high school staff
Noah Adkins
I grew up in a suburb south of Kansas City. In my teens I had a “prodigal son” phase that could have ended my life, but mercifully God saved me. I met my wife Amanda in 2001, fully surrendered to Jesus Christ shortly thereafter, and married her in 2002. In 2003 (while in Afghanistan) my wife moved us to Tucson. In 2005 my son Judah was born, he totally rocks. We began attending VCC in 2007 and when Ben told the congregation to kneel and pray I was overjoyed! It was the first time I had been asked to kneel and pray at church; I have been a proud parishioner ever since.
After leading an adult small group for two years I was approached to work with the "youths". I had always dreamed of doing youth ministry because I believe the children are our future (we should teach in them, but let them lead the way). My goal is to equip our teens with the tools necessary to live a life on fire for our Christ.
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Joycelyn ConnetI've been married to my husband Richard since 1994. I'm a step-mom to Jessica, and mom to Cory, Megan and Jacob. I work full time as a Nurse Case Manage, and recently completed a dual Masters Degree in Nursing and Health Care Administration. I am currently pursuing certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner. My favorite ways to spend time are doing anything with my family and time in the Word. My experiences growing up has propelled me to want to help others have a better experience filled with the love of Christ and an understanding of God's breathed word.
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Erica McLaughlin I love high school students. I teach English at Empire high school, and I volunteer with the high school students at VCC for fun. I think high school students are a blast to be around, and I love Jesus, so being a youth coach allows me to put those two passions together. When I’m not with high school students, I live life with my hot husband Chris and our funny little girls, Taylor and Sierra.
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Mat MillerI’m originally from California. My 4 brothers and I are only a year apart which made for some good times growing up. Tucson is my new home and has been for the past five years. I find leading high school small groups very rewarding. High school is unique because students start to develop real depth in their relationship with God. It’s also the point where they really shape into the people they’ll be for the rest of their lives. I believe students are a significant part of the Church today and make up one of the greatest mission fields in the world.
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Sarah MillerAs an Air Force brat, I moved around quite a bit. I graduated high school in Japan before moving to Tucson in 2003. I started working in Student Ministries at Pantano Christian Church during the summer of 2004 leading a middle school small group. I also teach math to 7th graders at Desert Sky Middle School. While the I spend much of my time with middle school students in an academic setting, it excites me to lead high school small groups and join with them in this unique phase of life. I believe students need someone to walk alongside them and to model following Jesus. I enjoy simply being present as they navigate life and figure things out.
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Julie SpierI have always had a passion for students and began serving in youth ministry as a volunteer leader in 2001. I began working as a Middle School Director in 2004 while I finished classes at UofA. I earned a degree in Psychology and Sociology as well as a Master’s degree in Ministry from Hope International University. I was married in December 2009 to Dave Spier, who shepherds our community groups and leads worship. I had the great privilege of having wonderful youth coaches speak into my life as a teenager and I feel blessed to pass along that wisdom.
I feel called to live life with students, allowing God to work through me to impact young people. I excitedly pursue relationships to encourage, mentor and empower others towards fulfilling the gifts and passions God has placed on their hearts.
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Mike Van FleetI was born and raised in eastern Pennsylvania. I attended Lehigh University for Electrical Engineering and started with Raytheon in 1998 in Tewksbury, MA. I transferred to Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, where I’ve been ever since. In late 1999 I began attending Pantano Christian Church and soon after started working as a high school youth coach. In some way or another, most of my current life has some connection to youth ministry.
My wife Sherri and I met while working with youth at Pantano. We’ve been married since 2002 and have a daughter named Avery. In 2005 we began working with the team that eventually planted VCC a year later. I’ve had the privilege of serving as an Elder at the church. I started youth ministry looking for a way to serve where I would fit in. I’ve stayed so long because I’ve seen so many students grow and mature in the church. There is no doubt that youth ministry requires serious time and effort, but even with that, God’s return for my investment has been paid back many times over.
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Justin YouvanBIO COMING SOON!
I spent 13 years as military police and now am a full-time mom with an internet business. I am married to the awesome Justin Youvan and we have two amazing offspring, Mackenzie and Bucket. I had some great youth coaches when I was in school and I really wanted to pass my life experiences and lessons on as others did for me. Working with youth keeps me young, no where else can you act like a fool and be considered so cool.
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