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Avery Young

Avery Young

Next Gen Volunteer Director
Ministry Staff
Life Story

I was born in Asheville, NC. Throughout my childhood, my family went through several trials that led us to move every three to four years, so I didn't stay in one place for very long. We landed in Jacksonville, NC 10 years ago where my family currently lives. My mom worked in the church off and on, so the church was one of the few constants in my life. I was practically raised by multiple church staffs. I have known about Jesus all my life but decided I wanted to commit my life to following him in 7th grade. Even at a young age, I understood the weight of the decision. Over the next few years, I battled questions that would be essential to grounding my faith, yet remained lukewarm as a believer at the time. During my junior year I was invited to a local youth group that would transform my walk with Christ. This is when I truly surrendered my life to following Jesus and began chasing after the heart of God. God brought me to the area through GWU. I went to pursue Elementary Education, but God quickly changed my path... I came to HCC at the beginning of my freshman year, and immediately started volunteering with Radi8 under Kenny Hall's leadership. Midway through my sophomore year, Kenny asked me to do an internship at the church (which ended up being more like taking over the youth group for a summer!). After seven weeks of doing ministry full-time, I had no doubt that this is what God has called me to do. Before classes started back that fall, I switched my major to Discipleship studies and came on the HCC staff in January of 2020. I currently lead the youth ministry while also leading the community groups ministry for the church alongside my husband, Chandler. Chandler and I married each other in October of 2021 after meeting at the church! Aside from being a newlywed, God has also opened the door for further equipping at GWU's School of Divinity where I am currently pursuing a dual-degree, MDiv and MBA. It has been both a challenging and enriching experience! For fun, I love to teach dance and gymnastics when I can, hang out with close friends and family, and go exploring new places! I'm currently obsessed with plants, crumbl cookies, and our goldendoodle, Asher!

My Hope for HCC

My hope for HCC is that this community of believers would come behind the youth in support, leading by example and pouring into students on a deeper level. I was able to tap into the love and the hope a life with Jesus offers, but mostly because I was surrounded by a church body pointing me back to it during a time I needed direction.

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