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About

Staff

We are blessed to have a dedicated team of staff passionate about serving our local youth.

  • For general inquiries, please call our main office at (320) 235-0119
  • For specific questions, please see the staff directory below

Meet our Staff

  • Bob Poe - Executive Director
    Bob has been the executive director of West Central MN YFC since 1987. Before that he served three churches as youth/young adult pastor in Florida, Willmar and Minneapolis.
    He entered the YFC world because “it is a great vehicle to answer God’s call to reach the unchurched world of teenagers”.  Bob was married to Kris in 1972. They have two adult children and three grandkids.

     

  • Patrick Sebey - Campus Life
    Patrick is a Willmar native who joined the YFC team in 2008 as director of the Campus Life middle and high school programs in New London - Spicer and Willmar.  He also runs the Team 180 program and oversees Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Willmar.  He is married and has 2 children.  Patrick enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching all sports.
     

  • Becca Gardner - Music
    Becca grew up in Paynesville, MN, received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music at Saint Cloud State University, and has been with us at YFC since 2006.  She is the director of our On Call, fast forward, and Carpenter's Tools music ministry teams.  Becca knew at the age of 16 she was called into music ministry as she was a part of fast forward and On Call as a teenager.  She understands the importance of being a lifelong follower of Jesus, and sees her job as a discipleship ministry.  Besides ministry, Becca enjoys good coffee, hosting open mic nights at her favorite coffee shop, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

  • Jerry Myers - City Life/Warehouse
    Jerry myers started with YFC in 2008. He graduated from Oak Hills Christian College. He runs the City Life Program which means The First Street Warehouse and the program in Litchfield. Jerry is married to Tina and they have 3 kids... Morgan, Noah and Jack. Jerry grew up in Willmar and was a part of YFC when he was kid and that was when he felt the call to youth ministry. 

  • Dani Dalen - Chick Chat
    Dani grew up in Cokato, MN. After graduating from Dassel-Cokato High School she spent 9 years in the twin cities working as a gymnastics coach, after school teacher and nanny. She attended North Central University for 4 ½ years and studied Youth Development.   She has enjoyed being a part of the Youth for Christ family since May 2009.  She works as the Girls Director investing much of her time in 5-12th grade girls. She’s passionate about relationship building and mentoring but most important building Christ’s kingdom.  She leads a program for 5th grade girls twice a week called Chick Chat and a middle school girls program called Chick Chat Unplugged. These programs allow girls to talk about issues that they face in today’s world and how to overcome those issues.  Dani enjoys spending time with close friends and family and being outside walking and biking on warm days. 

  • Nancy Haapoja - Redwood Falls
    Nancy Haapoja loves teens and loves God and has a passion for helping to bring each of them closer together. Nancy has been serving as Redwood Area YFC Campus Life Director since 1989. She is married to Wayne, and they have two grown children, Matthew and Rachel, and five adorable grandkids! Nancy is a Youth Sunday School teacher, serves as Vice President of the Redwood Ministerial Assn., and serves on the Redwood Valley Sr. High School Site Council. She is also very active politically, serving as Redwood County Republican Chairwoman, and serves as a Board member of the Redwood Choices Pregnancy Center.  Nancy's favorite pastimes include spending time with family, watching old movies, or reading, especially books about America's Godly history.

     

  • Caryn van Dijk - Joppa
    Caryn and her husband Will, live just outside of Willmar on a small hobby farm with a few horses and a dog. Both drawn to Willmar via a YFC affiliated music ministry, they met, married and followed God into an adventure of what became Joppa Young Adult Ministry.  Caryn and Will desire to see young adults (many of whom have become disconnected from the church and God) discover their God-given identity and purpose and become devoted Christ-followers.

  • Bart Graves - Benson/Morris
    Bart is a native farmboy from Pukwana, South Dakota. He went to college to be an Ag Teacher then again to be a School Guidance Counselor.  He did that for 20 years in Benson, Willmar, and Morris. Currently, he is the Youth Director at Morris Evangelical Free Church and volunteers at the Benson Area Ministry (BAM) Center. He has been married to Leah for 21 years and has two children, Alexis and Abby.
     

  • Dale Kuglin - Brainerd
    Dale and wife, Diane, moved to the Brainerd Lakes Area in 1986 to work as a Youth Pastor at a local church. During the 12 ? years of ministering to the youth and their parents, Dale and two other local youth workers formed what later was named Brainerd Area Youth Ministries (B.A.Y.). In 1998 these youth leaders moved to join Youth for Christ and asked Dale to become their full time director. Today Brainerd YFC is focused on reaching the Lakes Area’s students through ongoing mentorship programs, connecting youth leaders, concerts, rallies, radio programs and heavy involvement with the Brainerd School District and other surrounding school districts.  Brainerd YFC also provides crises counseling and presents in-school suicide awareness programs in the five county area.  Dale & Diane  are the proud parents of two sons.  

  • Corey Roskamp - Crow River
    Corey started with Crow River Youth for Christ August of 2004 as the Campus Life Director in Hutchinson.  In 2007 he came under the umbrella of West Central Youth for Christ but remains in Hutchinson.    He grew up in Prinsburg, Minnesota and earned his bachelor’s degree from Calvin College in 1998.  He felt called to youth ministry his senior year of high school but was 30 before taking this first call in ministry.  He has a heart for students that would be deemed “at risk.”  He runs Campus Life programs for Senior High and Middle school students. He sees Youth for Christ’s philosophy of loving the whole person as extremely valuable in calling young people into the kingdom of God.  When not on Campus or running a Campus Life event, Corey likes to hang out with his wife Nichol, and three kids Elida, Esther, and Ezra.  He enjoys hunting, camping, cooking, playing games, and seeing milk come out of sixth graders noses.  

  • Tom Burton - Development/JJM
    My wife Heidi and I were married October of 1982 and joined the staff of Youth For Christ mid November of that year. That was a big deal for me as I was moving from my native upstate New York to this foreign land in Willmar, Minnesota (I still think Wilmer makes more sense!) I was being hired by the Director at that time, Hervey, not Harvey McConkey--- man, it was just too weird! But we knew the Lord was leading us into this Gospel enterprise and what a blessing His call upon us has been!

    Being part of Youth For Christ and it’s mission, and in particular the 2 ministry centers we have been on staff with  (West Central and Central Minnesota YFC) has been a thrill! We’re blessed  with  3 children, Meghann, Zach and Jack- all grown and doing better than fine. The joy of the Gospel, and making it known to young people has never been greater for me. It’s awesome to look back over our lives and see that God’s been leading all the way. As the Scriptures say, His will is absolutely “good, pleasing, and perfect.”! (Romans 12)
     

  • Barry Durkee - Alexandria
    Barry is a Jayhawk by birth!  Raised and graduated HS in Kansas, he migrated to Minnesota.  He decided to attend Oak Hills (now Christian College) in Bemidji, then Northwestern College in Roseville, where he recieved his Youth Ministry degree.  Along the way, he met Jennifer, a Duluth native, and they were married in Zimmerman, MN.  They have four children (2 boys and 2 girls), and currently two cats and six fish!   Having served in both youth ministry (2 churches and with Red RIver YFC in Fargo/Moorhead) and the pastorate (3 churches in three states), he moved to Alexandria in 2009 to begin this work with Youth for Christ.

    His hobbies include sports officiating, riding bike, spending time with his family, and communicating the message of Jesus to teens.  His bucket list includes learning to fly a plane, going back to Haiti on more missions trips, and being a grandfather.  (So he can spoil them rotten!)  His favorite vacation spot is the Colorado mountains.  Two of his most fun accomplishments have been playing and umpiring baseball in the HHH Metrodome.   

  • Lynne Bleess - Young Moms United
    Lynne started working with young moms in 2006 thru Teen MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers).  We elected to change the name since more and more moms past the teen years were wanting to come to the group.  YMU (Young Moms United) came under the leadership of YFC in the fall of 2010.  Lynne and her husband, Jeff, own and operate Tires Plus in Willmar.  They have 2 kids in college (Danica and Dylan), one married daughter (Briana, husband Ben) and an adorable grandson (Isaiah).

  • Jon Jordahl - Minnewaska
    Jon is a native son of the Minnewaska area - growing up in Glenwood.  His commitment to calling young people to be life-long followers of Jesus is evidenced by the many years he has been leading the Campus Life ministry of Minnewaska.
    Although Jon works a full-time job and is an all-the-time husband and father, he finds time each week to deliver the life-changing message of Jesus to teenagers!