By by Lee Weyhrich
Some callings come early in life.
For Chad Green, youth ministry was a calling he received early.
"It's been a big part of my life for a long time," Green said. "It's sort of like a calling. A calling I've felt all my life."
Green, a Tulsa, Okla. native, works with an evangelical program called Young Life that he first became affiliated with as a student in ninth grade.
"I've been a part of Young Life since I was in ninth grade," Green said. "Young Life is an evangelical, high school ministry for middle school and high school. It's not church affiliated, it's a para-church affiliation. It's not affiliated with a church, but it works beside the church."
Green will be the head of the Young Life program in Atmore, a community supported program designed to help area youth.
"I just spend time hanging out with high school and middle school kids, going to where they are and meeting them on their turf," Green said. "We meet once a week at an event called Club and also another group called Campaigners each summer we go to camp, one of the 20 camps around the country. Club is like organized chaos, we just have fun with kids and play games and sing songs and stuff. Campaigners take a deeper look at what we're talking about with Jesus and everything."
According to information provided by Linda Parsons, an organizer of the program, Green has volunteered for Young Life since high school, took his internship at Sharp Top Cove camp in Jasper, Ga. and, until a few days ago, volunteered with his wife Sarah in Vestavia near Birmingham.
"I didn't work for Young Life then, I was working for T-Mobil, but I was volunteering for the high school," Green said.
Green moved to Atmore Wednesday and is looking forward to settling in and beginning the program. A committee of volunteers is helping to get a summer trip organized.
"I guess I just want to get it started and get it going," Green said. "I just want to be with kids and hang out with them. We're planning on taking a group of middle school kids and high school kids in July. I'm told (the committee is) getting with kids right now."
Green hopes to be in Atmore for a while, and his wife is currently job-hunting.
"Atmore seems like a great town," Green said. "We're really excited about it. We're looking at buying a home and becoming a part of the community."