About Me

My name is Isabelle Ormiston. I’m 25 years old, and for the past four years, I have been serving voluntarily as the Youth Director at Family Baptist Church in North Minneapolis.

Before moving to Minneapolis, I lived in Greenville, South Carolina, where my dad planted Palmetto Baptist Church. After high school, I spent six months in Tigray, Ethiopia, teaching English and working with abandoned children. That experience gave me a burden for missions and a passion for reaching at-risk youth and broken families.

In 2021, after the riots devastated Minneapolis, my dad was called to help revitalize Family Baptist Church. My parents left everything behind and moved to North Minneapolis. The following summer, in 2022, I transferred schools and joined them to help with the work.

At that time, the youth group was nearly non-existent—six teens from the church and three from the community. There was little structure, and it seemed hopeless. But as I started building relationships and inviting teens, they began to come and bring their friends. The group grew so much that we had to move into a larger space. What began as a small program has evolved into immeasurably more than I could have imagined. Teens are coming to Christ, lives are being transformed, and a culture of discipleship is beginning to take root.

During these years, I’ve also worked part-time as a nanny while completing my degree in Social Work (graduated in May of 2025). That training has equipped me to counsel teens through crises, connect them with resources, and walk with them through challenges like homelessness, suicide, abuse, and teen pregnancy.

For four years, I have poured my time and energy into this ministry because I believe in what God is doing here. Now, the need has grown. The youth group requires someone fully devoted to discipling teens and training leaders. My vision is to see young people learn to Live Full—full of Christ, full of joy, full of purpose, and full of the Spirit—in a community desperate for hope.

I would love to invite you to partner with me in this work of changing the Northside one generation at a time.