Thursday, February 25

Welcome to Nancy Fortenberry, Director of Youth and Family Ministries!

Time: 12:00 am – 12:00 am

We’re excited to welcome the lovely and talented Nancy Fortenberry, the newest addition to Northminster’s team! Nancy will join in late March as our new Director of Youth and Family Ministries and, by all accounts, she will be a great match for the Northminster family. She comes to us with 30+ years of experience in ministry.

Nancy specializes in understanding the importance and value of kids, college-age audiences, and young parents. She knows firsthand how important it is to weave solid youth church experiences into a whole lifestyle for young people as they move forward with their lives. And it’s that larger future proposition that excites Nancy so and what she feels is her true calling.

Nancy has known Pastor Dave and Ann Smazik since she was 15 years old. She shared that the Smaziks saw something in her at a young age and mentored her toward leadership skills – so that by age 17 and while still a high schooler, Nancy assisted Ann with the registration process at the Seneca Hills summer camp in PA led by Pastor Dave. It was around this time that Nancy felt God tapping her on the shoulder for youth ministry.

Getting to Know Nancy

· Nancy is a job coach and vocational counselor in Carroll County School District, North Carrollton, MS, and she runs a coffee cart as a job training vehicle for students to learn/practice social and business skills. Coffee is a big hobby for her – she loves the gathering, hospitality, and conversation that coffee can create between and among people. She’s also an active member of First Presbyterian Church in Greenwood, MS.

· For Nancy, it’s more about the ministry than it is the job. She currently does a lot of outreach to students in an economically-challenged area. It’s a place where many youth have no access to a parent’s car, no public transportation, etc., so she even accompanies them to take their driver’s tests in her personal car. That’s just part of her life and who Nancy is.

· When Nancy moves to Indianapolis, her two 2 adult children will remain in Mississipi. Her daughter, Sarah Hererra, is 25 and was married this past summer. Nancy also has a special-needs son James, 22, who is a real joy in her life.

· She’s really excited to move to Indiana, as her sisters live near Ft. Wayne. Both sisters have husbands who are in ministry and they run a Christian camp in northern IN.

· An Ohio native, Nancy was thrilled to learn that Indianapolis boasts both Graeter’s AND Handel’s ice cream locations, so a trip to one or both will be high on her list when she arrives, even if it’s still pretty chilly here.

· Home base for Nancy and her family in MS is in the same location where the movie The Help was filmed. In fact, the house where the main character, Skeeter, lived is only a couple of blocks away! She’s eager to move to a larger metro area, as the nearest major city in MS is 2 hours away from her.

· Nancy holds a B.A. in Psychology/Christian Education from Taylor University.

Looking Forward to Northminster

While Nancy admits that it was “odd” to accept a job in a place she’s never been to, with people she’s never met, she has been praying for all of us and already has the feeling that she’s part of an extended family. She particularly enjoyed meeting Lily Banks during the interview process, noting that Lily was a great representative of Northminster’s youth demographic.

Nancy is also excited about trying out some new approaches, launching new youth traditions, and beginning to build foundational relationships at Northminster. She’ll start by first getting to know the youth and finding out what they like and want from a strong youth program here – even during a pandemic.

Nancy encourages all Northminster members to connect with her on Facebook or drop her an email at She would appreciate knowing where the good coffee shops are