Messy but Beautiful
The power of relationships in the church
Every Sunday, teenage girls wait in line for a chance to talk to Bella Quintero after youth group. No, she’s not a celebrity. Bella is their youth leader, a 21-year-old intern at Grace Bible Church (EFCA) of Laredo, Texas. She’s their friend. And she used to be just like them.
Bella entered high school as nominally Catholic, involved in the party scene and making some poor relational choices. During her junior year, she began to feel dissatisfied with life, although she didn’t know what she was missing until she found it through an unexpected source: her high-school physics teacher.
Bella had turned to Mr. Paulson for homework help, and he talked about physics and about God. The conversations intrigued her. So when a friend invited Bella to come to the youth group where Mr. Paulson volunteered, she decided to give church a try.
That Sunday night, she heard the gospel for the first time in a way that “clicked.” Although she didn’t accept Christ right away, she started going to the church. And something happened in those first few months: “People in the church just took me under their wing,” she says.
There were three families in particular who reached out to Bella: the Paulsons, the Rowleys (her youth pastor’s family) and the McKeatings, whose daughter was friends with Bella’s younger sister. “They welcomed us into their families,” Bella says, speaking for herself and her sister. “We would go over just to hang out, for a game night or to make Indian food, and we would stay talking until one in the morning.”
Often Bella asked a question that turned into an impromptu Bible study. And through their normal daily activities, these families modeled what it meant to integrate the gospel into all of life. A few months later, Bella made a commitment to follow Christ.
Youth pastor Tim Rowley says these adults became her spiritual parents—but more than that, the whole church became involved, surrounding her in a web of friendships that grew to include her entire family, all of whom eventually placed their faith in Christ too.
Once Bella decided to follow Christ, she jumped in with both feet. Her faith flourished through her continued mentoring relationships with Christian families, her connections within the youth group, and even a mission trip to Galveston, Texas, to help with hurricane relief*. Along with that flourishing came a desire to share God’s love with others.
Last June, Tim asked Bella if she would consider interning with the student ministry. She’d always been passionate, but over the last three years Tim had watched as God grew her character. “She’s a leader,” he says. “She’s definitely got a heartbeat for God’s agenda, and she lives that lifestyle of prayer and studying and loving others.”
Bella was excited to be able to give back to the church that had invested so much in her. As an intern, Bella does more than teach and lead games with the teenagers. “I get to teach them God’s Word and show them what it looks like to follow Jesus in our everyday lives,” she shares. “It’s the very same thing someone once did for me.”
Even as a busy college student, Bella invites the girls to go out for ice cream, work out together or just hang at the house. They know she cares, and they come to share their struggles and hear the hope that Bella offers.
“Every hard thing I’ve been through, God has used for good,” Bella reflects. “I look at the young girls I mentor who have made bad choices, and I can, with all the assurance in the world, say, There is hope in Jesus Christ. I let them know that their identity isn’t in the worst things they’ve done but in their relationship with Christ. And I can only say those things because I’ve seen God do that in me.”
Bella’s story is a snapshot of a life that’s being transformed. But more than that, it’s a picture of a church making disciples the way Jesus did. A place where families pour into their young people, who then re-invest in the next generation. And all of it happens in the messy but beautiful backdrop of relationships.
Something to think about: Families aren’t the only ones who can offer nurture. Are you intentionally involved with a young person in your church or neighborhood who might not have strong Christian influences?
*Bella’s mission trip was part of EFCA ReachGlobal. Visit the ReachGlobal website for more information about similar opportunities for your church—for both teens and adults.
Jennifer Kvamme is student ministries coordinator at Centennial EFC (Forest Lake, Minn.), where she invests in disciplemaking relationships with her students and volunteers. She also works part-time for Cadre Ministries, whose passion is to equip the church to make disciples.
Messy But Beautiful
EVERY SUNDAY, TEENAGE GIRLS WAIT IN LINE for a chance to talk to Bella Quintero after youth group. No, she’s not a celebrity. Bella is their youth leader, a 21-year-old intern at Grace Bible Church (EFCA) of Laredo, Texas. She’s their friend. And she used to be just like them.
Bella entered high school as nominally Catholic, involved in the party scene and making some poor relational choices. During her junior year, she began to feel dissatisfied with life, although she didn’t know what she was missing until she found it through an unexpected source: her high-school physics teacher.
Bella had turned to Mr. Paulson for homework help, and he talked about physics and about God. The conversations intrigued her. So when a friend invited Bella to come to the youth group where Mr. Paulson volunteered, she decided to give church a try.
That Sunday night, she heard the gospel for the first time in a way that “clicked.” Although she didn’t accept Christ right away, she started going to the church. And something happened in those first few months: “People in the church just took me under their wing,” she says.
There were three families in particular who reached out to Bella: the Paulsons, the Rowleys (her youth pastor’s family) and the McKeatings, whose daughter was friends with Bella’s younger sister. “They welcomed us into their families,” Bella says, speaking for herself and her sister. “We would go over just to hang out, for a game night or to make Indian food, and we would stay talking until one in the morning.”
Often Bella asked a question that turned into an impromptu Bible study. And through their normal daily activities, these families modeled what it meant to integrate the gospel into all of life. A few months later, Bella made a commitment to follow Christ.
Youth pastor Tim Rowley says these adults became her spiritual parents—but more than that, the whole church became involved, surrounding her in a web of friendships that grew to include her entire family, all of whom eventually placed their faith in Christ too.
Once Bella decided to follow Christ, she jumped in with both feet. Her faith flourished through her continued mentoring relationships with Christian families, her connections within the youth group, and even a mission trip to Galveston, Texas, to help with hurricane relief*. Along with that flourishing came a desire to share God’s love with others.
Last June, Tim asked Bella if she would consider interning with the student ministry. She’d always been passionate, but over the last three years Tim had watched as God grew her character. “She’s a leader,” he says. “She’s definitely got a heartbeat for God’s agenda, and she lives that lifestyle of prayer and studying and loving others.”
Bella was excited to be able to give back to the church that had invested so much in her. As an intern, Bella does more than teach and lead games with the teenagers. “I get to teach them God’s Word and show them what it looks like to follow Jesus in our everyday lives,” she shares. “It’s the very same thing someone once did for me.”
Even as a busy college student, Bella invites the girls to go out for ice cream, work out together or just hang at the house. They know she cares, and they come to share their struggles and hear the hope that Bella offers.
“Every hard thing I’ve been through, God has used for good,” Bella reflects. “I look at the young girls I mentor who have made bad choices, and I can, with all the assurance in the world, say, There is hope in Jesus Christ. I let them know that their identity isn’t in the worst things they’ve done but in their relationship with Christ. And I can only say those things because I’ve seen God do that in me.”
Bella’s story is a snapshot of a life that’s being transformed. But more than that, it’s a picture of a church making disciples the way Jesus did. A place where families pour into their young people, who then re-invest in the next generation. And all of it happens in the messy but beautiful backdrop of relationships.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: Families aren’t the only ones who can offer nurture. Are you intentionally involved with a young person in your church or neighborhood who might not have strong Christian influences?
*Bella’s mission trip was part of EFCA ReachGlobal. Visit the ReachGlobal website for more information about similar opportunities for your church—for both teens and adults.
Jennifer Kvamme is student ministries coordinator at Centennial EFC (Forest Lake, Minn.), where she invests in disciplemaking relationships with her students and volunteers. She also works part-time for Cadre Ministries, whose passion is to equip the church to make disciples.