LBC graduate Rachel (Norris) Marks is the children’s ministry resource director for the Bible Fellowship Church denomination and has served in children’s ministry since 2006 at her home church, Ebenezer Bible Fellowship Church, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. But like most people in ministry will tell you, she notes that the work, though rewarding, can be challenging at times. “Children’s ministry, like any ministry, is hard!” she noted, but explained how her Christ-centered education at LBC helped to establish her work in ministry. “LBC laid a strong, solid foundation for serving in full-time ministry,” she said. “My Bible classes built upon what I learned growing up while attending church and a Christian school and also grew my love for studying God’s Word. My studies helped me learn what to look for in a healthy church and developed my desire to serve the Lord in full-time ministry at a local church.”

Of course, working in ministry can be difficult and even draining at times. “And being in ministry doesn’t exempt you from your own hardships in life,” she added, a truth she knows quite well. After she and her husband experienced the tragic loss of a baby boy during pregnancy and a potential adoption that recently fell through after a two and half year wait, ministry – particularly children’s ministry – felt especially tough at times. But in the midst of it all, Marks said, “You can rely on the same truths that you were taught years ago, whether as a child or a LBC student. You can rest in the same promises that you teach to others – because God is faithful. He sovereignly leads and works as He has planned, even when it doesn’t make sense this side of Heaven. And He alone gives you the strength to go on and continue serving Him and His children.” For Marks, children’s ministry is about much more than rehashing the same “kid-friendly” Bible stories over and over again – it’s about making an eternal impact. “He gives me hope – and the peace that someday the work done here in ministry to other children will impact my own children someday – and will also make an impact for eternity.”