Disabled and Youth Ministry Call

My name is Martha Berge. I have a passion and call for disabled and youth ministry and am studying at the Christian Leaders Institute. I am from the USA. When I was a little girl, my mother worked at a training school with mentally challenged adults. She would take me on outings with them to the park or beach at times. I was a baby, so I do not remember it, but she would tell me stories of how her clients would react to having me around.

As I got into school, I started having issues myself starting with an ear infection in preschool that left me deaf for a short time. In second grade, I was diagnosed with arthritis and ADD, as well as asthma in high school. Having an “invisible disability” is never easy, especially when you are young and desperately long to fit in. There were more struggles than I care to admit. I still struggle with all the issues that I had to face throughout my life.

Disabled and Youth Ministry Call from God

Being surrounded by all this struggle gave me a passion for those who have no one to advocate for them. God blessed me with a mother who knew how to guide me and raised me to love God, and His children left behind by their peers. My ultimate goal is to start a ministry to reach these beautiful people and be the advocate they need in the world at large.

At the moment, we have an exceedingly small Sunday school program. Being in a pandemic and unable to meet with the children has hindered my goals within my church. I pray that God will open up opportunities for me as we get through the crisis we are experiencing.  I hope to help the youth in my area get through it as well.

Disabled and Youth Ministry Call Led Me to CLI

I also have a gift for healing and volunteer as an EMT in my hometown. I feel I could lead in that capacity and often pray for and with my patients. This leadership course at Christian Leaders Institute has given me great insight into what it takes to be an effective leader. I pray I can use what I have learned here and apply it to every aspect of my life. God willing, this training will give me the confidence I need to succeed in my life as well as my faith walk. I can not wait to see what God has in store for me and the youth He puts in my path to reach for Him.

Thank you, CLI, for the opportunity to learn what it takes to be an effective leader. It has been a great journey, and I hope I can use what I have learned for the glory of God. God Bless!

Learn about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.