Giving in Snowmass: A house of prayer

Editor’s Note: Giving in Snowmass is a series about nonprofits that serve the village that will be published in the Snowmass Sun this fall.

The Snowmass Chapel, dedicated in 1988, has long been a hub of community life in Snowmass Village. The church and community center are the outlet for many Christian services as well as secular programs for kids and adults.

Snowmass Sun: How did your organization start?

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Snowmass Chapel: Snowmass Chapel was first envisioned in 1967, but it was not until 1980 that plans for the Chapel were made. In 1982, Jim Chaffin Jr and Jim Light donated the land that would make the dream for a chapel a reality. On March 2, 1987, it was officially designated and on November 27, 1988, our building of worship was dedicated at a Thanksgiving service.

Snowmass Sun: What is your mission?

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Snowmass Chapel: “To love the Lord our God with all that we are, all that we have and all that we will become and to love others as ourselves.”

Snowmass Sun: What services do you provide to the community and who do you serve?

Snowmass Chapel: We serve the whole community. We have a weekly 9 a.m. Christian worship service, however we offer a whole lot more. During the winter, we have a 15 minute on-mountain worship outside Gwyn’s High Alpine Restaurant on Snowmass Mountain. We also host a number of different non-religious events and programs such as Light Up the Night, Women’s Workshops, music and theatre productions, Meal Ministry, and a number of other outreach opportunities with other nonprofits in the Valley. The Chapel reaches out to the kids in the valley through Project 18, which helps families raise kids with character. Camp SMashBox is our flagship program for Project 18, which hosts close to 400 kids each summer on the Chapel grounds. Project 18 also offers week-long adventures for teens, with a focus on equipping them with the tools needed for life. In addition to our camps, we are happy to offer the use of our treehouse play park to the community. As a Stephens Ministry Church we hope to come alongside hurting members of our community by pairing them with a trained volunteer for weekly meetings of support and encouragement.

Snowmass Sun: What makes Snowmass Chapel unique?

Snowmass Chapel: Snowmass Chapel is an incredibly open and welcoming church, but it’s more than a church. It’s a community of imperfect people trying to love each other and glorify God.

Snowmass Sun: What is the best thing about operating in Snowmass Village?

Snowmass Chapel: The community. The wonderful community we live in allows us to provide a number of different services — not just church on Sunday mornings.