Jones resigns as 4-H/youth agent for county
By Pam Wilson pwilson@dailyunion.com | Posted: Monday, January 15, 2018 10:16 am
JEFFERSON — Bruce Jones, who has served as the interim 4-H/youth development educator for Jefferson County’s University of Wisconsin-Extension office the past year, has resigned to re-enter the ministry.
His last day on the job will be Jan. 31.
Jones, of Cambridge, served as pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Janesville for 17 years before taking the UW-Extension position in November 2016.
Now he is taking on an interim minister position at Forest Park Presbyterian Church in New Berlin.
He said he will continue to reside in Cambridge, where his wife, Krista, is employed by the Cambridge school district. Their sons, Jonathan, 14, and Alex, 12, will continue to be involved in Jefferson County 4-H even while their father is commuting to his new position.
Meanwhile, Jones, as a certified youth leader, will continue to be involved as a 4-H parent and volunteer.
Jones was a 4-Her himself as a child, showing Jersey cows and sheep, along with participating in the foods project.
He attended 4-H camp starting at age 9 and later became a camp counselor. He sought out youth leadership opportunities as a high-schooler, and served as the superintendent of the sheep show at the New York State Fair.
When he went on to college, he served as a junior leader at the state fair, and a 4-H agent there suggested he look into following that career path himself.
Jones said he always has considered himself an educator, using his skills in a variety of capacities, including working with 4-Hers, volunteers and leaders; teaching public school agriculture students; and serving in the ministry.
Prior to his last stint as a pastor in Janesville, Jones spent six years as a 4-H agent in New York State, with the Cornell Cooperative Extension (connected with the land grant university in that state, Cornell University).
“I was in two different counties as an agent for six years, and I also served as a summer assistant and program assistant for another year,” Jones said.
In between those positions, he taught high school vocational agriculture for seven months.
Originally from the small town of Madrid, N.Y., Jones was an active 4-Her in his youth for a decade in St. Lawrence County.
The youngest of five children, he graduated in 1986 with a bachelor of science degree in agriculture education. He worked with 4-H, then in the early 1990s, entered the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1996.
Later that year, he became pastor of the United Church of Muscoda (Presbyterian) and in 1999, he moved to the Janesville church that he served for 17 years.
In the intervening years, he also pursued his doctorate in ministry through the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary.
Jones said his year-plus with Jefferson County 4-H has been a rewarding one, but he felt the pull to return to the ministry.
He said one of the highlights from his time with the county 4-H program was being able to return to some of the things he used to do right out of college, working with motivated youth through the county program and the state 4-H camp.
“Camp was a big highlight for me,” Jones said, noting that he accompanied the Jefferson County campers for the four-day, three-night base camp.
His younger son, Alex, looks forward to attending base camp again this coming summer, while his older son, Jonathan, has expressed interest in becoming a camp counselor.
He also really enjoyed interacting with youth leaders as he transported them to and from various educational and enrichment activities throughout the state.
“It was really fun being able to travel with the group,” he said. “We took a van and everybody (from the county) went together.” He said the ride back was the best, as 4-Hers shared their experiences.
“I heard great things,” Jones said. “They came back exhausted, but really excited about the speakers they’d heard and the activities they’d taken part in.”
He said he also really enjoyed attending the fair and seeing all of the great exhibits the students had put together and watching as they showed their animals, crops and other entries.
During the course of his regular duties, Jones said he spent a lot of time with the 4-H volunteers, and he commended the commitment of these community members who have chosen to give of their time and efforts to work with young people.
“A lot of what I’ve worked on this past year centered on organizational structure,” Jones said.
In some of the larger projects, such as the Horse and Pony Project and the Meat Animal Project, as well as the county Leaders’ Association, he helped develop subcommittees to take on certain responsibilities so that the committee-of-the-whole did not have to hammer out every issue and detail.
“That can get really unwieldy,” he said.
As his time with Jefferson County 4-H wraps up, Jones said he is looking forward to his new role, as interim pastor of the New Berlin church.
He said his new position is expected to last from 18 months to two years. His role will be to help that congregation regain its stability during a time of transition.
Most Presbyterian churches get an interim pastor before securing a new permanent pastor, Jones said.
He said he likes stepping in to assist during times of transition.
“There are always new challenges,” he said. “Every church is different in terms of what they need and are looking for at that time.
As to the future of Jefferson County 4-H, Jones said that he is confident the Jefferson County UW-Extension office can fill the 4-H/youth development educator post in the near future.
“Jefferson County 4-H is a very strong, very vibrant program,” Jones said. “It brings great benefit to the community and I see it continuing well into the future.”
Jones said he is a true believer in 4-H as a great way to develop young people’s skills, character and values. They learn perseverance through working in their chosen projects, learn how to do proper recordkeeping and how to keep financial accounts — skills that will serve them for a lifetime — and have many levels of opportunities for leadership and achievement.
As he prepares to exit his current position, Jones received kudos for all of the volunteers and staffers who make the child-centered, education-oriented program possible.
“I want to give a big thank you to all of the volunteers who make Jefferson County 4-H possible, and to extend a thank you as well to the excellent staff in our office at the UW-Extension. It was a true pleasure to work with them all,” he said.