Youth Ministry

The Youth Ministry at St. James’ is a freakishly exciting community of Middle School and High School students. Our regular meeting is on Sunday evenings, from 6 to 8 p.m., and includes dinner, outrageous games, worship, discussion and prayer, not to mention the pleasure of our company.

Discussions include a lot of questions, occasional answers (never easy ones), and are generally centered around our desire to discover our true identity as creative children of God and imaginative followers of Jesus. Believing that God speaks in every corner of the world (and not just on Sunday mornings), we engage pop culture, the Bible and just about anything else that helps us to understand our lives in God’s story.

We have several special events, from lock-ins and retreats, to service trips to Belize and community activities to support the work of St. James’ and those in need around us. We are a part of the Episcopal Deanery 5 youth ministry network and often participate in large and generally outrageous activities with several other Episcopal youth ministries in the San Gabriel Valley.

Our Fearless Leader

Obtrusively furry of head and face, though essentially good of heart and mind, Sterling Koch has lead the Youth Ministry at St. James’ since September, 2005, after seven years of full-time youth ministry in Thousand Oaks, California.  He lives in Simi Valley (yes, St. James’ is worth the commute) with his wife, Taryn; their son, Aidan. and their quasi-dog, Coco.  Sterling supports his ministry habit by doing web design and development through his company, Sterling K Web Creations.  Furthermore, he is in the “Achieve a Master’s Degree in Just under a Decade!” Program at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena.