Faith questions: an evangelist who observes ministry – the lawyer

When she was 16, a babysitter task helped to launch Baton Evangelist Ruzhka Bianca Chandler at the Ministry of Teaching and Service.

The 32 -year -old Chandler was a sophomore when she was asked to take care of the youth class at the Sunday school in her church until a permanent teacher could be appointed. She accepted the opportunity to do more.

“They asked me to babysit and I started teaching,” she said. “The children I taught at that time may be 5, 6 or 7 years old. I just started teaching them on the basics of faith, as an understanding of salvation. I did not do the expected stories.”

Chandler grew into his role of teaching/mentoring and witnessed many children to grow in the word and be rescued. Chandler serves this capacity for nine impactful years.

“Now many of these children are age in college,” she said. “They are still active in the church and very strong defenders in the external communities of faith. Their roots are real and I love to see it.”

Chandler remains deeply engaged in the first missionary Baptist Church of Grove in Baker, where her father, Reverend Kenneth W. Chandler, serves as a senior pastor. However, her participation in Shady Grove is only part of her broader ministry and community efforts.

Carving his own path, Chandler is quite busy, helping people improve their lives and the world as a national speaker, a workshop/retreat, evening curator, a Bible holiday teacher, an online Bible study teacher, an instructor for the fourth area of The Missionary Baptist Association, the goal of the coach, the businesswoman and the author. Her books include “70 days, 70 ways: he talks to me” (2020) and “It’s just not easy: the goal has a process” (2021).

“Naturally, it seems that every few years God allows some new opportunity to develop,” says Chandler, who has a specialty social work from Southeast University in Louisiana.

She has won a master’s degree in theology from the Bible of St. John, where she is also on his way to receive a doctoral degree in theology in June.

Several of her closest friends and cousin have chosen to follow Chandler’s example and attend the seminary.

“I believe in students. I believe in teaching through an example and I believe I am authentic,” she said.

Among her wide range of opportunities to teach the ministry, they are rooted and all faith in youth and focus forward on women. Founded in 2019, the an organization focused ahead helps to equip women with daily tools to “flourish spiritually, physically and mentally, to focus on everything that is ahead.”

Since its creation, the focus hosts events in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Dallas, Chicago and San Antonio. This year, focusing forward returns to Baton Rouge in November.

“I create safe spaces for people to live the community and then to represent this community with the love of God, of the sacrifice of God, and of the love and forgiveness of the God to be embodied,” she said. “I am able to help them heal and move on. Literally everything focuses forward. This is important to me.”

Chandler credits her parents – Dad and Mother Amy – with a deep passion for people and this commitment to the community.

“I have to see the community in action at an early age,” said Chandler, who was an only child. “Looking at my parents in ministry, it has caused the importance of doing for others and appearing and attending people. I talk a lot about the community because I believe this is something that encourages relationships.”

A pre -child, Chandler’s passion for speaking and people were obvious years before he started teaching a Sunday school.

“Although I was interested in professional speaking at an early age, I did not intend to preach and did not see it coming,” she said.

Around the age of 17, Chandler began to consider a call for ministry. It was in 2016 that she began meaningful conversations with her father about the path to becoming a licensed minister. In 2020, her father finally filed a request to Chandler as a licensed and called minister.

“He realized that I was not losing steam for anything,” she said.

Chandler said her call was about connecting with anyone who God puts on his way.

“For me, although I teach, what I call are people,” she said. “My call from God has always been the concern of people and I make sure they are well and have reached, seen and established and loved and understood.”