Behind-the-scenes volunteers do some of the most essential work moving any ministry forward with little fanfare. One such volunteer, Jess Hansen, a mom of five from Cedar Falls, Iowa, has combined her passion for ministry with her leadership skills to advance FCA in the community with a whatever-it-takes mentality.
When Hansen’s oldest son entered junior high many years ago, she prayed about how she could help build the faith of her children and other students at the local public schools. She knew the junior high school was just beginning to form an FCA Huddle, so she offered her support because she values FCA as a great resource that allows believers to share the Gospel in their communities.
“I just said, ‘I will do whatever it takes for this to exist,’” Hansen said. “For a long time, I was the donut mom.”
As a result, Hansen and her husband, Dave, also started supporting FCA financially, and she began providing resources and encouragement for Huddles. From there, she began using her connections to encourage other community ministry leaders to also become involved in FCA. That involved pairing students with discipleship mentors and finding volunteers to fill ministry leadership roles. Her work has continued over the years and broadened in scope as her children have grown.
Hansen also began offering her “can-do” attitude to Karen Morlan, FCA Representative for Northeast Iowa, and has partnered with her to advance ministry. The two women had previously worked together in other ministry capacities, and Hansen said she has learned much from Morlan’s leadership.
“I would just say to [Morlan], ‘What do you need so your ministry can thrive?’ Essentially, I just carried the water... under the radar, quiet and behind the scenes,” Hansen said.
This quiet work of carrying the water included securing funds for ministry needs and training and recruiting leaders. Hansen said simply asking ministry leaders what they need is a great starting point to help ministries flourish.
“Karen would share her heart for the ministry and what it needed, and I was in a season of life where I could fill some of those gaps by finding people to do it,” Hansen said.
When Morlan’s son was diagnosed with cancer, Hansen stepped up to make sure the ministry continued to grow while also allowing Morlan to spend more time with her family. As a mobilized volunteer, Hansen now leads Morlan’s advisory team and has completed E3 (Engage. Equip. Empower.) training.
“I have seen FCA build bridges and create unity that I really feel is needed,” Hansen said. “It has given kids the opportunity to be in their Bibles, and I love that that kids are spending time with their coaches and teachers in the Word, learning how to read the Scriptures, learning how to process it and building that habit as well as building relationships through the power of faith and fellowship.”
Overall, Hansen said God has given her a heart for creating places and spaces to unite people for multi-generational and multi-denominational ministry and discipleship. FCA allows her to do that.
Morlan describes Hansen as an anchor providing peace, security and foundation to the ministry, and she hopes others are inspired by seeing what she does.
“Everyone needs someone to create the outline for you so you can move forward,” Morlan said. “[Hansen] allows people to use their giftings at things they are good at.”
That ability to find the right people to meet needs has come into play as Hansen has helped organize and guide the local high school leadership team.
Hansen helped connect Sam Wingert, a local runner who now coaches track and field at the high school, to FCA. Wingert said Hansen’s leadership inspired her to help encourage the young women she coaches and find ways to enable their faith to grow.
“Jess is always searching for a way to point people toward Jesus,” Wingert said. “She does the hard work of discipleship. Her example has taught me to be more intentional with my time and point others toward Jesus.”
Hansen said the importance of prayer has been one of the most important lessons God has taught her through her service with FCA, and she has also learned never to underestimate the students.
“They have taught me you are never too young to live life on a mission,” Hansen said. “They have taught me grace—they are a grace-filled bunch for their own peers.”