Duane Jukema
Hello! My name is Duane Jukema, and I serve with the Jr High team.
My wife Jennifer and I, along with our 4 boys, joined the community at The Well in the spring of ‘22, and regularly worship with those gathered in King City, closest to our home in Newmarket.
When I came on staff to pastor with the Jr High team, we were deeply impressed by the community we found here. Our family was connecting quickly and our boys began to express (voluntarily and independently) a joy and comfort at being part of this community after just a few weeks.
I grew up in church as a first-generation Canadian in a dutch church community and with a clear and active relationship with Jesus. God called me to ministry at about age 12, but I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be in a traditional pastor’s role… though I surrendered that part to give God freedom to place me where He wanted me. It was through my time working at camp that I discovered that I love working with students. It was further experiences overseas on a short-term missions team that helped clarify my interest in the next generation of the church in Canada.
I have been in Youth Ministry for over 30 years since then, and despite the social, cultural, and technological changes, the essentials are still the same – to love and encourage teens. It is a joy to help them discover not only an understanding of God but an active relationship with Him – where they can learn to participate as a full member of His family.
I am passionate about student discipleship that includes identifying and mentoring new leaders among our students. In addition to my role at The Well, I also serve as Youth Ministry Developer for our district (ECD – Eastern Canadian District) to support Youth Ministry in our churches and communities. Between these two roles, I am privileged to serve God by serving students, families, and youth leaders.