A Youth Directors Story “I just have fun smile laugh and try to do the right thing.� -Danny Dye
By: Carter Lee
In 1964 a young man was brought into this world and blessed by God only to be hated for the loss of a loved one. For someone who had a really rough childhood and had to deal with a lot of changes in his family being the youngest child, 50 year old youth director Charles Danny Dye (Danny Dye) was one person who was able to regain his faith and keep it
strong just from one event called the Western States Youth Gathering. This event led
Danny to want to be a youth director and has been doing this for the past 20 years, and still slimes and has fun with it. Danny resembles a classic can of Coca Cola, aside from
life satisfactory and instead of looking inside of our hearts are spirituality in depth we just decide to go for the shallow materialistic things” (Danny Dye), “Perhaps the most
“People need to find out what their own spiritual path is where they want to go especially youth, especially in today’s world where people don’t need a God.” drinking four to five cans a day Danny is Classy, a little old, but popular and always full of energy. Danny had a rough childhood but of this one event, he has kept his faith and led youth to keep theirs. The world is going to a place where people think that they don’t need a god, “we live in a world that more and more decide that God is not necessary or that people don’t have the time to even spend to try and find him and that we have everything we have in the world now that makes our
basic reason for not believing in any gods is the absence of good reasons for doing so.” (About Religion) “But just because religion has done some harm -- that doesn’t mean it’s mistaken! Sure, people have done terrible things in God’s name. That doesn’t mean God doesn’t exist!”(Upworthy) Danny as youth director tries to keep the spirit flowing and strong in youth, Danny doesn’t force anything into youth but he naturally lets the spirit flow within all the youth and tries to connect youth groups and really expand the youth ministry all over America. Danny was the youngest of 5 children who grew up in Iowa, his family was religious, but his eldest brother got into drugs and alcohol and passed away when Danny was starting high school, Danny lost his faith and hated god for taking his brother away. Danny grew up playing a lot of
sports one of which was swimming, his personal favorite, “I was a swimmer myself and I love the sport and I’m competitive and it’s a way for me to stay involved in athletics and stay competitive and it’s something I’ve been successful at, and I have been coaching for 20 years.” (Danny Dye) Danny grew up in the midwest of Iowa in the desert like area, he had two older sisters and two older brothers, he was the youngest in his family. Danny and his siblings all grew up in a religious family not too deep on religion but they did believe in god and every family member had gotten confirmed, after confirmation it is common that the confirmed youth move on to the churches youth group in which all of dannys brothers and sisters did, but every person grows up being exposed to drugs and alcohol, and sadly Dannys eldest brother and eldest sister were exposed to this badly. Dannys older brother had gotten into Drugs and alcohol and abused them greatly, and a few years later
the abuse caught up to him and he passed away. During this time Danny did something that no one would of expected, he lost his faith in god and questioned, got angry at him for taking his brothers life, “I believed in God so I can hate him” (Danny Dye) for months on end he did not attend church or youth group and people understood why, but one day his fathers worries had enough. Danny’s father told danny to attend youth group just for a few weeks and if he still didn’t want to do it then
he did not have to, so Danny followed through and went to
youth group, and this is where he got most of his support. During this time in the youth group Danny got plenty of support from fellow youth and it happened to be around the time when the Western States Youth Gathering was taking place, where youth from all around the west of the nation can get together, meet new people, and learn about god in many different ways, this only occurred every year during christmas and the New years holidays, nowadays changed during the summer every three years. Danny and his youth group were invited to this gathering where at this time there were over 1,000 youth participants, not only did Danny meet new people but he went to a workshop that really helped him through this struggle on death and dying and grief and relating it to religion. This workshop re-
ally helped Danny understand dying and religion and this really helped him through this struggle of his brothers death. Because of this great experience he had at the Western States Youth Gathering not only did this help him through his struggles, but it led him to want to become a youth director. Danny is a very competitive person, he has always been competitive throughout high school and played many sports in high school, swimming was his personal favorite sport in high school. Due to his love for swimming he has coach High school swimming for 20 years and has been a very successful coach, always coming in first or second place by a slim shot. “I was at Los Altos for eight years and then I’ve been at Palo Alto for 10 years and I’m passionate about and serious enough about it
that after two or three years wants people to see that there you have enough swimmers in is a god and that he can do the program that feel the same great things and make great way as people, “they have a foundawell as and this long tion to look back on to always as they starts continue help them bear hold with the to stay youth. on their spirituality.” dedicatCurrent ed and youth work member -Danny Dye hard you that was know conwere always gonna be first firmed under Danny Lauren or second in our league and Ford stated “He inspired me probably always one of the top to find my faith and he was five teams of CCS and as far one of the main reasons that I as I’m concerned that’s good decided to confirm it.” for me”(Danny Dye) DanDanny has led the youth ny continues to coach High through many challenges school swimming and expects and really gives the youth the same hard work that his something to remember, the swimmers out in already. Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Danny wants to expand the Church David Schick who youth ministry and really put has worked with Danny for the spirit back into people, he years states “The Youth have doesn’t want people to fully become leaders and really are devote themable to run anything Danny selves to tells them to” Just like a classic god, but can of Coca Cola that Danny he always drinks, he is old, classy, and sometimes a little out of date but like Cola he is popular within youth, and always happy and full of positive energy “I just smile and try to look like I’m having Fun” (Danny Dye).