After nine years as a youth pastor, John Scally decided he wanted to be part of a growing congregation.
As a result, Scally is now the youth pastor at Atlas Community Baptist Church, 6396 S. Gale Road, Atlas Township. He started his new position May 1.
Prior to taking the job at Atlas, Scally was the youth pastor at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Swartz Creek and First Baptist Church in Goodells, MI, located outside of Port Huron.
‘There’s a progressive spirit of growth and an opportunity to make a lasting impact on the community,? he said when asked why he took the Atlas job.
Atlas Community Baptist Church has two different meetings geared toward the congregation’s youth: The Connection, a Bible study conducted Wednesdays from 6:45-8:30 p.m., and The Zone, which meets Thursday nights from 6:45-8:45 p.m.
In the latter group, Scally said the group picks up kids in the community that evening and does many activities together.
He said his primary goal as youth minister at Atlas is to ‘introduce teenagers to a life-changing experience with Jesus Christ.?
Toward that end, Scally said the group has scheduled several activities in addition to their regular weekly meetings:
* Cedar Point trip ? June 16
* The Zone Summer Blast ? June 23
* Canoe trip ? July 15
* Summer camp ? July 31-Aug. 5
* Back to School Blitz ? Aug. 27

Scally hopes to build the youth ministry at Atlas to about 200 students within a year. In addition, he has another long-term goal involving a potential new meeting center for the group.
He said the church is currently in the process of building a new facility on Perry Road in Atlas Township. Once that is completed, Scally said he hopes to convert the current church facility into a youth center for the group.