Pastor Earl Baldwin (left) will be serving as the Youth Director, while Pastor James Doggette, Jr. (right) will be the Young Adult Director during the next quadrennium.
At the Lake Region Conference Constituency session held on July 17, 2022, delegated not only voted in a Youth director but a Young Adult director, as well.
Earl Baldwin was appointed as Youth Director and James Doggette, Jr. was selected as Young Adult Director for the next quadrennium.
For over 15 years Earl Baldwin has served in pastoral ministry: five years at All-Nations Church in Berrien Springs, five years at Muskegon Heights Wood Street and Idlewild churches and five years at Praise Fellowship, South Bend and Bethany Chapel, Elkhart, Ind.
“My wife Jennikka and I are humbled and excited to serve in this capacity,” says Baldwin. “We are excited about the opportunity to impact the lives of our youth and their families.”
In keeping with Lake Region’s theme for 2023, “Deeper Roots”, Baldwin says his goal is to provide greater opportunities for youth to deepen their relationship with God and each other. “Through connecting, engaging and equipping, we plan to bring awareness to better facilitate young people and they families to dig deeper, trust deeper, serve deeper and enter into a deeper relationship with God and with others, while having tremendous fun.”
As youth director for Lake Region Conference, Baldwin leads a large team of federation officers and club ministries directors. However, he says, his most important team members are in his family. He serves with his wife and their five children: Gabriel, 14; Michael, 12; Ariel, 10; Isabel, 9; and Zion, 6.
James Doggette, Jr. is the Young Adult director for Lake Region Conference and has over 15 years of experience in pastoral care, youth ministry, chaplaincy, and teaching ministry. Prior to coming to Lake Region, he served as senior pastor of the First Seventh-day Adventist Church of Riviera Beach and the Deerfied Beach Church in South Florida where he led community development efforts.
In the past decade, the number of young adults who grew up in the church and walked away rose from 59% to 64%. Lake Region Conference administration refused to sit idly by. They have invested in young adult ministry by hiring a full-time young adult director and providing resources for innovative ministry.
Dogette says he envisions the five-state conference filled with young adults leading local churches and fully engaged in building the Kingdom of God. “Our mission is to disciple our young adults by facilitating connection experiences, building community, and facilitating collaboration opportunities.”
He continues, "Our young adult ministry plans to make service and outreach a priority by inviting our young adults to stretch their benevolent muscles and serve our communities in numerous ways: visiting our geriatric community, helping our homeless, ministering in our shelters, mentoring troubled youth, providing financial blessings to the economically insecure, and much more”
Doggette, is married to Damia, and they have three children: a daughter Noa Lily and two sons, James Doggette, III and Legend.
JeNean Lendor, Lake Region Conference Communication Director
