St. Joseph First United Methodist Church            
3003 Leco Court, Saint Joseph, Michigan 49085
Phone: (269) 983-3929
Fax: (269) 983-1973

Dan Colthorp
Director of Youth Ministries

Dan Colthorp, Director of Youth Ministries, is involved actively or oversees the following weekly activities:  Confirmation, Senior High FLAME, Middle School Small Group, Student Leadership Group, Lakeshore High School Small Group, St. Joseph High School Small Group, and Middle School FLAME.  Add to this list periodic special youth outreach events such as paintball outings, corn maze, ropes courses, contemporary Christian music concerts.  Include the planning, promoting of and participating in winter and spring retreats and a summer mission trip.  Put with the above, assisting regularly in worship services.  Also, add hospital visitation once a week.  Now you know some of the things done by the Director of Youth Ministries.

Dan believes his calling is to “Help teens to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that results in a life-long commitment to love, obey, serve and worship God.”

His calling had its roots in his own childhood and youth.  Growing up in Davison, Michigan, Dan was actively involved in the Free Methodist Church to which his family belonged.  He was in youth groups and played on the church softball and basketball teams.  Significant memories exist of two church musicals, Surrender and High Top. 

In high school Dan was a member of the National Honor Society.  He was in the Show Choir which participated in musicals.  Dan loves to sing, but because of other responsibilities he hasn’t been able to share this talent in a special way with our congregation.

High school graduation was June 1990 followed by college that fall.  Dan’s choice was Taylor University, Upland, Indiana, a liberal arts Christian college.  He graduated in 1994 Cum Laude with majors in Bible and Christian Education.

College gave Dan more than academics.  He met Kris.  Initially and for a long time, they were good friends.  When their roommates began dating one another, Dan and Kris became a twosome themselves.  They were married in 1993.  Kris had graduated, so she worked while Dan finished his senior year.

In the spring of 1994, St. Joseph First United Methodist Church was looking for a Director of Christian Education and Youth Ministries.  Dan applied for the job and came on the staff July 1994.  He held this title until Youth Ministries became a separate position in January 2002.

Christian camping is in Dan’s blood.  In the summer of 1992 while still a student, he was a counselor at Spring Hill Camp, Evart, Michigan.  While here at FUMC, he has been a counselor at both Lake Louise Senior High Camp and Wesley Woods Middle School Camp.

While on staff Dan continued his education over a four-year period by taking correspondence classes from Fuller Theological Seminary in California.  He now holds a Youth Ministry Certificate at the Master’s Degree Level. 

Dan and Kris have their own small group activity as they are the parents of three:  Micah (1996), Jayna (1998) and Sadie (2001).  Dan spoke happily of his family, Micah’s pleasure in soccer and Cub Scouts, Jayna’s love of reading and Sadie’s love of stories.

In 1997 Dan along with two others started a weekly prayer group of youth pastors from churches in southwest Michigan.  They meet every Thursday and have had as many as 16 in attendance.  They call the group, Won by One.

My interview lasted longer than intended thanks to a bit of extra visiting.  I apologized for taking from Dan’s preparation time.  He graciously countered that that was quite all right.  “After all,” he said, “relationships and people are the most important and what my ministry is about.”

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Contact St. Joseph First United Methodist Church @ stjoefumc2@juno.com