Steve Youtsey - Chair of Church Council

Age: 46
Married: 2 sons
Education: BS Comp Science, Tulane Univ. (Too many post-grad classes to mention...some professional, some in leadership, some involved with church)

In high school, I discovered the marvels of computers and found them to be an interesting challenge...how do I get this stupid thing to do something useful? When I found out that computer science grads were actually making a good living, that Tulane didn't require students in the Skool of Enginearring to take English classes, and that I enjoyed working on programs, I decided that my interests were best served by pursooing (ok, enuf mispelled words) a degree in Comp Sci. Upon graduation from Tulane, I embarked on a plan to spend 3 years in Md. working for the federal government to get some experience, after which I would return to my beloved Gulf Coast. Well...after 17 years I finally did resign from the government (best laid plans....yada yada), but I found I had no desire to return to such a hostile climate with such unchanging scenery. After an exciting 2 years of working for a small startup company which had all the earmarks of going Google (it didn't, it went down in flames instead), I returned to working for the government as a contractor... and I am still asking the same question, "How do I get this stupid thing to do something useful?" Funny thing though, I still enjoy trying - and occasionally succeeding.

At a point in my life when I had more angst than joy, (my wife would say, "Joy?? What joy?!!!) I was introduced to Jesus Christ by some dear friends. God, by His Grace through faith He provided, eventually reached the core of my being and helped me to understand how much I needed Him, and how that could be arranged through His Son Jesus Christ. Once I accepted God's free gift (free to me, but not to Him) of forgiveness and adoption as His child, I embarked on a journey that led me to become involved in small groups, serving others in various ways, teaching, and eventually leadership. Each way point of this journey was planned and navigated by God, my part was to be obedient - which occurred sporadically. My journey is not complete, I am still a work in progress, and God is still the Chief Engineer who is designing the rest of the road that I'll walk on with Him.