connect alumni
This is where you will find details of former connect workers, when and where they worked and what they're up to now. Email alumni@connect-devon.com if you have any info or pictures you'd like to see included on this page.
Tracey Travis (Crediton 2005-2008)
Well my time with connect has come to an end and I will be, by now,
sitting home in America enjoying the wonderful sun and reflecting on my
time in Devon. Connect has been a rollercoaster ride of a time.
Sometimes things were easy and sometimes they weren't, but always
I was blessed by the people who run and support Connect. Young people
are amazing and full of ideas and I am glad to have been a part of something
that seeks to affect positive change in young lives for the Kingdom.
I will always cherish the memories I have made here with people I have
grown to love and respect. It has been an overall wonderful experience.
I don't know what I shall be doing with my time once I get home,
but I know that whatever I decide to do, it will be in the strength
of my growth in Connect and the knowledge that God is an awesome God
who is pleased with me (and you).
Carrie Glauser (nee Barone) (Chulmleigh 2004-2006)
When I returned to New York, I started back to Uni (part-time) to study for
becoming a Teaching Assistant (in hope to become a teacher in the future).
I am also employeed full time by a Marketing Firm. On July 14th, I married
Aaron Glauser, so now I am Mrs. Carrie Glauser!! We are living in Buffalo New
York for the time being, but will be relocating to Ohio in the near future.
Kathryn Timms (Okehampton 2001-2002)
I'm a teacher at Edgehill College in Bideford, North Devon. Edgehill is a bording school with
borders from all over the world ranging from year five to year thirteen. I teach
Art, P.E. and Gymnastics to kindergaten through to sixth form. I co-ordinate the
borders activities, I am the school photographer and put together our digital
prospectus. My favorite parts of school have to be training with our Ten Tors
team and having a Form Group - I have 20 students who are fantastic. I work with
a very committed and talented selection of students who are currently British
schools champions in Netball and Gymnastics and represent their county and
country in a variety of sports. In my spare time I enjoy playing netball, play guitar at my local church and I am a member of the St John Ambulance.
Simon Hoare (Okehampton 1999-2000)
I am now working for Christians Against Poverty, a national debt
counselling charity for 3 days a week. I also work 2 days for Christian
Partners in Africa. I am married to Katie and am part of the youth team at
New Life Church in Lincoln and am on the exec committee for Lincoln YFC.
In my spare time I play with my band.. and on Grand Tourismo 4.
Andru Keel (Crediton 2000-2002)
After leaving Crediton, I worked in South Africa with a band touring the
country for six months presenting the gospel in schools. After that
I worked in south east London for 2 and half years as a youth pastor,
and now I'm in Sheffield, married to Claire and living and working on a
ruf neck estate, for a fantastic church with a vision to see lives changed
and a city impacted! Oh yes!!! Check out www.miracle.org.uk.
Amy Stock (Crediton 2003-2005)
I moved on from Connect in the summer of 2005, and
since then have stayed in schools work, moving to
Luton to work for the Luton Churches Education Trust.
I have been working on the Chaplaincy Team here for 2
years now, in 2 of Luton's High Schools. Next year I
will be much more involved in a new project we are
starting called schoolswork.co.uk which you will see
launched at the Youthwork Conference in November later
this year. It will be a network of schools works
throughout the country and aims to better resource and
equip workers for schools work and to stimluate
discussion, creativity and a reimagining of what
schools work should and could be. It will be based on
the internet and also have input into Youthwork
magazine each month in addition to 4 UK tours in 2008.
If you're into schoolswork look out for it! The
website is still being developed but will be up and
running by the end of October 2007. Some info is
already available though at www.schoolswork.co.uk, and
all other LCET info can be found through www.lcet.org.
Stephanie Miller
Shortly
after moving back to the states in Aug. 2004, I settled in the Kansas City area
(Missouri and Kansas). Currently, I'm growing more and more interested
in the Messianic Jewish movement, and am very active at a local Messianic
Synagogue, with young adult work and outreach. It's awesome for me to be
getting into the Jewish roots of faith in Jesus/Yeshua.
I'm also pursuing getting some children's books published.
Kerry Tudor (nee Bowser)
I left
Connect and went to Bideford to join the WINGS project. I got married
to Simon Tudor from Okehampton on May 7th 2005 - best day of my life!
We've just bought a house in Bideford. I'm team leader and head up the
schools work in Bideford College! Anyway life is amazing and God has truly
blessed me and I'm looking forward to starting a new year!
Jamie Bruce (Crediton 2004-2006)
Bec and I got married on the 11th August 2007 - it was a beautiful sunny day.
We had the most amazing day! We then went to Turkey for 10 days
on honeymoon which was really hot. Three weeks before the wedding i was
offered a job as the youth pastor in St Andrew's United Reformed Church
in Cheam, Surrey. So we have now moved in and have decorated our
flat to our taste and it is looking very homely. Bec is still
searching for a job after qualifying as an Occupational Therapist
this summer. We are now slowly adjusting to married life together.
Dorit Stuckey (nee Albrecht) (Chulmleigh 2001-2003)
Since leaving Connect in 2003 I have been travelling a lot. I started off
with a YWAM DTS in Hawaii and travelled to India from there. After that I
returned to England were I was a SWYM Area Co-ordinator for one year in
North Devon. Since then I have been developing a youth work and discipleship
training course for SWYM called "Be Transformed", which I am now
co-ordinating. I got married to my husband Kev in March 2006 and we are now
living together in Chard in Somerset, where we enjoy being part of church
life. I still love travelling to various parts of the world when I get the
opportunity and also have discovered my new hobby, cooking!
James Ridpath (Chulmleigh 2001-2003)
Since leaving Connect in 2003, James has continued in full time Youth Ministry in
Christchurch, New Zealand. He is currently the team leader of Youth Alive Trust,
in the seaside suburb of New Brighton and is loving it! In December 2006 James
married primary school teacher Amy, and they continue to live in New Zealand
until God says otherwise! For more info visit www.mrandmrsridpath.blogspot.com
Lesley Hewines (Chulmleigh 2003-2004)
Hi there, I wanted to introduce myself incase you don't even know who I am.
My name is Lesley Hewines and I was with Connect in Chulmleigh in Sept 03-Aug 04.
My home is Canada, but being in the UK didn't feel like I left home, the people
were so welcoming. It was an amazing experience and I learned so much and I just
love that place and will never forget the memories I shared with everyone while
there! Since leaving Connect I went back to Bible College for a semester and
then returned back home. We eventually moved across country back to Ontario.
I spent the summer at a camp down in Pennsylvania and then came home in September.
I spend that year looking after my nephew. I returned back to the States to
the camp and then when I returned in October back home, I started working
for my chruch (The Salvation Army) at their thrift store and at the church
with the youth. Right now I'm just working with the young people and its a
joy and honor to have such an impact in their lives!
Jon Keel (Chulmleigh 2003-2005)
Since leaving Connect in 2005 I have embarked on a world journey, worked
on a sheep farm and become the ironing champion of Yorkshire. Well not quite!!
In January 2006 I travelled the world, working for local churches,
schools and youth projects. This included spending time in Kenya,
Tanzania, Dubai, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. It was a great
experience in physically, emotionally, mentally and above all
spiritually! Through our ministry we saw 75 young people come to know
Christ. Since getting back in August 2006 I have been living at home,
doing the odd day here and there on a sheep farm and doing the cooking
and ironing at home.
In February 2007 I will be moving down to Brentwood, Essex where I will
be Youth Ministry Leader for Sawyers Church. I am very excited about
this next step in life and ministry! Visit the church's website
www.sawyerschurch.org
John Prockter (Okehampton 1997-1999)
Since leaving Connect I've just about made it around Dartmoor! In 1999
(the year I left Connect) I went straight to Tavistock where I worked for a
project that we ended up calling Catalyst. Castalyst was a project similar
to Connect but we only worked in one school and we didn't have a thousand churches
to work with! I was in Tavy for four years and then in 2003 I started working for
South West Youth Ministries as the Plymouth Area Coordinator, in the year with
SWYM I also got married, which is ace! The following year I dipped out of full
time ministry and drove a van for a year... Now I'm leading Exmouth ICE with
a team of seven and and have become a DAD too! Madeline Ann May Prockter was born
on Sunday 3rd December 2006 at 6.18am and weighed 7lb 13oz!! So there you go,
I've nearly completely been around Dartmoor! www.exmouth-ice.org.uk
Paul Friend (Okehampton 1999-2001)
I worked
in Okehampton with Connect from 1999-2001 living in Hatherleigh. When I finished
this I moved into David and Brenda Bragg's house (long standing supporters of
Connect) and began working for SWYM as the Area Co-ordinator for Mid Devon working
to support workers of Connect and Tiverton. I then got married to Jo in Jan 2003
and moved to Woodbury just outside Exeter. We still live there today where I am
an elder of our local church and took over heading up SWYM across the region in
2005. I am still mad about Liverpool and watch DVD replays of recent cup victories
far too often!!! www.swym.org.uk
Niki Gollings (Team Leader 2001-2003)
Since leaving Connect I worked in Macclesfield as the towns Youth Evangelist for
18 months. Now I'm a youth out reach worker for e:merge. We are based on an
inner city estate in Bradford. Check out our website to see all the amazing
things we do
www.emergeonline.org.uk. For a while I've realised that a lot
of these young people need more support than I can offer so I am training to
be a counsellor and hopefully I'll be qualified in July 08! I miss you Devon
lot loads.
Louise Mott (Okehampton 2004-2005)
Although I was only a worker for a year, I never quite managed to leave Connect
and am still involved as secretary of the Executive Committee and Okehampton
Local Management Group. When I'm not spamming, sorry, emailing information to
people about Connect (LOL), I still work as a freelance singer, travelling around
the country performing new operas about knitting,
childbirth, shopping or zorbs!! When I'm not doing that, I teach singing to some great kids at
Okehampton and Chulmleigh Colleges, which in a round about way brings me back to Connect, because if I hadn't been working
in Okehampton College Music Dept as part of the Connect Team, I don't think I would have ever considered teaching! So that's me - check out
www.louisemott.net for more info.
Ben Selent (Okehampton 2004-2006)
After I left the UK for Germany in 2006 I started studying English
and History at the University in Düsseldorf. In November 2007 I proposed to
Damaris during a nice walk alongside the Rhine-river at night. Big eyes and
tears of happiness were included of course! In September 2008 we then got
married on a great Saturday and feasted throughout the whole night till 2
in the morning. A lot of games, jokes, a great buffet, much fun and dancing
made the day very special to us. The Monday after we headed towards the
North of Germany where we spent full 10 days in a nice framehouse equipped
with a sauna, a spa bath and a fireplace where we spent a lot of romantic
nights in front of. Now I am heading towards my BA in English and am going
to continue the MA in English afterwards. Damaris is also studying to become
a primary school teacer at the Uni in Wuppertal, where we rent a
(80sqm ~ 95.7 square yds) 3 bedroom flat. I used to
work for a large American consultancy but am now looking for a new
part-time job in the IT industry.
If you'd like to get in touch with us please don't hesitate to
browse my facebook page or email us mail(at)benunddamaris.de