Collection 494
[April 17, 2001]
Wetherill, Jeffrey Robert 1966-
Interview; 1993
Audio Tapes
Restrictions
There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.
Biography
| Full name | Jeffrey Robert Wetherill | |
| Birth | March 28, 1966, Columbus, Ohio | |
| Family | ||
| Parents | Robert and Dionne Wetherill | |
| Marital Status | Married Susan Kienle, August 1988 | |
| Conversion | August 1983 | |
| Education | ||
| 1984-1988 | Taylor University (BA) | |
| 1993-1995 | Wheaton College (MA) | |
| Career | ||
| 1985-1987 | Club director, Youth For Christ, Taylor University, Gas City, Indiana | |
| 1987-1990 | Youth pastor, Upland Evangelical Mennonite Church, Upland, Indiana | |
| 1990- | Youth ministry in Dublin, Ireland, with Greater Europe Mission | |
Scope and Content
This collection consists of one oral history interview with Jeffrey R. Wetherill who was interviewed by Robert Shuster on October 1, 1993, at the Archives of the Billy Graham Center. The events described in the interview cover the time period 1966-1993.
T1 (70 minutes).
Family background, involvement in sports activities while growing up, attending church to please his parents, leading a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) group, conversion at age seventeen, characteristics and traits of parents, work ethic, importance of sports, sports injury, involvement in DECA (Distributive Educational Clubs of America), opportunities to use leadership and speaking skills, a typical FCA meeting, importance of Bible, prayer, and church attendance, reaction of his minister and peers to his conversion, influence of eighth grade teacher, impressions of Taylor University, seeking God's direction for his future, incidents leading up to interest in youth ministry, leading Campus Life (Youth For Christ) group, influence of others, difficulties and rewards of working with teens, activities of youth groups, contrasting ministry as a YFC worker and a youth pastor, meeting future wife at college, reasons for staying with the Evangelical Mennonite Church, interest in Greater Europe Mission (GEM), attending an Operation Mobilization short term mission trip in Belgium, desiring to work in a cross-cultural setting, events which caused him to go into missions, applying to GEM and EMC for missionary status, missionary internship
T2 (40 minutes).
Challenges in working with Irish youth, struggles with developing a context for his ministry,
primary focus was to assist the Evangelical church in Ireland by working with youth and youth
leaders, need for youth work in Ireland, needs of the Irish Evangelical churches, involvement at
Groverner Road Baptist Church, youth activities there, helping organize Shout (a city wide
evangelistic meeting in Dublin), developing training clubs for youth leaders and teens, organizing
an annual conference for Irish youth workers, relations between Irish Catholics and Evangelical
Protestants, effect of 1992 Luis Palau Crusade, Irish youth questioning their Catholic up-bringing,
religious education in schools, contrasting youth work in the US and Ireland, problems in
Northern Ireland, strengths and weakness of Irish Evangelical church, GEM methods of ministry
in Ireland, plans for return to Ireland Provenance
*****
The materials in this collection were received by the Center in October 1993 from Jeffrey R. Wetherill.
Accession: 93-110
April 10, 2001
Wayne D. Weber
LOCATION RECORD
Accession: 93-110
Type of Material: Audio Tapes
The following items are located in the Audio Tape file.
T1 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 ips, 70 minutes, one side only. Interview with Jeffrey R. Wetherill by Robert Shuster on October 1, 1993.
T2 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 ips, 40 minutes, one side only. Continuation of interview with Jeffrey R. Wetherill by Robert Shuster on October 1, 1993.