Vetern Youth Pastor Sets Sights on Kenya

MUSKEGON, MI - Wally Coots has one of the longest running stints in Covenant youth ministry with 28 years in all and 23 for congregations in the Evangelical Covenant Church of North America. Next year, however, Coots will be doing youth ministry on a different continent and in a different venture.

In August 2002, Coots will become campus youth pastor at Rift Valley Academy and will introduce youth ministry to pastors in training at Moffett Bible College in Kijabe, Kenya. They will be working under the auspices of Africa Inland Mission. A sabbatical spent in Kenya first stirred the hearts of the Coots family to live in Kenya, but it took the illness and recovery of one of the Coots children to convince Coots that God wanted him doing youth ministry in Kenya.

In December 1999, Ethan Coots was diagnosed with AML, a type of leukemia. Doctors gave Ethan a one in four chance of survival, but after extensive time in an area hospital the seventh grader seems well on the way to recovery. As they considered a move to Kenya, doctors told the family that Ethan was well enough to live in Africa. "That was one of the indicators that God was giving us the green light," said Coots, youth pastor at Forest Park Covenant Church in Muskegon, Michigan.

Ethan and high school sophomore Chad Coots, Wally's sons, and wife Donna are excited about the new adventure - they had fallen in love with the country after spending three months there early in 1999. "It just had a huge impact on our family and my wife and two sons have wanted to return permanently since then," Wally Coots said. "My wife has always had a heart for missions. And this is a perfect position for a veteran youth pastor. It's a wonderful opportunity and many principles of youth ministry are transferable in any culture."

Coots has long been known in youth ministry circles for his pastoral presence, his involvement with Covenant youth events such as Covenant High in Christ (CHIC), and for his advocacy for children and teens. Although he will miss his ties to the Covenant church in North America, his passion for youth ministry is as energized as ever.

"We realized that we aren't here forever and if we are going to make an impact for the Kingdom we need to do it now. I've asked myself where I could have the most impact and God has said that it's by starting a new youth ministry in Kenya."

To hear more about the story of Ethan Coots and his recovery from AML, check out page 8 of the February edition of the Covenant Companion in the main story entitled "A Second Chance At Life." Click here to download the story in PDF format.

To hear more about how Ethan's illness affected the ministry of Wally Coots, check out the web site link