Dee Baraw, Youth Ministry Coordinator for PB UMC, has been active in youth ministry for over twenty years, both as a professional and as a volunteer. Born in Santa Clara, California, Dee grew up in the Methodist church. As a 9-year-old, she was already coordinating nursery workers in her church. In her senior year of high school, she acted as coordinator for the senior youth fellowship group. At San Jose State she led the college youth group and served as the Young Adult Coordinator of the California-Nevada conference.

Growing up in Santa Clara, California, and later living in Virginia, Dee came to San Diego in 1997. She was soon hired by the La Mesa United Methodist Church as their Director of Family and Education.

It was in late 2004 that Dee came to PB UMC. Pastor April, who had known her as District Camping Coordinator for three years, asked her to consider working as Youth Ministry Coordinator here in Pacific Beach. Dee was well-qualified for the position:  in addition to her youth ministry and camping experience, she has a B.A. in Liberal Arts, minoring in elementary education, with emphasis in special education and psychology. She also has completed several graduate-level classes in youth ministry.

As our Youth Ministry Coordinator, Dee coordinates activities for two groups. The sixth- through twelfth-graders gather every other Sunday after church for activities like beach parties and pool parties as well as Bible study. Dee meets separately with children from grades one through five. When she gave them the task of naming their group, they chose to call it “The Best Group in the Church.” They meet monthly for Bible study, crafts, and various outings.

With all of these activities, it’s hard to believe that Dee has the time to do much else, but she still serves as District Camping Coordinator, tries to swim every day, and enjoys spending time with her husband of ten years and the high school-aged niece who lives with them. If you have any questions about activities for children and youth, Dee Baraw is the person to see!