08/29/2026
Meet Deidre: Elevate Kids Director!
Deidre has been serving at Elevate for nearly 14 years, but her heart for ministry started long before that. Today, she leads Elevate Kids by teaching, writing lessons for all three services, coordinating special events, and overseeing a team of 15 volunteers and 4 teachers and leaders!
For Deidre, serving is about so much more than putting together a lesson each week. It's about helping kids meet Jesus, grow in their relationship with Him, and discover the gifts God has given them.
One of her favorite recent moments came from a child she wasn't always sure was listening. One day, that child began answering review questions and even volunteered to read Scripture. Without any prompting, the other kids started clapping and encouraging them! It's moments like that that remind her why she does what she does.
And after all these years, Deidre says one thing still surprises her: she continues to learn and might have just as much fun each week as the kids do!
But Deidre's story of children's ministry actually goes back another generation.
Her grandmother, Setsuyo, was from Fukuoka, Japan, and was a woman of prayer who loved Jesus with all her heart. She had always wanted to teach children but never had the opportunity. Instead, she prayed over Deidre that one day she would.
Today, those prayers are being lived out every week through the lives of the children Deidre gets to teach. ❤️
Deidre hopes she can have the same kind of impact on the children she teaches that her grandmother had on her.
Her advice to anyone considering volunteering?
**Don't be afraid or think your gifts aren't needed.**
There's a place for your gifts, and you never know the impact your "yes" could have on someone else's life!