believe that mentorship is a valuable part of life and that the Lord intended us to learn from one another. We are passionate about creating environments for mentorships to form and flourish - both between young adults and those who have gone before us, and also young adults mentoring the generations coming behind us. (Proverbs 9:9, 2 Timothy 2:2, Proverbs 27:17, Proverbs 15:22, Philippians 3:17)

  • We believe we are called to vulnerably share our sinful struggles that are tempting us to live a life that is not set apart for His glory. We commit to create space for confession and repentance and to compassionately cover our brothers and sisters in prayer. (Proverbs 28:13, James 5:16, 1 John 1:9, Romans 10:9-11, Acts 3:19)

the founders of set apart ministries

Meet Ashlyn & MaKenna

We have been working together to launch Set Apart since 2021. After attending the same university and church for four years, but never meeting; we were “randomly” placed in the same Bible study breakout session during COVID. We met for coffee shortly after that and have truly been doing life together ever since. It’s been clear to us that our friendship was formed for such a time as this. We are both passionate about pursuing the Lord wholeheartedly and doing so alongside God-honoring community. It is our true honor and joy to have been entrusted with this mission, and we are very expectant of how the Lord is going to move through Set Apart Ministries.

PARTNER WITH US

If your heart has been stirred with eager expectation for what the Lord is doing through Set Apart, we hope you will prayerfully consider partnering with us financially.