Minnesota Youth Alive | Richard Baker
Minnesota Youth Alive (YA) has been part of the outreach arm of the Minnesota District since 1998. It began as a dream that Superintendent Mark Dean had while he was the District Youth Director. That dream brought Pastor Mark and Richard Baker together in a common mission to reach MN students.
How is the YA mission defined? YA exists to share the hope found in Jesus Christ with every student, school, and community. YA connects the Church with schools, engages adults to pray for their schools and students, and empowers students to reach students.
An example of connecting the Church with the school happened in Aitkin, where the school experienced four student deaths in one year. Pastor Mark Boone asked if YA could help to make a connection for the new pastors, Andrew and Victoria Jergenson. YA provided Terrence Talley and a band to Aitkin Schools. The assembly brought a sense of hope to a hurting community and built a valuable bridge for the Jergensons. Pastor Boone remarked later that the Jergensons had more favor in three months than most pastors have in five years.
Most adults do not feel comfortable in a school hallway unless they are there for an event. Prayer Zone Partners connect every believing adult with their local school without walking the halls. How? By praying for schools and the students every time one drives through the school zone or sees one of the buses. Just a few seconds amount to thousands of prayers.
Everything YA does leads to engaging students and youth leaders for a mission to their schools. Students are the only people with 100% freedom of speech on school campuses. When students are filled with the Spirit, hear from the Lord, and understand their mission, all they need is to be pointed in the right direction to help them reach their classmates. Student Leader Training, See You at the Pole, campus clubs, and resources like the Student Fire Bible help students reach other students.
Whether you need insights to connect with your school, motivation for students, a school assembly program, or want to pray for every student/school in Minnesota, contact YA directly at .
