The Chaplaincy Program is one of the many ways the Y intentionally lives out our mission. Our Chaplains demonstrate the love of Jesus by serving, supporting, and caring for the staff, members, and guests of the YMCA—whether through faith-based programming or simply offering a listening ear and an encouraging word.
At the Y, our mission is a place for all people to reach their God-given potential in spirit, mind and body. The Chaplaincy Program allows us to focus even more on nurturing the spirit and mind.
The program is made up of dedicated volunteers across our Association. Please join me in welcoming Karen Ostrowski, our newest Volunteer Chaplain at the Kernersville Family YMCA, and recognizing Mark Key, who has faithfully served as a Volunteer Chaplain at Kernersville for the past four years.
Karen Ostrowski-Smith, Volunteer Chaplain
Karen Ostrowski-Smith is originally from New York City and brings a wealth of experience from both education and military service. She dedicated 30 years to teaching middle school and served 21 years in the Marine Corps, including active duty, reserve service, and activation after 9/11. She retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2007 and later concluded her teaching career in 2017.
Karen holds three graduate degrees in education, along with multiple certifications in various fields. Her passion for supporting others led her to volunteer in hospice care, focusing on death, dying, and bereavement for 15 years. In 2017, she took the next step in her calling by enrolling in seminary. After completing her studies and becoming ordained, she began serving as a chaplain at a local hospice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In 2022, Karen and her husband, Scott, moved to Kernersville, where she is now pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Liberty University. She is honored and excited to serve the Kernersville Family YMCA as one of its two chaplains.
Mark Key, Volunteer Chaplain and Board Member
Mark is a third-generation Methodist pastor, born in Greensboro, NC. Growing up, he lived in various communities as his father served churches within the Western North Carolina Conference. He earned his undergraduate degree from Oral Roberts University, completed his Master of Divinity at Duke Divinity School, and received his doctorate in Congregational Development from Seabury Western Theological Seminary.
Throughout his ministry, Mark served five churches in the WNCC, including as the founding pastor of Covenant Church in High Point, a new church starter. Most recently, he retired from Mount Tabor UMC in Winston-Salem.
Mark and his wife, Joy Key, have two children and two grandchildren. Now living in Kernersville, he enjoys volunteering and actively serving on various boards and committees at both the conference and district levels.
To learn more about the chaplaincy program at the YMCA of NWNC, please click here.