Student Interviews of Churches that are Using
Peer Ministry
Interview #2 AUG, 2001
Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Bearsford, SD
Interview with Suzan Hanson
By: Greg Campbell
Suzan Hanson is the Faith and Family Director at Emmanuel Lutheran
Church, in Bearsford, SD. Greg Campbell, a student at Augsburg
College in Minneapolis, MN, interviewed her via phone on Tuesday,
August 14, 2001.
What type of Community is your church in?
It's in a small town that's more rural than urban.
What is the approximate size of your congregation?
We have a little more than 1000 members.
How many pastors are at your church? How many are on your
youth staff?
We have 1 full-time pastor, 1 part-time pastor, and 1 visitation
pastor. I am full-time youth staff.
About how many youth do you have per grade level?
10-20
Why is Peer Ministry needed in your church and/or community?
The classes help kids deal with their faith and the faith of others.
It also helps them communicate and reach out to those around them.
What excites you most about Peer Ministry?
To see kids that sort of know each other, but don't really, share
their personal faith and come together to become a close, caring
group. When one is happy, they all are. When one hurts, they all
hurt.
Describe some of the logistics of Peer Ministry at your church?
We meet once a week in the youth room. We often go quite late
if we're on a hot topic. It's hard to get everybody together during
the summer, but when we can we go to movies, music events, etc.
How do you invite involvement in Peer Ministry?
Personal contact. Talk to the kids you have relationships with
in the church and they talk to kids in and out of congregation.
It's all based on trusting personal relationships.
What does your Peer Ministry program look like now?
We are just about to start a second group of teens. The other
group wants to meet once a month and keep contact. All the kids
are in grades 9-12. Parents also want to get involved.
How did you get it that way?
Personal relationships. Started with Sunday school. There was
no youth program when I started here, so we have had to build
it from scratch. Peer Ministry has met every goal and every opportunity
that I envisioned.
What do you hope happens in the future?
Continue on with this and start a group with adults.
What stories best illustrate Peer Ministry?
Out of a group of six teens, two kids were on probation. One of
them ran away and the group was very worried. They met and prayed
about the situation. Parents found him and brought him back. The
next week, nobody said anything until the topic of trusting and
helping each other was raised. This young man told his story and
everyone started in about how upset they were about what he did.
Everyone was crying and praying and it really solidified the group.
None of the kids would tell their parents what happened, which
really helped all the kids feel that they could share safely within
the group. The young man who ran away was helped a lot by this
and has improved greatly since.
What helpful information would you pass on to a church wanting
to get started?
It takes someone with a personal relationship with these kids
who wants to put their heart and soul into this ministry. It takes
a lot of time and energy, but the good that comes out of it is
well worth it.
