Youth Worker welcomed to St John's
. At the "Sunday First" service on 2 October 2005 we welcomed to St John's our new Youth Worker Johnny Hooper.Johnny will be working jointly with St John's and St Nicholas'.

Whilst his home church is Knockbreda Parish Church, Belfast, over the past six years he has worked with young people from Gilnahirk Crusaders, through which he gained experience leading a diversity of youth projects in various settings.
He has also been involved in a number of mission teams, including trips to Kenya, Brazil and Romania, as well as community youth groups in the greater Belfast area, and CU groups at university. He finished schooling at Wellington College Belfast 6 years ago, and spent 4 years at University, three at Queens University Belfast, where he obtained a degree in Geography, and one year at the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma studying for qualifications in American Business.

Following University he committed one year to serve God through Crusaders in Ireland, working with young people in areas of great social need in the province, whilst training in community sports leadership and ministry, and qualifying in youth children's and family ministry from Moorland's Bible College, Bournemouth. For the last year he has worked for Harberton School's Emotional and Behavioural Support Unit and is currently placed at Malvern Primary School.

While working with young people can be one of the most difficult ministries, it can also be one of the most rewarding. At the start of this new chapter in his life, he looks forward to serving our young people alongside us and is excited as together we seek to enable them find a place to experience God's grace and love. He hopes to encourage our youth to seek an understanding of the ways God is at work, enabling them to live into God's plan for their own lives