Photo courtesy of Mary Lauren Burdeshaw.
Mary Lauren Burdeshaw speaks with a group of teens during a meeting with the Community Ministry for Girls.
Mary Lauren Burdeshaw said for many of the high school girls she knows, the Bible has “felt like a stale book of rules or a history that they don’t understand.”
But then they come to Community Ministry for Girls, and often she sees that start to change. They start to read the book and ask questions about how to hear the voice of God, or how to have a relationship with Him.
“It’s not the letter of the law; it’s the Spirit that gives us life,” said Burdeshaw, who has led the ministry since 2022. “If we ever want to hear Jesus speak, we can open up His Word.”
That has been happening at Community Ministry for Girls for more than 40 years. Mountain Brook resident Donna Greene started it in 1982 as a Bible study for sixth-grade girls.
Burdeshaw’s mom was one of those sixth graders.
As the years went on, Greene expanded it to include more ages. They met at first at the home of Greene’s friend, Joy Cooper, then moved to other homes. Over time, more volunteers became a part, and when Greene was diagnosed with cancer in the 1990s, she shifted to a behind-the-scenes role of coordinating the groups.
Greene died in January 2022, but before she did, she impacted more than 4,000 girls.
Cooper said she’s been so excited to see Greene’s legacy carrying on with Burdeshaw and the next generation.
“Mary Lauren is doing a great job; the girls love her,” Cooper said.
Burdeshaw said she’s “riding off the prayers of a lot of people.”
“[Greene] sowed seeds for decades, and I’m just trying to water them,” she said.
Burdeshaw said she was never able to go to Greene’s Bible study when she was growing up because of a schedule conflict, but she “heard her name growing up because of how much she meant to my mom.”
“Donna Greene was a pivotal part of my mom’s story and testimony, so I’ve always had a love and respect for her, even though I never met her,” Burdeshaw said.
Burdeshaw has also had a vision for a long time to do high school girls’ ministry — since she was 14 or 15.
“When I would hear girls talking about drama or specific struggles, I realized that I wanted to be able to help,” she said. “I wrote journal after journal of things I’d want to say to high school girls one day.”
She said she wants to have an impact on girls’ stories too, as a big-sister-type role model who shows up for them at their pep rallies, when they go through a tragedy or when they need someone to talk to.
Community Ministry for Girls is rooted in one-on-one discipleship — teaching the girls the Bible through that kind of personal relationship, she said. The goal is to get them connected with God.
“It’s all about their relationship with Jesus, not being dependent on a teacher, pastor or ministry — being dependent upon God himself,” Burdeshaw said. “I have so much peace knowing that if I were to leave, they would still have a thriving relationship with God.”
Juniors and seniors meet at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and freshmen and sophomores meet in people’s homes.
Scott Brown, who serves as the ministry’s board chair, said he thinks Community Ministry for Girls is important because even though technology has made the world smaller, teenagers have gotten more isolated.
“God created us for community, both with Him and with other people,” Brown said.
The ministry helps teen girls connect with each other and their faith, he said.
“It has been a privilege to be a part of this ministry, through which Donna invested in thousands of girls over more than four decades and through which Mary Lauren continues to invest in our girls today,” Brown said.
For more information or to join one of the study groups, visit cmfg-inc.org or follow them on Instagram @communityministryforgirls.
