Marty Wyatt Archives - Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation

Marty Wyatt has been the Program Assistant for the Augsburg Youth Theology Institute since 2016. Prior to this, Marty worked as a coffee shop manager at the MSP airport. He completed a BA in Women’s Studies at Augsburg in 2012, and is currently in the Master of Divinity program at Luther Seminary. While a student at Augsburg, Marty was a Youth Theology Institute mentor and even attended the Institute as a high school student way back in its beginning years. Marty loves being a part of this program that encourages youth to embrace deep theological questions and explore where their passions meet the needs of the world and where God is calling them.

When he’s not at Augsburg, Marty enjoys reading, sewing quilts, and cross-stitching. He’s been a Minnesotan his whole life, and grew up on a family farm just north of the Twin Cities. He now lives in North Minneapolis with his husband and fur babies (2 cats, 1 dog). His one year old boxer mix keeps him especially busy and reminds him daily of the importance of play.

Marty feels incredibly blessed to be a part of the Augsburg University community again as a staff person and is proud of the work that Augsburg, the Christensen Center for Vocation, and the Augsburg Youth Theology Institute do for and with young people, our communities, and the wider church.

AYTI Ambassador Ian Heseltine interviewed Marty Wyatt, AYTI Program Assistant, to learn more about the impact of Marty’s participation in Augsburg’s Youth Theology Institute. In 2007, Marty was a youth participant, and he was a mentor in 2008 and 2009. In addition to his role at Augsburg, Marty is pursuing a masters of divinity at Luther Seminary.

Here is Marty’s response:

Honestly, the week [of Youth Theology Institute] made me want to come to Augsburg for my undergrad. Looking back this is the biggest impact because of how going to Augsburg impacted my life. I would have never met the people I did or experienced the city if I didn’t go to Augsburg, and that started with the Theology Institute. The Institute introduced me to Augsburg’s campus, professors, students, and staff. They seemed to genuinely care about people and the community. It made me want to get to know them better and be a part of this community that cared so deeply for each other.

I think during the week my faith was renewed. High school can be a hard and isolating time for some and the Institute reignited my faith in a powerful way. I learned (or re-learned?) to look for God in everything, from the mundane to the exceptional. The Institute opened a way of thinking about faith differently than I had before. I began to think critically about what I believe and why, which over time led to a deepening of my faith that I wouldn’t have if I didn’t critically examine it first. Continue reading “Interview with AYTI Program Assistant Marty Wyatt, former participant and mentor” →