By Ellie Watkins 
Jean Hansen has always felt called to work with young people. “I remember how hard it was to be a teenager,” she says, “and how I wanted a youth community outside of my friends from school.”
She started working at St. John’s in 2005 as the coordinator of the Youth Ministry. At the time, they used a variety of curricula and did a lot of fundraisers. When Jered Weber-Johnson came to St. John’s, he brought the Journey to Adulthood (J2A) curriculum with him, and Jean adopted that for youth ministry in 2012. The next year, she took over as coordinator of children’s ministry (which had previously just been Godly Play) and expanded it to include family ministry and intergenerational programming, such as the annual Advent Wreath Event and the Lent TV series.
But now after 14 years, Jean is moving on to new endeavors “and a leap of faith.” She is leaving to pursue a Master’s degree in Special Education at the University of St. Thomas. “I still feel called to work with and advocate for young people, but in a new way. I truly love St. John’s, and I am so thankful for the things we’ve shared together.”
Her experiences here haven’t been without their troubles. She broke her foot during a lock-in and had to stay off it for three months. She was in a car accident during a mission trip. On another mission trip, they arrived at the airport to find the wrong flight had been booked for them. “All I wanted to do was lay down in the middle of the airport and have a big temper tantrum,” she confesses. (But instead, with her usual quiet optimism, she shepherded the group home, and they returned the
next day to begin their newly rescheduled trip.)
Jean notes a lot of positive changes in Children, Youth, and Family (CYF) ministry during her time here. “There’s more volunteer buy-in,” she notes. Parents volunteering with Godly Play get to know other kids in the church sooner. In J2A and the confirmation mentors program, youth get to develop relationships with more adults in the church, and have more adults they know care for them. Overall, the CYF program has become more intergenerational, with more people wanting to be a part of it. The “ministry of being with” has taken root in CYF under Jean’s care.
CYF is also supported by the dedicated team that Jean has built—a team that, she says, has really stepped up. “When you ask them to do something, they get it done!”
Another positive was the change from youth mission trips to pilgrimages. Although the pilgrimages often include a service project, they have a broader overall goal: to acknowledge that a young person has a faith life, and to honor that. She’s seen the pilgrimages have a profound effect on those who participate. “They can’t articulate it right away, but they can articulate it years later as
young adults.”
Jean credits her work here with helping her develop skills to advocate for young people. “St. John’s has formed me not just as a leader but a morally responsible leader.”
“Having children made me realize it’s really important for kids to feel safe in their environments. If I can be a safe person for them, it can lead to learning and growth.”
“It’s a life-affirming sort of job,” she says, where you know “there’s a greater point to what you’re doing.” More than managing the program, her
role is knowing and taking an interest in the kids.
And it wasn’t just the kids. “It has been amazing getting to know people here.” Her interactions with adults, and the friendships and support that have continued long after parents’ kids have aged out of the youth programs, have filled her soul. “Having the opportunity to known and be known by these families … you’re part of their larger family. They want you to walk with them. It’s profound to share in their struggles and suffering.“
Originally published in the May-June 2019 Evangelist.
