Director
I am Donna Walden, the Preschool Ministries Director here at First Baptist Church Richmond Hill. I happily took this part time position back in October of 2006 and as of August 2008 have come onboard full time.I became a Christian when I was 18 years old - many many years ago, though in a galaxy not so far from here. I am continually surprised at how personal and full of personality the Lord is. I deeply love Christ and am continually honored that I actually get paid for what I do here at FBC.
I have a Bachelors Degree in Counseling from the University of Montevallo in Alabama and have worked with preschoolers since I was 14 years old. I have been involved in Preschool Ministries as a volunteer since my family moved to Richmond Hill in 1998. I believe that planting seeds of truth from God's Word in children's lives, caring for their emotional and physical needs, and speaking love and respect to their families has eternal significance.
I take pleasure is reading in the scriptures the regard that Jesus had for children. Matthew 18:1-14 is one my favorite references. Instead of directly answering the question the disciples asked, Jesus answered the heart issue and used the faith and trust of a child as an example. He went on to issue a serious warning to anyone who might consider harming a child and causing that child to stumble, showing the seriousness of His protectiveness. Then He told the disciples not to look down upon the children, because they had it going on, and followed with the parable of the lost sheep. (Okay, the "had it going on" part is my paraphrase.)
I say all of this to say that I take this ministry very seriously, because Jesus seriously values children.
In my personal life, I've been married to my husband Chuck since 1993 and we have 3 beautiful, creative, and uniquely different daughters. We also have a beagle who often mistakes herself as a human, usually sports painted nails, and impersonates a German shepherd whenever the bug man comes to spray.