YOUTH MOVEMENT

Travis McKee wants to help the First Christian Church in Pittsburg grow by involving young people.
In fact, that’s his job. He is the new minister of youth and young adults at the church.
“Youth are such an important part of the life of a church,” he noted.
Born and raised in Tulsa, Okla., McKee studied music at Monmouth College in western Illinois.
“I was a music teacher for the past three years,” he said. “Now I’m attending Phillips Theological Seminary for a master’s degree in divinity.”
McKee said the church is looking at various youth activities.
“We’re thinking about a ‘Fifth Quarter’ after football and basketball games, to give young people an alternative to going out and being reckless,” he said.
He hopes to do ecumenical work with youth ministers of other local churches.
“Instead of us doing our small thing and them doing their small things, we could have more community things together,” McKee said. “We’re all Christians, and we should be working together.”
Some of the church children are now at church camp near Augusta, and he’ll be there soon.
“I spent my summers working at the camp, so I already know a lot of the kids at First Christian Church from the camp,” McKee said. “I’ll be chaplain for the camp session for eighth graders starting July 6, and director of the session sixth and seventh graders starting July 20. Theme this year is ‘Peace Talks’.”
He will also be working with college age people.
“College was a formative time in my life, and my college chaplain was very important to me,” said McKee, 26.
He noted that some young adults seem to distance themselves from church.
“Faith doesn’t stop with youth group,” McKee said. “Some have been turned off by church, or been at churches that didn’t fit them I want to help them realize that church is what you make it.”
That works both ways — between those in church and those outside it.
“A lot of church people have misconceptions of people on the outside, and people on the outside have misconceptions about church people,” McKee said. “We need to break down that wall. A church is not a building — it’s a community of people.”
He plays guitar and percussion, and also sings, and will be using his talents in his work.
“I’ll be involved with the Thursday open mic nights at Wheat State Pizza, and we’re looking at updating to more contemporary music,” McKee said. “We want to have a service that meets the needs of the community, that speaks to them and helps them encounter God.”
Right now he’s in the process of learning about the community, how it works and what it needs.
“I’d really like to seek out people who are marginalized, to be able to understand them,” McKee said. “In this, the minister learns as much as anybody else. It’s a huge task to be a guiding voice without being judgmental, but Jesus meets people where they are.”