Get to know Ellie Lindmark
In August, Ellie began her journey as the director of youth ministries. A lifelong St. Paul member, Ellie brings with her a wealth of knowledge about St. Paul and a bundle of new ideas to help youth grow in their faith and confidence.
Tell us about you.
I grew up in Bettendorf with two younger brothers, Peyton and Barrett, my parents, Stephanie and Jeff, and many dogs. I was baptized, confirmed, and involved in youth group activities here at St. Paul. I participated in many activities growing up – sports, I played many different instruments, sang in a lot of choirs – but being part of Sunday Night Live (SNL) was, by far, my favorite part of high school.
After transferring colleges in 2019, I found my home in Decorah, Iowa at Luther College. I studied social work and made life-long friendships. After graduation, I moved back to the Quad Cities to work for Family Resources as a Braking Traffik advocate, an organization that provides services to victims of sex and human trafficking, and continued my involvement with volunteer opportunities at St. Paul.
What are you passionate about?
I’m incredibly passionate about working with kids and young adults and teaching them about the love of Jesus. Junior high and high school can be tough for kids, so ensuring they have a safe space to go, to learn about their faith, and know they are loved is important. SNL was that safe place for me and taught me confidence in sharing my faith. I’m excited to continue that legacy for youth at St. Paul.
How does your experience growing up within the youth program inspire and challenge you in this new role?
I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to get to know these teenagers. High school is a pivotal time in life where kids are becoming young adults and are starting to make their own decisions about their faith and what it looks like. Learning about and exploring faith can be a daunting and, sometimes, boring task for teenagers. My job is to be a resource, to talk through the challenges of being in school, to help youth tackle deep discussions about their faith and life, and to show them that learning and exploring faith can be life-changing and incredibly fun.
Diana Cook
So happy to have Ellie in this role. My children went to school w her dad. Loving family