Thank you, Lee Yates.

The very first InsideOut project, published in 2013, was All Things New. Rev. Lee Yates was a member of the writing team for that first edition. Since 2017 he has served as InsideOut's Project Manager.

Lee is moving on to a new position with Higher Education & Leadership Ministries (HELM) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), so I want to take a moment to acknowledge Lee’s impact on the InsideOut.

I’ve known Lee for about 20 years. A mentor of mine once said, “I’d hire Lee Yates to do anything,” and I took that to heart. Lee is one of the most resourceful people I know, one of those semi-mythical people who can squeeze water from a rock. I’ve seen him organize incredibly successful events on budgets where a shoestring would be a luxury.

Even more impressive, though, has been Lee’s commitment to nurturing youth and young adults who hear God speaking to them about how their faith can play a guiding role in their lives. That’s how he got connected with InsideOut more than a decade ago. He joined the design team for Fearless Faith, then stepped in as Project Manager. Along the way, he has written for all but two InsideOut products. He has already contributed material for the 2027 project, Do You Hear It?

Lee’s new role at HELM is Vice President of Scholarship & Leadership Programs, where he will overseeing leadership development programs for youth and young adult programs and scholarship programs supporting potential ministers and lay leaders. Darn it, it’s a perfect fit—there’s no way I can justify having him stay with InsideOut when his skills will be put to such excellent use. The only downside to his new job is whether he’ll be allowed to work remotely from Disneyland; so far, neither Alice nor the Mad Hatter has been credited in InsideOut.

So, Lee, good luck and Godspeed in your new role. Thank you.

Gratefully,

Brad Lyons