TRANSPARENCY
by Bill Diller

An old saying goes, 'The coldest winter I've ever spent, was a summer in San Francisco.' It's hard to believe that's true after enduring a cold, Michigan winter. You'd have to ask someone who's done both.

Casey Turner, of Pigeon, has, and he likes it here. However, it's not the winters that Turner enjoys. It's his position as Youth Director at the Elkton Missionary Church.

How does a young man, raised in San Francisco, California, where God, Jesus Christ and the Church weren't a priority in his life, get to Elkton, Michigan, and a job where those things are vital? For Turner it meant a full-ride, four-year athletic scholarship to Spring Arbor University, in Spring Arbor, Michigan. While there, Turner's life took on a new meaning due to the efforts of a very close friend, and the woman who is now his wife, Jennifer, a native of Bay Port.

To understand the turnaround, it will help to know the environment at Spring Arbor University. The following is borrowed from the University Web site, www.spring.arbor.edu. 'For over 130 years, Spring Arbor University has distinguished itself as the place where faith and learning meet. Since 1873, Spring Arbor University has combined a commitment to the liberal arts and a passion to see all truth from God's perspective with purposeful training in the arts and the professions.'

While attending a university where faith-based teaching is ongoing, Turner found himself questioning that faith.

"I didn't grow up going to church," he said. "I was at a Christian college, but I wasn't a Christian. I was just there because they paid me to go."

Another old saying is, 'God works in mysterious ways,' and Turner feels God was working on him.

"I'd taken Old Testament and New Testament studies, and actually failed one of them, because I disagreed with one of the professors," he said. "I wasn't a Christian, so I had pretty radical views. I learned a lot, but tried to prove it wrong."

He went so far as to study the Bible, looking for errors.

"I was trying to find things in there that just didn't make sense," Turner said.

Fortunately, someone took an interest in him.

"I had a really close friend that was with me all the way through," Turner said. "He stood by my side, and loved me. I could ask him any question about God. After about a year I started realizing I couldn't prove anything wrong. It was pretty frustrating."

God's 'mysterious ways' continued having an effect on Turner's life.

"As I read the Bible more and more, it became more and more real to me, and true," he said.

During this time Turner had been returning to his home in California at irregular intervals, as most college students do. While on a trip home in June 1995, he made a choice.

"I knew I was going back to an environment that was not pro-God at all," he said. "I knew it'd be very tough. I made a decision on that plane home to give my life to God, and to become Christian."

Over the next few months, Turner wrestled with his newfound faith.

"If you were to look at me on the outside, you probably wouldn't think I'd changed a lot," he said. "It took a long time. I had some rough corners to get rid of."

Back to the 'mysterious ways' in Turner's life.

"That's around the time I met my wife," he said.

Jennifer became Turner's mentor.

"She showed me how to live a Christian life," he said, "how to live for God, and live a Godly life."

Over the course of the next few years Turner attended church, but became disillusioned with organized religion.

"The best way I can explain it, is that I was a spectator, and not so much a participant," he said, "because I didn't grow up with it. I was very anti-church, very anti-organizational . . . questioning whether or not I should have my kids go to Sunday School, because I wanted it to be their decision. Things like that I had to struggle with."

Finally he quit going.

"I wrote off going to church," Turner said. "Not that I quit my relationship with God, I just quit going to church."

It was this decision that left him feeling empty. Enter those pesky 'mysterious ways' again.

"I was really bummed out," Turner said. "I left the organized church, then God started working with me, and I entered a small group that meets in a home. Through that, we got plugged into this church."

Now Turner is happily ensconced as Youth Director for the Elkton Missionary Church.

"I know I'm where He wants me, and that's one of the first times I've known that," he said.

The road to Elkton took many twists and turns. He majored in communications at Spring Arbor, and after graduating made use of his degree at a school in the area. After a couple of years his wife finished her schooling, and the couple moved to Pigeon, where Turner began working for Youth for Christ.

An opportunity came up to operate a skate park in Bad Axe, which he did for nearly three years. The park closed, and Turner became a creative consultant in a business called Beacon Media.

About that time he became involved in youth ministry. Insert, 'God's mysterious ways.'

"My heart was just for the kids," Turner said. "So, I stepped away from my whole background."

He is now a full-time youth minister. He has no regrets.

"I see this as very long term," Turner said. "My pattern has been to stick with something for two years. With this, I see five, ten years. I've never seen that before. To be honest, I'm willing to go wherever God wants me to go. Selfishly, I see myself here for a while. I enjoy it."

Turner's plans include becoming more involved in the organizational part of Christianity, the very thing he previously avoided. He's on the road to becoming a pastor.

"People call me a Youth Pastor," he said, "but I don't have the background in it. Each denomination is different, as to what they want for you to become a pastor."

He has always been inquisitive, as his path to Christianity proved.

"I study a lot, and I read a lot," Turner said. "I'm one that does a lot of research on my own . . . wanting to learn more and more. When I worked for Youth for Christ, I went through a lot of training. I do have training as far as youth ministry goes. I've had some crises situations and counseling training."

Although the Elkton Missionary Church has many events and programs for everyone, it is the Wednesday and Sunday youth programs that most involve Turner.

"Wednesday night is more of a group setting," he said. "It's open to anybody. It's an environment anybody can come to, and enjoy."

The group consists of young people from 12 to 19 who meet and discuss everyday issues that confront them.

"Sometimes we'll talk about a song," Turner said. "We'll look at the words and see what the Bible says about them. Or, we talk about issues they're dealing with. Sometimes they share their testimony, or things that are going on in their lives."

The Internet plays a huge roll in today's society, and young people use it continually. However, it has potential drawbacks.

"A lot of kids are dealing with the Internet, and it's a struggle for them," Turner said. "Coming up, I'm doing a series comparing the Ten Commandments to the Internet, in a cool way. Things the kids are dealing with. Pornography is one, going against their parent's rules. Things like that."

Due to the large number of kids that turn out for the Wednesday night youth group, Turner isn't able to give a lot of time to individuals. A number of adults, members of the congregation, are on hand to help supervise. After the opening prayer, and a group discussion, they usually break up into smaller groups to continue the discussion, each under the care of an adult.

"Afterward, we have hang out time," Turner said. "We shoot hoops or play ping pong."

The Sunday night group is slightly different.

"Sunday night, to me, is the meat and potatoes," Turner said. "That's the accountability for teens. We get into a Bible study, and we pray. I call it 'transparency.'"

It's a unique perspective, and seems to bring out deep feelings among the participants.

"When you stand before God, He sees everything," Turner said. "You're transparent. I consider Sunday night for teens a place where they can go and get transparent. A lot of kids put up walls. They have issues nobody knows about. They need a place to go and be able to talk about those things openly. We study the Bible, and we pray. That's what the early church did, and that's what I'm modeling this after."

Turner doesn't consider himself a counselor. When asked for advice he responds with faith-based common sense. Sometimes simply listening is the best form of therapy.

"I'm just talking and listening," he said. "Mostly listening. I would say about 90% listening."

Occasionally problems come up that call for more help than Turner feels qualified to give.

"Sometimes I'll come across an issue like cutting, or bulimia or molestation," he said. "Things that kids have gone through. I have a friend who's a certified counselor. She works for Youth for Christ. A lot of times I'm able to connect those kids with her, or with another counselor. I don't try and do counseling, I just let kids talk."

When dealing with a large group of teenagers, it should come as no surprise that disciplinary matters arise.

"We don't have a ton of problems," Turner said. "We have had a few incidents, and we just sit down and talk to them. I let a lot of things slide. I guess I'm more of a kid at heart. I know kids are going to mess around, and not pay attention."

His philosophy of listening helps develop a comraderie within the group.

"Kids connect with their relationship, and not somebody just talking," Turner said. "I think you have to earn their respect first, and they'll respect you. I don't lead by authoritative. I lead more by relational."

It's a concept that works well for him, especially with kids that don't get a lot of support at home.

"That's the style of kids I connect most with," Turner said. "Kids without families. Kids with issues. Drug addictions, alcohol. Those are the kids I gravitate to, and they seem to gravitate to me. My heart breaks for them."

The Elkton Missionary Church has allowed Turner to pursue offbeat methods of reaching out to the teens of Huron County.

"This church has allowed me to do some radical, different styles of ministry," he said. "Through skateboarding and paintball, different things they enjoy. And, to do it in this building, which has created an open avenue to build a relationship with those kids. A lot of them aren't Christians, and yet I'm part of their lives."

Which makes him part of God's plan.

"Every day I get to see how He uses something that's imperfect, and flawed. He allows me to be used, for Him," Turner said. "I couldn't ask for anything more than that. To know the Creator of everything seeks to use me to show people His glory. That, and the relationship I have with the kids, are the two biggest rewards to me."

It's a long way from San Francisco to Huron County, but Turner has enjoyed the journey.

For further information on the youth programs at the Elkton Missionary Church, call 989-375-2597.