The zeteo story
by Jesse Hinde
The beginning of Zeteo must be found, first and foremost, in God’s grace and his providential movements in my life. Although the story is complex, I will share four powerful moments in my life which led to the beginning of Zeteo: a decision, a commitment, a call, and an opportunity.
A Decision
While I was in middle school I went with a friend to a church service that would forever change my life. It was during this service that the Gospel was first presented to me as an important and urgent life choice: Would I be the Lord of my own heart? Would I be satisfied with what I was able to make out of my own life? Or, would I allow Jesus to be the Lord of my heart? Would I allow him to make something beautiful out of my life? Even at that young age I knew what I must do, so I made the most important decision of my life: that evening I gave my heart to the Lord.
Although my choice to let God be the Lord of my life had forever changed me, I did not have guidance, I struggled to tell right from wrong, and I often confused God’s will and my own.
A Committment
A few years passed, I was now in high school and living in Alaska for a year. One weekend I went on a boat trip with some friends to an island which is well known for bear attacks. One thing led to the next and there I was fearing for my life: It was the middle of the night, I had just broken my leg, I was lying all alone in the woods, and the bushes rustled all around me. While bargaining with God for my life I realized something: Deep down, I knew that there were things in my life that weren’t good. I just never had the courage to admit it, even to myself. That night I made a real and lasting spiritual commitment: I would follow God earnestly and faithfully attend Church every Sunday for the rest of my life if he would protect me until morning.
After making this commitment, God blessed me with an intense desire to understand the faith for myself. This launched the next period of my life which was one of intense growth: I studied, joined community, served in ministries, became Catholic, got married, and began a master’s in Theology at a Catholic University.
A Call
Ten years passed since that night of honest reflection. My wife and I moved back to Alaska. We were considering whether to become a commercial fishing family. One day, about halfway through the fishing season, I was talking to a very good friend on the phone and it struck me clearly and deeply that I was in the wrong place. The Lord was not calling me to be a fisherman. He was calling me to be a fisher of men. I was to give my life to drawing others to him. After this my wife and I decided to end the fishing season early and we flew back to Washington to pursue this calling.
The next phase of my life was spent working for the Archdiocese of Seattle in various positions. My family grew swiftly as four children were born in a five year period and I eventually obtained a master’s degree in theology. God filled these years both with valuable lessons for me and with invaluable experiences of the Catholic world.
An Opportunity
Nine years after leaving Alaska, with a growing family to care for, I found that Catholic ministry often lacked the long-term stability or the resources to support my primary vocation which was to be a husband and father. For years I had dreamed about raising support to pursue ministry, but thus far God had clearly and generously led me in other directions, but eventually I found myself at a major decision point: would I continue to pursue a career within the archdiocese or would I step out in faith to do all that God had put on my heart to do? It was in this moment of decision that God kindly flooded my heart with a direction and with a heavenly confidence in his provision. As I firmly resolved to pursue this path God began to pour out more of his gifts of grace upon me. The crossroads was an opportunity, and from it I was able to create Zeteo, raise up a growing network of ministry partners, and dedicate my entire life to seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. Everything else will be added to this.