Tim on guitar performing with youth member Sean Gregory at multi-youth group meeting in 2007.

How it all began

My name is Tim Ferguson and my Christian Youth Ministry began as a high school student at a Baptist Church in Port Jefferson, N.Y. Our adult leader often looked to me for ideas and even let me run a few meetings.

After returning from college in 1969 two local churches, one Presbyterian and one Methodist, joined together in a local coffeehouse ministry. Before I knew it, I was left in charge. It was a volatile time. The group had its share of Vietnam Veterans as well as protestors of that war. Everyone, it seemed, played acoustic guitar. People liked to philosophize about faith but involvement in the actual church was lessoning. In the midst of this, events like "Olympics", and "flashlight sing" evolved. These events were still used forty years later.

In 1973 it became apparent that it was time for me to move on. It was difficult. Though I had a job at a local insurance company, my work at the coffeehouse was my real mission in life. It took a good friend's heart to heart conversation with me to solidify my conviction that there truly was a new life ahead. I prayed about it and decided to leave it in God's hands - I would take the first affordable apartment anywhere within an hour's drive of my place of business.

In May 1973 that "anywhere" became an unknown town in central Long Island, N.Y. by the name of North Babylon. Boardering to its north was the village of Deer Park. To my amazement the very first Sunday I attended the Deer Park Presbyterian Church a church elder announced that he wanted the church to support a new local coffeehouse. God had called me to leave one coffeehouse ministry behind and immediately gave me a new one in my new home. To this day I still marvel at how God calls us to our missions.

The Deer Park Coffeehouse was, in actuality, a post high school youth gathering and ran weekly for eleven event-filled years. In many ways a mission project, the group became a family of friends that still exists to this day. Several individuals from the group were introduced to our church through the coffeehouse. During these years I became a parent, started teaching a seventh grade Sunday school class and was elected to the church board of elders. Soon after the Cub Scouts of America called and seven years of den leadership became my new calling.

However, God was not yet through with me in terms of this church's youth work. The church asked for a new senior/junior high leader and I, at the time with fifth and eight grade sons, stepped forward on Easter Sunday 1994. As blessed as the previous programs were, this one was especially blessed.

We were blessed by youth who cared and who wanted to make a difference. Many have made testimonials under the "Youth Speak Out" page on this website. They made a name for themselves by serving seventy-five homeless people on the lower east side of N.Y. City outdoors during a blizzard in January 2005. They embraced the Thirty Hour Famine for seventeen years and for several years brought other Christian youth groups into this program by inviting them to join us. I am particularly blessed that several of the children of the original Deer Park coffeehouse members attended our youth group even though the families were active in other local churches.. It was so much fun to see Steven E. do well at Olympic events at which his father Joe E. excelled in the late 1970's.

In the Fall of 2014 the youth group ended as there were no longer Junior and Senior High School students active in the church. It was a good twenty year run and I have been pleased to continue my Christian youth work via this website. People from around the world continue to share how they use the many activities available through various pages on the website.

The Two Books

About fifteen years ago my mother, Arthlyn Ferguson, presented a challenge to me. She told me that it was time to write down all I had developed and learned for others to use in their own youth ministries. With help from my very supportive wife, Linda,who did a great deal of the typing, the project was completed in April 2007. For those who are interested in learning more, please click on the below link:

Sadly, although my mother remained alive, she suffered from severe alzheimer's disease and, although I shared the book with her, she was unable to understand its meaning, much less her role in its development.

On September 15, 2007 Arthlyn Ferguson passed on to that place where she, as Paul stated, no longer sees through a glass darkly. I commemorate her life by publishing several of her works of art on this site such as the "Hope" drawing on this page. And I am sure she now knows that the project she challenged me to do many years ago has now been completed.

In the summer of 2012 my second book, "The Chest of Visions: Secrets of Caperston" was published. In the Fall of 2013 our youth group began reading it as part of their youth meeting, a chapter each meeting with discussion to follow. The book opened the minds of many of the youth to a different understanding of the gospel message.

One month ago my youngest son encouraged me to make a video explaining the motivation I have to share and market this book. I share it with you below.

When will it all end? Our birth children are grown and passed their youth group years. However, there are still youth "running the race" and I still enjoy the challenge of "setting the pace" as they grow into the caring Christian youth men and women they have and will become.

My wife, Linda, and I were richly blessed and I trust that all of you, my fellow Christian youth workers, have been equally touched by your youth ministries. This site was created to develop a special place to share ideas and experiences. It has been blessed by young people like Danielle of Madigascar as well as young people from Uganda and the Philippines who have shared their stories on the Youth Testimonial Page. I look forward to hearing and learning more from other Christian young people and their youth leaders from across the country and around the world.