Heidi Bierlein
Director Christian Education
heidi_bierlein@gracelcms.com

I am Heidi Bierlein - a redeemed and gifted child of God created to lift up and move His people in their journey with Christ through the service of connecting, directing, and encouraging. It is my mission to be an empowering leader who serves to connect God’s people with His heart and their own.

Born and baptized in 1975, I am the oldest of three children, all raised as Lutherans in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I enjoy travel, photography, baseball, beach and water recreation and the sunshine. My father, a native of Frankemuth, MI, runs a local college bookstore and my mother, a native of Saginaw, MI is a 4th grade public school teacher. My younger brother, Ben owns a home construction business and his wife Jessie, is a 2nd grade public school teacher. My younger sister, Anna, is a creative artist, currently studying interior design at Western Michigan University. My family remains in Michigan, but we love to come together to travel and enjoy the beach.

Moved by my participation in youth group servant events and mentored by my Director of Christian Education (DCE), Michael Walcheski, I began to hear God's call to me to serve as a professional churchworker. So in 1995, I moved to St. Paul, MN to study for DCE certification at Concordia University. In this program, I took classes and served in various churches and mission opportunities to gain insight and ministry experience. This includes a DCE internship at St. Michael Lutheran Church and School in Ft. Myers, FL, and outreach/servant weeks with Concordia Mission Society in our surrounding community and overseas in the Bahamas and Jamaica. I was also blessed with the opportunity to travel to Israel with fellow students and professors where we worked for a week on an archaeological dig and then toured the Holy Land. In my final year at Concordia I served full time as the Campus Ministry Intern, working to connect people throughout the campus by coordinating fellowship, service, retreat, and Bible study opportunities for all students.

In 1999, I graduated from Concordia University and answered the call to serve the community of Grace Lutheran Church and School, Jacksonville, FL as a DCE. Here I am privileged to work as a partner in God's mission with a remarkable ministry team including top-notch staff and nearly 200 families. Within this ministry, I work specifically to coordinate and build up our Christian education efforts and to disciple youth into a full life with Christ through relationships, challenging faith building experiences, and connection within a community of love and grace. It has been exciting to grow as a servant and child of God alongside the people of Grace and I look forward to all that God has in store for His people!