​We would like to introduce you to yet another outstanding former staff couple that is modeling and forging new and brilliant ways of continuing a commitment to the ministry of Young Life! Bill and Kathy Burmeister.

Bill and Kathy have been demonstrating creative and unique ways to join and serve the mission as volunteers, full-time staff and former staff for years. Like few others, their introduction to Young Life, their invaluable and unique contributions and their post-staff availability don’t fit the normal joining, serving and leaving staff trajectory we all are so familiar with. If only more of us could know and emulate their story!

Good friends invited the Burmeisters to serve on a Young Life committee in Edicott, New York, before they even knew about the ministry. Out of friendships forged on the committee, they grew in their knowledge and faith to a point of being called increasingly to serve the mission. Bill and Kathy were instrumental in starting Young Life in Edicott, New York, and participated in many committee-leader weekends at Lake Champion, as well as annual family camps with their children. The Burmeister family also served on numerous Saranac work weeks. Out of a background of helping his father with construction and a desire to serve the Lord in missions, Bill was a natural fit to join the property staff team at Saranac and then to serve as a skilled craftsman, operations manager and camp manager at Rockbridge. Kathy always found ways to join Bill in the ministry and served in the development efforts on behalf of Rockbridge for years.

Bill’s initial Young Life experiences were interwoven with his full-time employment as part of the development department of IBM in Raleigh, North Carolina. This professional experience, along with his commitment to the ministry of Young Life, positioned Bill to develop software and information systems for camps. As a result of this endeavor, he helped Young Life understand how to use data and create tools to make important camping decisions.

Retirement has never been part of Bill and Kathy’s plans, so once they went off staff, they have been available and willing to serve the mission in many ways. Changing information systems and securing future systems is an ongoing contribution Bill wants to make to the ministry. In addition, he and Kathy have been coordinators for interns in European camping. You might say their job description post-staff is being “on call” for the Camping department.

Young Life has been fortunate to have the expertise and commitment of these two dear servants over many years. Their model of how to utilize gifts learned outside of Young Life to serve the mission is something that can be embraced in many ways. Work outside of Young Life prepares new staff to bring invaluable gifts and new ideas to the mission. It also allows former staff to be available for service following retirement.

Bill and Kathy, thank you for your past and ongoing service through Young Life! We are grateful for the way you have modeled mission engagement through the seasons and are hopeful that many more people will follow your lead!

If you have ideas for other stories, or alumni we should be in contact with, we invite you to email us at alumni@sc.younglife.org.