Impacting the Next Gen
Twins Maddy and Eliza Krolick started attending SBC two years ago when they moved here from Maryland as 6th graders. But it wasn’t until they attended the Impact Junior High fall camp in 7th grade that they got involved in Student Ministry. “That’s when I really clicked with God, too,” said Maddy. “I was able to focus on Him and shut everything else out.” Eliza adds, “We were able to open up to everyone there and get really close, and they all understood us.”
After camp, they got into an Impact small group with other 7th grade girls led by Toby Ownby, who’s been their leader ever since. At 14, Eliza and Maddy are considered part of the “Next Generation” and Toby is a Gen Xer. Toby has been a student leader for 20 years, and it’s evident she’s passionate about pouring into these young students.
“I was a horrible teenager, and I had no one who understood me. It took me a long time in life to figure out God’s grace, because I always felt like I couldn’t measure up. I always seemed to be disappointing somebody. I want these girls to always know that they’re not a disappointment. I want to show them God’s grace and help them understand that they’re going to mess up, but I and others will be there for them and help them through it. I hope I can help them make better choices so they don’t make all the same mistakes I did.”
“I like that in our small group, I can come to Toby if I don’t understand something,” says Maddy. It’s harder sometimes to open up to your mom or dad, so I like that I can talk to her.” Eliza adds, “We’re really close to the other girls in our group, too, even though we go to different schools. It’s easy to open up with them because they can relate to us easily.”
At camp this fall, Eliza and Maddy had 17 girls in their cabin, and many of them were new. “I overheard one girl saying to another, ‘They all know each other—they’re not going to talk to us,’” recalls Eliza. “So I made sure to start talking to them and show them that it’s not true.” Toby affirms that the girls go out of their way to be welcoming.
Eliza and Maddy live in a neighborhood and attend a school that is predominately Mormon. “Most of the students go to the same church, and so at school they all hang out together. They don’t really talk to us, because we don’t fit in since we’re not Mormon,” explains Maddy. “They think we have to live up to certain expectations, and they judge us because of who we hang out with.”
“The other day, one girl who is Mormon asked me why I don’t cuss. She expects me to because of the group I hang out with,” Eliza shares. “I told her that I’m a Christian and that’s why I don’t cuss. She was surprised that a girl who hangs out with that kind of group doesn’t do that.”
“That’s what I love about these girls,” stresses Toby. “They are so welcoming. We’re not supposed to isolate ourselves and just hang out with Christians or people who are just like us. I think our Student Ministry pastors are doing a great job of creating that kind of environment. We’re getting a lot of new kids. It’s not just a group of friends who have grown up at the church together. Eliza and Maddy and the other students aren’t afraid to bring their friends who aren’t Christians to Impact. It’s a super open environment.”
“Yeah, I love it here because we can just be ourselves,” says Maddy. “It’s more of a variety of people,” Eliza agrees. Nearly every week, they make it a point to bring a friend with them to Impact.
“When I was growing up, church was stricter and in a box,” recalls Toby, “but I love that at SBC it’s based on the Bible and it’s for all people. Jesus is for everyone. And I love that these girls feel that and live it out.”
Learn more about Impact and HSM student groups here.
