Our Staff

Peter began ministering to youth in 1978 through Youth for Christ on Long Island. In 1981 he joined the staff of Long Island Youth Mentoring and worked as an Area Director for mentoring ministry. He helped develop a mentoring ministry with incarcerated juveniles and later served as the Field Staff Supervisor. In 1996 Peter moved to Massachusetts to become the New England Director for Straight Ahead Ministries. In 2000 he became the National Field Director where he helped develop the School of Juvenile Justice Ministry.

Peter returned to Long Island in 2003 to direct the Christian Mentoring Institute. Along with his duties at CMI, Peter is also a part-time faculty member of Gordon College where he teaches courses in counseling and at-risk youth. He has a Masters in Social Work from Fordham University.

Hal was the first Executive Director of CAYM, which grew in effectiveness and scope during his tenure. He now is serves in a volunteer capacity. Hal's first contact with the world of mentoring came many years ago when he heard a church recruitment presentation.  It was between the welcome and the first hymn that he felt called to this mission field of troubled kids.  Following a screening and training process, he was matched to "Paul" and his world view would never be the same again.  Hal and Paul loved woodworking, but more than wood was being crafted.  God used this time in the shop to help shape a young life and the heart of one chiropractor. 

A practicing chiropractor for 39 years, Hal oversaw the operation of 3 practices, never dreaming  the management skills that he was developing would be used by God to further the ministry of Christian mentoring. 

Now semi-retired from his practice (he still sees patients two days per week), he directs the day to day operations of the Christian Association of Youth Mentoring.

Donnovan is the Mentoring Director for Youth Horizons, a respected ministry to fatherless children in Wichita. Donnovan began his work at Youth Horizons in 1997 as a house parent in a group home and moved into the mentoring program a few years later. His experience includes being a recruiter, mentor coach as well as being a mentor himself. It is a privilege for us to have him on our teaching staff.

David Parsons is a missionary with the North American Mission Board /MSC in North Carolina. He networks in the community with churches challenging and training them to develop a mentoring process for school-age boys and girls called One Kid. He also works in the marketplace and church community with businessmen's discipleship program called Operation Timothy. David coordinates mentoring for CAYM throughout North Carolina.

Juergen Kneifel is the founder and director of Mission2Mentor in partnership with his church, Calvary Chapel in Washington State. Juergen has over 30 years of service as a nonprofit leader and a volunteer. He served as Director of Marketing and Recruitment with Big Brothers Big Sisters Of King And Pierce Counties from 1999-2004 and is a current board member of BBBS Snohomish County. He is a regular presenter at regional and national trainings and serves as a consultant for the Department of Social and health Services in Washington State.