Thursday, Feb. 19, 12 to 3 p.m.

Salem Covenant Church, New Brighton, MN

This Thursday, Cesar Castillejos will be our speaker for the Youth Pastor's Connection. (Unfortunately, Karen McKinney had to cancel.) Come hear one of our MOVE speakers talk about Ministering through Your Story.

"Our ministry should be as unique as our own story. When we focus too much on programming we lose sight of the people we serve. When we give away who we are to those we serve, our story becomes part of their journey. It is when our stories intersect where we find effective ministry taking place."

Cesar is a graduate of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA (B.A.

Communication Studies) and Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, MN (M. Div). He is currently serving students and families in Richfield, MN, as a church partner with Hope Church and Young Life. As a church partner he serves as the Young Life area director and as the lead teaching pastor of Hope's Sunday evening service.

Understanding the need for Christ in the fabric of our culture, Cesar continually seeks innovative ways to make the unchanging biblical truths relevant for today's listeners. This search has led him to start One of One Clothing Company (www.1of1clothing.com) and The Well.

One of One Clothing Company is a mission-focused business that uses creativity to communicate the uniqueness of every individual and spread the Good News. The Well is an outreach ministry that meets once a month at a bar in downtown Minneapolis.

Cesar explains, "I want to do ministry the way Christ did. Jesus broke social and religious expectations to meet people where they were at and connect them to God. Reaching people far from God was more important to Jesus than his reputation, and He went the distance to love those who no one else loved. One of One and The Well are my attempts to live like Christ in our culture."