americaninterimpastors.com

New Life Baptist Church, in King’s Heath, Birmingham, UK welcomed 3 youth workers from the USA in September 2010. Josef and Brooke Wood from Gadsden, AL began a 12 month assignment as youth workers. Jo and Brooke are taking a year off from studies at the Birmingham, AL campus of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

A few years ago, New Life took the bold step of converting the rear of their worship center, the part closest to the street, into an up-to-date coffee shop. This has proven to be a great way to meet people of the community and welcome them onto the church premises.

Kaelee Abbey from Paris Texas is also serving at New Life. She began a “semester” assignment as hospitality coordinator in New Life’s Jubilatti Coffee Shop ministry. Kaelee will be away from Dallas Baptist University, but will earn course credits on-line and in this overseas work.

Kaelee Abbey

Three other youth workers are serving simultaneously with Jo, Brooke and Kaelee. Donnie Blair and Stephen Simmons are currently doing youth and children’s ministry at Oundle Baptist Church near Leicester. Greer Monson is serving in youth ministry at Melton Mowbray Baptist Church also near Leicester. Donnie and Steve are May 2010 graduates from Dallas Baptist University and Greer is a sophomore there. Greer is from Spokane, WA. Donnie and Steve are from the Dallas, TX area.

This year has been a banner year for AIPM in terms of youth workers. We have had a total of 13 university students serve in 7 UK churches. In total, AIPM has had 23 university students in youth ministry in UK Baptist churches. Of that number 3 were married couples and 17 were singles. Assignments were as short as 6 weeks and as long as 2 years. Ten UK churches were served by these 23 American volunteers.