Teens seek new youth director in YouTube
ad
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A postcard invites candidates to "see
us on YouTube" in the search for a new youth leader at
St. Andrew By-The-Sea United Methodist Church in Hilton
Head Island, S.C. Church youth starred in their own
video ad, which was posted on the video-sharing Web
site. A UMNS photo illustration courtesy of Jennifer
Lee.
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A UMNS Report
By Andrew
Schleicher*
Jan. 28, 2008
Finding the right youth director can be like catching the
best wave, but only if you know how to surf. The youth group
at St. Andrew By-The-Sea United Methodist Church in Hilton
Head Island, S.C., hopes its next director will surf the
Internet to find them.
Last fall, the youth created and
starred in a minute-long video advertisement touting their
"great location," "really cool building" and "awesome pastor"
and inviting potential candidates to "come surf with us at St.
Andrew on Hilton Head Island."
They posted the
ad––complete with scenes of kids playing beach volleyball,
foosball and basketball––on a popular video-sharing Web site
and handed out postcards at a youth conference in Atlanta
inviting interested youth directors to "see us on
YouTube."
More than 1,300 people
have viewed the ad since its November posting, and
approximately 200 candidates submitted their resumes for the
job. While the church used other traditional advertising
methods as well, nearly every applicant mentioned the
video.
The Rev. Neil Yongue, pastor of St. Andrew, came
up with the idea for the YouTube ad as a way "that people
could get an immediate taste of who we were."
"We
wanted to do a good thorough search using all of the devices
available," said Yongue, who presented the idea to church
leaders. "I think [they] found it to be an exciting and novel
idea."
Church member Glenn Brodie, who runs a radio and
television production company, produced the video. He said
writing the script was a group process but that the main idea
came from the youth. "They wanted it to be at the beach to
make it look fun," he said.
The filming took place over
two days––one day at the church and another at Coligny Beach.
Almost 20 youth members participated, including 15-year-old
Cameron Stratton.
|
Youth members wait for their video
shoot on Coligny Beach. A UMNS photo courtesy of St.
Andrew By-The-Sea United
Methodist
Church.
| "I thought it
was good idea to help get in touch with people through a more
modern way," said Cameron.
Marissa Nichols, 15, served
as the narrator, surrounded by other youths wearing shorts and
T-shirts and even bathing suits against the backdrop of the
Atlantic Ocean. "Here, you can live where most people come to
vacation," a smiling Marissa says in the video
montage.
Marissa was excited to be featured on YouTube
and, after a local newspaper ran a story about the youth group
project, her friends checked out the posting and thought it
was cool. "I'm excited about getting a new youth director,"
she said, noting that she wants someone with "high energy, not
necessarily young … someone we feel comfortable around (and
with) a little bit of experience."
The church hopes to
wrap up its search by the end of spring and is now conducting
telephone interviews. The applicants include people of several
denominational backgrounds. "We are trying to be very careful
and prayerful," Yongue said.
*Schleicher is a freelance
writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact:
Marta Aldrich, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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St. Andrew By-The-Sea United Methodist
Church
Technology for Ministry
United Methodist
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