Heather Gilbertson knows that God blessed her with musical gifts, which she showcased as a teacher.
But she reflects on the say, "God works in mysterious ways," as evidenced by her leading a thriving sports ministry at St. Peter High School.
"It's a crazy story that only God could write," Heather says, who describes herself as a social athlete growing up.
She's a singer, dabbles playing piano, and, of course, has taught music at elementary and middle school. But after moving to Minnesota from Denver, while staying home to raise her first child, Heather recognized a gap and stepped right in.
“I knew the work I was doing as a mom was important,” she says. “But I also felt this gentle restlessness. Like the Holy Spirit was saying, ‘There’s more coming.’ ”
That “more” arrived through youth ministry.
What started as part-time work at her parish grew into 12 years of walking alongside teens —building relationships and sharing faith.
Then FCA came calling.
"One of my favorite things about it is, I can bring people that know nothing about God, know nothing about Jesus, and we can bring them there and teach them," Alex says. "And they can learn so many things from FCA - and that just gives them their support system.”
The Huddle has outgrown two spaces, and they're currently meeting in the choir room twice a month on Friday mornings. But on the other Friday mornings, student leaders lead Bible studies for about 10 classmates.
“That was 100% the Holy Spirit,” Heather says. “They came to me with the idea. They prepare. They lead. I just show up to support.”
Asked what is driving the growth, Heather says, "Young people are hungry for truth."
But Heather doesn't just dwell on numbers. She remembers a student named Zeke from her early years there, whose faith was deepened in his bedroom while regularly reading Scripture.
“That changed me,” she says. “As a youth minister, you think everything has to be bigger and better. But God meets people right where they are.”
One of her favorite recent stories included Alex, who felt inspired to do something bold after a tough road loss.
He invited teammates and opponents to join him for prayer at center court.
“We lost, but win or lose, all glory to God," Alex says. "So I asked the other team if they wanted to pray and they said, 'Yeah, of course.' And then we all huddled up and said a prayer… all that matters is we’re giving all glory to Him.”
As far as Heather knows, that was a first at St. Peter High.
"What a legacy,” Heather says.
Meanwhile, Heather is building her own, in spite of her own limited sports background.
“I always ask the Lord, ‘What do I have to offer?’ ” she admits. “But He keeps bringing me back, and the Huddle just keeps growing.”
But Minnesota FCA's South Central Minnesota Area Rep, Adam Paulson, isn't diplomatic about the Huddle and Heather's role with it.
"You can see it, and you can tell how much she prepares," Adam says. "She puts a lot of time in prayer, and the worship music is going and the energy is up, and the kids are just drawn to her. It's just a great atmosphere."
