Alumnus Ron Vining has been working in youth ministry his entire adult life. A love for kids combined with a passion for the outdoors has allowed him to develop a unique outreach ministry sharing the Gospel with youth from across the nation.
When Vining moved to Powell, Wyo., 11 years ago to continue his work as a youth pastor, his primary goal was to reach kids who are unlikely to attend church regularly. He knew that the surrounding area was rich with outdoor opportunities such as hunting and fishing. Using that to his advantage, he started an outreach program called Polestar Outdoors, where youth have the opportunity to be trained and mentored in outdoor activities while learning about the Gospel.
“One of the ways God has revealed himself to us is through creation; I believe that is a powerful tool,” he said. “Mentors at Polestar get to take kids outside and share with them how the creation of our world really came about, and the kids love spending one-on-one time with their mentor. They feel so loved and cared for and are so surprised that someone would take the time to invest in them personally. When I talk at churches now, I always say, ‘Never go fishing, hunting, or hiking alone. Grab a kid and take them with you.’”
The ministry currently has 14 chapters, located in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, Texas, and Wyoming. Another chapter will open soon in California.
Each chapter is tailored to the outdoor activities popular in that specific region.
“For the New York chapters, horseback riding is popular,” Vining said. “For the Texas chapters, it’s all about hog hunting. It really just depends on what each location is passionate about.”
Recently, Polestar partnered with the Outdoor Dream Foundation, a nonprofit organization that grants terminally ill youth their outdoor dream adventures. Last year, Polestar flew seven children along with a family member to Wyoming to participate in a myriad of
outdoor activities.
“Working with those kids has really been something I have grown passionate about,” he said. “I love going on the trips with them. Those kids are very close to my heart.”
Vining came to Liberty from Upstate New York in 1975 and was on Liberty’s first soccer team. He studied missions with a minor in youth ministry.
“It was basically courses in cross-cultural ministries,” he said. “Working with teenagers now is cross-cultural. So I learned how to cross those cultural lines here at Liberty.”
The way Vining found his way to Liberty (then Lynchburg Baptist College) is an interesting story in itself. When his older brother, Gil, was a senior in high school, his guidance counselor was trying to help him decide where to go to college. One day, Gil saw Liberty founder Dr. Jerry Falwell on television talking about starting a new college in Lynchburg, Va., and told the guidance counselor, who watched Falwell’s show, “The Old Time Gospel Hour,” that Sunday.
Through the show, the guidance counselor gave his heart to Christ.
According to Ron Vining, the guidance counselor soon felt God leading him to seminary and told Gil Vining, “We’re both going to Liberty.” Ron Vining joined them two years later.
Learn more about Vining’s ministry at Polestar-Outdoors.org.
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