Brenda didn’t arrive in youth ministry by accident. The next generation has been her mission field for years, long before she started leading a small group of 6th grade girls on Wednesday nights at Group 99. For her, serving with students isn’t something she fits into her schedule. It’s simply part of who she is.
“Serving is a part of me,” she says. “It’s my calling.”
Walking Alongside
Brenda facilitates a small group at Group 99, Immanuel’s student ministry for 6th through 12th graders. After the large group worship and teaching time, students break into smaller groups by grade and gender. Brenda leads the 6th grade girls, sitting with them, asking questions that connect to the message, and helping them process what they’re learning so they can take a next step with Jesus.
What makes her role especially meaningful is the long view she takes. Her previous group of girls just graduated. Now she’s starting fresh with a new group of 6th graders, and she plans to follow them all the way through high school.
That’s six years with the same girls. Six years of Wednesday nights, hard questions, and watching them grow.
She also volunteers each year at 1451, Immanuel’s summer camp for students, and Camp 120, a camp for kids in 2nd through 5th grade. Wherever the students are, Brenda tends to show up.
What It Looks Like to Grow
Ask Brenda what she loves most about serving, and the answer comes quickly: the kids. But stay with her a moment, and something more specific comes through.
“It’s so special to see them grow in Christ,” she says. “Taking next steps, witnessing to their friends.”
These aren’t dramatic, headline moments. They’re quiet ones. A girl who wasn’t sure what she believed starts bringing a friend. A student who hung back begins to speak up. Brenda has a front row seat to that kind of growth, week after week, year after year.
And she’ll be the first to tell you the growth isn’t only happening in the students.
“They challenge me to be more vocal about my faith, to do more for the Lord.”
“They challenge me to be more vocal about my faith, to do more for the Lord.”
The girls she pours into are, in their own way, pouring back into her.
A Family, Not Just a Team
Brenda doesn’t describe her involvement at IBC in terms of hours or commitments. She talks about it like family.
“I enjoy the church, the students. We are the family of God.”
That sense of belonging is what sustains the kind of consistency she brings. Showing up for the same girls year after year, summer after summer, takes more than enthusiasm. It takes genuine love for people, and a conviction that the work matters.
For anyone on the fence about serving, Brenda doesn’t overthink her answer.
“You’ve got nothing to lose. People may think, ‘I don’t have anything to offer.’ But that’s a lie from the devil.”
“You’ve got nothing to lose. People may think, ‘I don’t have anything to offer.’ But that’s a lie from the devil.”
She’s proof that you don’t need a polished plan or a particular skill set. You just need to show up. The rest has a way of taking care of itself.