Director of Youth and Family Ministries: 
 

Bret Taylor

Upon completing college with a BA in Associate Ministry, Bret headed overseas to work with the Maasai of Kenya. It was there that God gave him a desire and vision for supporting missionary families through a holistic approach. In 2004, Bret and his wife Mindy joined Wycliffe and were released to work at JAARS in the summer of 2005. Seventeen years of youth ministry experience, extensive world travels, and a passion for missions have uniquely prepared Bret for this ministry. Bret has seen God work in amazing ways in the lives of the MKs at JAARS as he has watched God grow this ministry beyond what he could imagine.

Contact Bret at Bret_Taylor@jaars.org

To contribute to their financial ministry needs online follow this link.

High School 
 

Mike Burtnett is the high school youth pastor at JAARS.  He has been in youth ministry for 12 years, and gets really pumped up when students love the Lord with all their hearts, minds, souls & strength!  Since 2005, Mike & his wife Jenny have served with Wycliffe- in Orlando and in Oaxaca, Mexico, where Mike was youth pastor for MK's. 

They have three kids; Peter, Johnny & Caroline, and they moved to Waxhaw in July 2010.  They are all excited about living and serving missionary families here at JAARS!

High School and Middle School 
 

Mike and Beth Matheson began work at the JAARS center during the summer of 2007.  Mike enjoys working with Middle School students, seeing so much potential in them and loves to watch God work in their lives

If you would like to learn more about the Mathesons, please visit their website:

Mentoring 
 

Jim Hollister is the Mentoring Coordinator at JAARS. In 1996 he began volunteering and since 2002 has worked in a number of departments at JAARS including Center Safety and in LAT proofing the Translator’s Translation. Prior to his service here at JAARS, Jim’s experience includes being a children's pastor, a pre-school and grade school teacher, family services worker and serving in street ministry programs. Jim's wife Phyllis is the Administrative Assistant at JAARS Health Services.  They have a son Nathan.

Jim’s responsibilities include:
• Recruiting Adults to mentor the JAARS MKs.
• Provide training, resources, and encouragement for those in mentoring relationships
• Ensure appropriate background checks are completed
• Provides support roles in the youth program as a whole
• Maintains the Youth and Family Ministries resource library

You can contact Jim at Jim_Hollister@jaars.org or by calling 704-843-6610

Transitions Ministries 
 

Gail Hutchinson is heading up this new ministry as a Transitions Consultant. She and her husband John have been Wycliffe members since 1976. Gail has served in a variety of logistical and service roles, as well as in language work and cross-cultural training in Asia and the US. She recently completed an MA in Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Formation. Through her life, ministry, and training experiences God has led her to a special focus on issues related to life transitions, cultural diversity as well as grief and loss.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment, contact Gail Hutchinson by email or phone. Or, just stop by the Transitions Ministries office in the LSC Building.

E-mail address: gail_hutchinson@jaars.org
Office phone: 704-843-6696
Office: LSC #253 (top of the main stairs, sharp right, 2nd door on right past the copiers)

Prayer Minstries 
 

Kathleen Carriger is the Youth & Family Prayer Coordinator and has served with the high school group for the past two years.  She first served with Wycliffe as a Guest Helper in 2001 and joined in 2002. She taught in Niger, Kenya, and Tanzania.  She’s been a teacher for 40 years, covering preschool through college-age, with her specialty being the elementary grades and students with special needs.  She was a high school youth leader in California for five years, including various short-term mission trips to Mexico.  She has two grown sons, Jeff and Christian, who live in California.

Her responsibilities include:
• Attending high school Youth Group on Thursdays and interacting with the students
• Collecting & recording the students’ prayer requests each week and then emailing the list to the leaders’ team
• Attending the leaders’ team prayer meetings each Thursday morning
• Teaching a lesson to the high school group every 6 or 7 weeks
• Writing occasional encouragement notes to students in response to their prayer requests
• Distributing confidential prayer lists with encouragement notes quarterly so that the students can see how God has been working in their lives
• Praying for the students on a regular basis

Elementary School 
 

Patti Garretson is the Educational Coordinator at JAARS and works in the Human Resources Department.  Youth and Family Ministries and Human Resources work closely together to meet the needs on the entire family.  She and her husband, Dennis, have served with Wycliffe since 1976.  After their initial training, their first assignment was at the JAARS Center for almost one year.  Then in 1978 they began service in Ecuador until 1981.  While in Ecuador Patti worked in adult education. Afterwards, they were then reassigned to JAARS for five and a half years.  In June 1987, The Garretsons joined Wycliffe’s Maluku, Indonesia team.  In Maluku, Patti was the school administrator and teacher.  Finally, in June, 1997, Dennis and Patti were again invited to serve at JAARS, where they continue to serve.

Patti's responsibilities at JAARS includes:

• Provide consultant help for families with educational needs
• Assist families with enrolling their children in local schools
• Provide standardized testing of homeschoolers each spring to assist them in being in compliance with NC law
• Assist families with understanding NC homeschooling laws
• Oversee MK Safari and MK Station
• Oversee the staff of tutors
• To act as a liaison with Metrolina Christian School and their scholarship program

To learn more about Patti, and her family, please visit her website:

Dennis and Patti Garretson:
http://www.wysite.org/sites/garretson