DEVOzine, a resource for teens, was born in a Youth Room in a church in South Dakota in 1996.
DOREEN GOSMIRE
Dakotas Annual Conference Communications
“We wanted to create something for us and all the other teens out there who want to have a connection to each other and God,” said Stephanie (Gran) Baxa. “That is really what the United Methodist Church is all about.”
Twenty years and counting, that’s how long devozine has been around. It all started back in the youth room at Hartford UMC when Rev. Bill Gran, retired, started talking with the confirmation class about the possibility of getting teens to pray for and with one another.
During the spring of 1991, the confirmation class was asked to write and share devotions as part of their confirmation experience. Once confirmation was over, the teens longed for a way to continue this devotional experience.
“It was so awesome to see a group of youth dedicated to their faith bring forth such an idea to the entire denomination,” said Rev. Bill Gran. “I was so proud of them for their persistence and their faith.”
One idea led to another and the group of youth, led by Stephanie (Gran) Baxa and her father, the Rev. Gran, wrote a proposal to have the Upper Room create a devotional just for teens. Energy around the idea swelled and legislation was approved at the 1992 General Conference of The United Methodist Church to publish the devotional.
Last Updated on January 9, 2023