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A long path to youth ministry
October 9, 2006
The Lord works in mysterious ways.
When Jason Young attended Colorado State University as a freshman, he was bent on one task.
“My intention was to be in the business world and accounting specifically,” he said. “But I wasn't satisfied with the business classes, I was just doing it because at that stage of my life I thought that all I wanted to do was make money.”
Today, he is pastor of student ministry for BBC Ministries in Klamath Falls, a job that fits what he wants to do with his life.
But it took a while to get there.
Young said the first two years of his college experience were fairly typical: parties, drinking and hanging out. But he knew something was missing.
“I found that life really empty,” he said. “So I got involved with the Christian Student Fellowship at the college and surrounded myself with like-minded people. It was at that time that I recommitted myself to Christ.”
It also was the time the listless Young prayed, and found a new direction to take his life.
“That's where the whole idea of youth ministry came in,” Young said. “At that time, God put it in my heart to work with youth.”
Young changed his college major to recreation and resource management, figuring he could work with youth in that field.
Finding his way
He graduated from Colorado State University in 1993 and moved to Portland to be near his mother. Even though he knew he wanted to work with youth, he still didn't know what form that work would take.
“I got out to Oregon but didn't have a job,” Young said. “I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, when I was looking at newspaper one day and saw an opportunity to get into a cleaning franchise.”
For the next 3 1/2 years, Young made a success of his operation. But there was always that voice in his head, urging him to work with youth.
“I got involved in a church up in Beaverton, and I met with the pastor. I talked to him about my thoughts and my yearning to work with youth.”
The pastor invited Young to attend scripture classes with him. After a year of studying the scripture, and working at his business full time, his feet were started on their current path.
“After that I got a part-time posting at the Rivergate Community Church youth group in northeast Portland,” Young said. “I was assigned to be a youth pastor for seven to eight kids.”
His first assignment was challenging.
First youth group
“That experience was a good one,” Young said, “but it was extremely hard. I didn't think I was making a difference at all. I would show up and I was being faithful, but the kids had never seemed like they were really interested in learning. I tried to teach them scripture, but it seemed like they always goofed off.”
Young said he was frustrated a lot of the time, but his heart still told him this was his calling, so he stuck with the job, and with the kids.
It wasn't until almost a year later, when he became engaged and found a new job in Klamath Falls, that he realized just how much of an impact he had on the kids.
“When I got the job down here,” Young said, “I sat down with each of the kids in that group. Several of them just teared up. I realized then that those kids had hard home lives and really appreciated someone being involved in their lives. Even though I didn't see it, they were thrilled with someone taking them to camp or up to Mt. Hood.
“It made me realize that even though I thought I wasn't making a difference, they cared that someone took the time to care about them.”
BBC camp
Young got his position at the BBC summer camp when his fiancee, Shauna, came down for a job interview for a teaching position at the Triad School.
“We got married on June 28, 1997,” Young said, “and I started in my position here on July 4. I came in right at peak of camping season.”
Over the next seven years, Young became the director of the camp, and volunteered with his wife to work with high school kids on the side. Slowly, his job duties changed until 2001 when he took over the majority of the high school group and recently when he became the pastor of student ministry for the BBC church.
“I personally believe that people, particularly students, that don't have Christ in their lives have a void,” Young said. “I want to be able to share the good news with those students.”
The good and the bad
Being a youth minister is both fun and challenging, Young said.
The hardest task is to get past peer pressure and to drag them away from distractions in their lives.
“If I was the only youth pastor in Klamath Falls, it would be impossible,” Young said. One thing I really like about this community is we have several really good full-time youth pastors. We all have a difference in styles, so we reach different kids.
“From my experience kids are curious. They're willing to learn, they're willing to ask questions, to seek truth. I don't think they are opposed to religion. I think there is a curiosity there.”
Young said the way youth ministry operates has changed over the years to meet that curiosity.
Once, youth groups were 50 minutes of playing games and letting kids goof off, with maybe five to 10 minutes of Bible study, Young said.
“We live in a culture where they have X-Boxes and Play Stations and cell phones and text messages and Myspace and computers,” Young said. “That's the world they live in, and it's hard for us to compete with that. So it's refreshing to pull them out of all that stuff, and for an hour out of the week, tell them about God.”
By GERRY BAKSYS
H&N Staff Writer
The Lord works in mysterious ways.
When Jason Young attended Colorado State University as a freshman, he was bent on one task.
“My intention was to be in the business world and accounting specifically,” he said. “But I wasn't satisfied with the business classes, I was just doing it because at that stage of my life I thought that all I wanted to do was make money.”
Today, he is pastor of student ministry for BBC Ministries in Klamath Falls, a job that fits what he wants to do with his life.
But it took a while to get there.
Young said the first two years of his college experience were fairly typical: parties, drinking and hanging out. But he knew something was missing.
“I found that life really empty,” he said. “So I got involved with the Christian Student Fellowship at the college and surrounded myself with like-minded people. It was at that time that I recommitted myself to Christ.”
It also was the time the listless Young prayed, and found a new direction to take his life.
“That's where the whole idea of youth ministry came in,” Young said. “At that time, God put it in my heart to work with youth.”
Young changed his college major to recreation and resource management, figuring he could work with youth in that field.
Finding his way
He graduated from Colorado State University in 1993 and moved to Portland to be near his mother. Even though he knew he wanted to work with youth, he still didn't know what form that work would take.
“I got out to Oregon but didn't have a job,” Young said. “I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, when I was looking at newspaper one day and saw an opportunity to get into a cleaning franchise.”
For the next 3 1/2 years, Young made a success of his operation. But there was always that voice in his head, urging him to work with youth.
“I got involved in a church up in Beaverton, and I met with the pastor. I talked to him about my thoughts and my yearning to work with youth.”
The pastor invited Young to attend scripture classes with him. After a year of studying the scripture, and working at his business full time, his feet were started on their current path.
“After that I got a part-time posting at the Rivergate Community Church youth group in northeast Portland,” Young said. “I was assigned to be a youth pastor for seven to eight kids.”
His first assignment was challenging.
First youth group
“That experience was a good one,” Young said, “but it was extremely hard. I didn't think I was making a difference at all. I would show up and I was being faithful, but the kids had never seemed like they were really interested in learning. I tried to teach them scripture, but it seemed like they always goofed off.”
Young said he was frustrated a lot of the time, but his heart still told him this was his calling, so he stuck with the job, and with the kids.
It wasn't until almost a year later, when he became engaged and found a new job in Klamath Falls, that he realized just how much of an impact he had on the kids.
“When I got the job down here,” Young said, “I sat down with each of the kids in that group. Several of them just teared up. I realized then that those kids had hard home lives and really appreciated someone being involved in their lives. Even though I didn't see it, they were thrilled with someone taking them to camp or up to Mt. Hood.
“It made me realize that even though I thought I wasn't making a difference, they cared that someone took the time to care about them.”
BBC camp
Young got his position at the BBC summer camp when his fiancee, Shauna, came down for a job interview for a teaching position at the Triad School.
“We got married on June 28, 1997,” Young said, “and I started in my position here on July 4. I came in right at peak of camping season.”
Over the next seven years, Young became the director of the camp, and volunteered with his wife to work with high school kids on the side. Slowly, his job duties changed until 2001 when he took over the majority of the high school group and recently when he became the pastor of student ministry for the BBC church.
“I personally believe that people, particularly students, that don't have Christ in their lives have a void,” Young said. “I want to be able to share the good news with those students.”
The good and the bad
Being a youth minister is both fun and challenging, Young said.
The hardest task is to get past peer pressure and to drag them away from distractions in their lives.
“If I was the only youth pastor in Klamath Falls, it would be impossible,” Young said. One thing I really like about this community is we have several really good full-time youth pastors. We all have a difference in styles, so we reach different kids.
“From my experience kids are curious. They're willing to learn, they're willing to ask questions, to seek truth. I don't think they are opposed to religion. I think there is a curiosity there.”
Young said the way youth ministry operates has changed over the years to meet that curiosity.
Once, youth groups were 50 minutes of playing games and letting kids goof off, with maybe five to 10 minutes of Bible study, Young said.
“We live in a culture where they have X-Boxes and Play Stations and cell phones and text messages and Myspace and computers,” Young said. “That's the world they live in, and it's hard for us to compete with that. So it's refreshing to pull them out of all that stuff, and for an hour out of the week, tell them about God.”
By GERRY BAKSYS
H&N Staff Writer
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phillip wrote on Feb 1, 2009 1:43 AM:
" I'm looking for 100+ acreas of land with anual running water, stream, etc, with tree's, as forested as posible, am going to build a cabin for me to retire, thank you. "
Stephanie Patterson Southwell wrote on Oct 4, 2008 6:19 PM:
" I came across this article and find it very interesting. My grandad was the "Southwell" in Southwell & Stilwell :) My dad and uncles were raised in Klamath Falls until they moved to the Portland area. "
Margaret wrote on Apr 29, 2008 11:19 AM:
" It appears the two negative reader comments are associated with the wrong article, as they do not seem to relate. It's unfortunate they are appearing after reading such a nice article about this concert. "
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skii v. wrote on Jun 26, 2009 12:51 AM: