01/30/2026
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By Wendy Nugent, Harvey County Now
HALSTEAD—The first thing that is going to disturb a person’s peace is thinking they can control.
That’s part of the message about peace Jennifer Swift gave to middle-school students recently at Zone 33, which is a youth ministry in downtown Halstead. She also told them that being mad at someone and stressing about school and sports can disturb their peace.
“Would your closest friend call you a peacemaker?” she asked the group. “The peacemakers are those who know what really matters. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they are the children of God. I want you guys to understand that God wants you to live in peace.
“We run a youth ministry, a community youth ministry—community meaning we’re not just affiliated with one church,” said Jennifer Swift, who runs it with her husband, Bryan Swift.
Zone 33 has been around since 2013, she said.
Youth who attend go to Catholic and Mennonite churches, a Hutchinson church or no church at all, for instance.
“We purposely started a community youth ministry so that it doesn’t matter where you go to church, you can come here,” Swift said.
Zone 33 meets on Wednesday nights, where they’re located on Main Street in Halstead. Middle schoolers meet from 5:50 to 7:30 p.m., while high schoolers go from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Anyone in those age groups can just show up if they’re interested.
Youth attending their specific times go in, and they can purchase snacks, play games, worship and have a 20- to 30-minute message.
To add to the fun, they have different themes, like last Wednesday night was Camo Night. Some of the youth showed up wearing camouflage clothing. They have themes once a month.
They’ve also had a pajama night, and in March, there will be Movie Night.
“The reason we do this is because we just felt like there was a need in the community, a place for kids to come, hear the word of God, have somebody that’s genuinely happy to see them when they get here, ask about their day,” said Swift, who is the one who gives the youth the messages. “I really feel like it’s important that we have that foundation in Christ, because I didn’t have that when I was in high school or middle school.”
Nobody ever invited her to a youth group, and she said she feels that a lot of times, if she had just known the gospel, if someone had shared the gospel with her at that age, she would have possibly made different decisions in her life.
The Swifts have three children, all of whom have gone through Zone 33, Swift said. They started Zone 33 before their oldest was in sixth grade, which was before he could be a part of it, since there are age limits.
He used to beg to go, and they’d tell him he needed to be in the sixth through 12th grade. Even the high-schoolers wanted their son to attend at that age, but his parents declined.
One high-school-aged attendee, freshman Leigha Johnson, likes the group.
“Because it’s really nice to have an in-town youth group and to hear a message taught in a super-welcoming place,” she said.
She’s attended Zone 33 since she was in the sixth grade.
“I’ve seen kids come in and develop a relationship with God and go on missions,” Swift said.
One of their graduates is a missionary in India.
“Lots of kids who have graduated out still have a relationship with God,” she said, adding that some don’t. “Our job is to plant the seed and lay the foundation and spread the gospel. Sometimes we get to see the fruit, and sometimes we don’t.”
The youth say they like going there, Swift said.
Swift didn’t become a believer until she was nearly 30 years old.
“In 2012, we were leading a church I felt like God was leading us out of, and I almost didn’t want to leave because we had built such a youth ministry there with a lot of students,” she said. “I hated to leave them because we had built such a great relationship with them. My husband said, ‘Why do you have to be in a church in order to teach kids the word of God?’”
He said you can teach kids about God anywhere.
They started in one of our students’ basements. The students at the time came up with the name Zone 33. It feeds off of 2 Thessalonians 33.
“It says the Lord is faithful,” Swift said. “He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”
The Swifts want to build the youth up and teach them that God’s word strengthens them
