Jared Baldwin - '25
A Hurricane, a Revival, and an Unexpected Call: How God Led Baldwin to Youth Ministry
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, SWU senior Jared Baldwin felt helpless. His church, Bethel Wesleyan in Flat Rock, North Carolina, was surrounded by storm damage and power outages, but road conditions made it impossible for him to help with cleanup efforts. His response? Rallying his campus community to collect hundreds of canned goods for the area’s storm victims—an initiative that grew from a $40 investment into a 500-can donation drive.
This ability to turn obstacles into opportunities has become a hallmark of Baldwin’s unexpected journey into youth ministry. “[Youth ministry is] the one thing I said I’d never do,” he recalls with a laugh. Yet a summer internship through the North Carolina West District changed his mind about working with young people. “At these camps, I got to hear their stories and hear their hurt,” he said. I’ve been through what they’ve been through, but I’m not too far above that I don’t understand what they’re going through.”
Those powerful ministry experiences opened Baldwin’s heart to a possibility he hadn’t considered. When an opportunity arose at Bethel Wesleyan during a district conference, he saw God’s hand in the timing. Now, despite the hour-long drive each way, Baldwin and his fiancée Divinity Ervin lead Sunday school and youth group sessions every week.
Ministry has long been part of Baldwin’s life. He preached his first sermon at age 12 while growing up as a pastor’s kid in Buffalo, New York. But his own faith journey took an important turn during the Asbury outpouring in February 2023. Following months of spiritual questioning, he found himself in Asbury’s packed sanctuary. “I remember being there for a few hours and just kind of soaking it in,” he says. During the worship song “Great Are You Lord,” Baldwin experienced the unforgettable presence of God. “I turned around and just saw everyone singing from the balconies to the ground floor. It was almost like I felt heaven on earth for a second.”
Baldwin’s growth as a minister has been shaped by both personal experience and academic mentorship. He credits SWU’s Religion faculty, particularly Dr. Black, Dr. Wilson, and Dr. Dongell, for their guidance. “I would not be doing what I’m doing without the personal mentorship of my professors,” he says.
Recently, Baldwin shared his journey at Wesleyan College Days in Indiana, speaking about God’s response to Moses’s feelings of inadequacy. “Maybe the question isn’t actually ‘who am I,’ but ‘who is with me?’” he reflected.
For Baldwin, part of that answer lies in his ministry partnership with Ervin, an Elementary Education & Early Childhood major who minors in Christian Studies. Together they conceived of and led the hurricane relief effort, with Ervin creating promotional materials and helping organize collection points across campus. “I couldn’t do anything that I do without her,” Baldwin says. “She helps me take those big ideas I have and actually put them into motion.”
Looking ahead, Baldwin plans to continue full-time at Bethel after graduation, with hopes of deeper community involvement once he’s living closer to the church. For someone who once ruled out youth ministry entirely, he’s found his calling in helping teenagers navigate their faith journeys—with help from Ervin and God.