MEET THE DOWNTOWN YOUTH LEADERS

Kristen Jerome After a tragic lost tooth ended my modeling career at age 4, I was forced into a life of spread-sheeting as a public accountant. I like to think I keep things interesting in my personal life…you know diverse hobbies like running, cooking, counting things, watching history documentaries that my husband tapes... Well, hey we are all on a journey here, right? Mahatma Gandhi wrote a couple books. In one, he said that “religion, the pursuing of the inner journey, should not be separated from the pursuing of the outer and social journey, because we are not isolated beings.” For me, this sums up Downtown Church pretty well. We are all on a journey with God, ourselves, and the people we surround ourselves with. Downtown Youth will be an exciting opportunity for our middle and high school church-goers to connect through their journeys, and I’m excited to be a part of it!

Brent Jerome Hi everyone. I'm so excited to be a part of Downtown Youth with our great team. I teach Social Studies at Westwood High School, and I jumped at the opportunity to work with the youth of Downtown Church. You may notice there is another Jerome as part of the Downtown Youth team. That's my wife: Kristen. Pretty good, eh?  I enjoy watching my Wisconsin Badgers dominate the college sports scene, but don't worry, I also follow the Gamecocks and Clemson as well. If I'm not watching sports, I'm probably watching bad reality TV or some kind of history documentary that everyone loves. Well, maybe just me. I can't wait to start getting to know the youth of Downtown Church and help them on their faith journey. Anytime any of you need to talk, text, or tweet, I'm just a few button presses away. See you soon!

Natasha Drozdak I work in online marketing for SCBT (that's right, I actually get paid to be on social media).  I'm a lover of coffee, chick flicks, the Gamecocks, all desserts and animals.  I strive to be inspired on a daily basis.  While this sometimes means finding a DIY project on Pinterest, it really means finding inspiration to be a better person.  Downtown Youth excites me most because I feel that our youth are going to inspire me through every meeting, every planning session and every conversation.  I know we can all work together during our journeys with God to help strengthen our relationships and our faith.  Downtown Church offers the right tools and messages to guide us, and Downtown Youth will help to guide our youth even further.  I cannot wait to meet our youth and start this amazing adventure together.  Call me anytime you want to get ice cream or cupcakes. Or, if you just want to see cute pictures of my two dogs, Lollie and Zoe. Better yet, tweet me @Natasha_Droz.

Andrew Drozdak I love the Gamecocks. Don't worry, if you're another fan, I'll still love you...but I'll let you know how much you are missing out.  A  middle school social studies teacher (so I love historical documentaries as much as Brent!), football coach, and hopefully future administrator, I am encouraged every day by today's youth, and I really like seeing the way kids at this age can grow and change. It is my hope that our group can help the youth of Downtown Church to grow in their journey to know God, and its like I tell my students; I don't know every answer, but I will work with you to help find the answer you are looking for.  My students teach me as much as I teach them and I look forward to learning together with Downtown Youth. My number one goal is for this group to create a fun and positive environment where we can all work and grow in relationships with each other and with God. Anytime you need to talk you can text, tweet, or email me too! (When your wife works in social media, you are kept up to date on ALL the social media trends!)