GET TO KNOW JAY

HUSBAND.
Married for 28 years, I am one of those guys who can honestly say, I love being married! I married my wife, Amy, on Saturday, May 18th, 1996. Since then, it has been an adventure like no other! I am passionate about marriage. It is truly a gift from God. And when fully experienced in the manner by which God created it, marriage is a perfect picture of God’s love, grace, joy, and mercy!

FATHER.
Amy and I have 5 kids; 4 boys & 1 girl, and they are amazing. Our two oldest boys are now in college while are remaining three are in high school, middle school, and elementary school. They’re not perfect. But neither am I. Yet together, by God’s grace, we are building a family.

PASTOR.
I have been working with students for 30 years. 25 of those years have been in full time ministry as a youth pastor. Student ministry has been a passion of mine since I was a student. There is nothing as exciting as watching a student discover God’s love and grace, and then leading them to find their God given purpose. 

BLOGGER.
​In 2001, I started learning how to create websites. By 2004 I was toying around with creating a website to share student ministry resources. That idea morphed into blogging. For a number of years I practiced my writing, finding my voice, and sharing my experiences on my own ministry blog. Then in 2010,  I was asked to write a few blogs for Youth Ministry 360. This gave me confidence to take my own blog a little more seriously. Since then I have had articles posted to both YouthMinistry360.com, YouthSpecialties.com/blog, YouthMinistry.com, and CalledtoYouthMinistry.com.

Having found my voice, it was time to zero in on what I am really passionate about. That has lead me to launch, The Youth Worker Daily, where I hope to encourage youth workers with tools, tips, resources and helps so that you thrive in your ministry!

VLOGGER.
Along with the blog, I created a YouTube channel where I post 10 to 15 minute vlogs talking about youth ministry, leadership development, resources and books, and all sorts of things related to youth ministry. 

PODCASTER.
During the Covid Pandemic, I launched a weekly podcast called, Conversations with Every Day Youth Workers! The podcast connects with youth workers and shares the stories of what God is doing in, through, and with their student ministry. You can find those podcast episodes on The Youth Worker Daily's YouTube channel, Conversations with Every Day Youth Workers.  or simply listen here on the website!

NETWORKER.
I am a big fan of networking. I have been a part of a number of networks, including a few that I started and/or led. On April 1st, 2024, I started with the National Network of Youth Ministries (NNYM) as the Appalachia Area Coordinator.  Currently, I am working to connect with youth leaders and networks throughout West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania.
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