Hey Everyone!

John “Howie” Howenstine here! After more than 30 years in Brethren Church youth ministry and countless times being jokingly called “our youth historian” in leadership meetings, I’m finally taking on a project close to my heart. I’m writing a booklet to centralize and celebrate the incredible 85-year history of the Brethren Youth Crusaders (BYC) and Brethren Youth In Christ (BYIC)!

Starting this fall, I’ll be digging into the structural evolution of our youth programs, a timeline of conference dates and themes, a roster of past youth officers, and comprehensive details on all Crusader Teams and Internships— the years, who served, their hometowns, team names, and captains.

This is a big undertaking, and I can’t do it without you! If you were an officer for the BYC/BYIC, or served on a Crusading Team, or if you know someone who did, please email me with those details at howietown91@gmail.com. Prefer to chat in person? I’ll have a table at General Conference this summer—swing by and share your memories!

To give you an idea of what I’m looking for, here’s an example from my team in 1988:

Team Name: Undivided

     David Webb, South Bend (Admore Brethren Church), IN, Captain
     Jennifer Moorehead, Muncie, IN, Music Captain
     Beth Naff, Woodstock (St. Luke Brethren Church), VA
     Kimberly Wagoner, Elkhart (Elkhart First Brethren Church), IN
     Kurt Stout, Burlington, IN
     Lynne Burkey, Ashland (Park Street Brethren Church), OH
     Rebecca Iaccino, Lathrop, CA
     John Howenstine, Canton (Trinity Brethren Church), OH

Your contributions are vital to telling our story!