Mrs. Beverly Van Gelderen was born in Atlanta, Georgia where she spent the first 18 years of life, influenced by the life and ministry of Reverend Norman Pyle of Bible Baptist Church, even though it was not her home church. As a little 8 year old girl, she responded to an evangelistic message and realized she no longer had to live in fear about her sin sending her to Hell – a fear of everlasting fire that was real to her as the daughter of an Atlanta fireman.
After public school education, Beverly went to a Christian college seeking to serve the Lord in full time Christian work in the area of music. She had worked with children in music before attending college and knew that God wanted her in that field. She met her husband at college and found out very soon that although she had been reared in the south and he in the North, they had much in common in their heart and love for ministry and family. Their courtship included the blessing of family, friends and faculty. They realized they were best of friends and comrades from the beginning of their relationship and through their marriage, forty-four years and counting.
She has been committed to serving her husband and raising her family of six children, three girls and three boys. She had done some music and classroom teaching at Marquette Manor Baptist Church and school in Downers Grove before ministering in the same way at Falls Baptist Church and Academy. She has now had the privilege of teaching young ladies in Biblical Homemaking in the Ministry at BCM for fifteen years. She has taught Child Growth and Development since the retirement of Miss Elinor Van Gelderen a few years ago.
Mrs. Van Gelderen is honored to be serving alongside her husband in the ministry of Falls Baptist Church and Baptist College of Ministry. She is passionate about seeing the next generation go on for God. She is blessed to be surrounded by sixteen lovely grandchildren, the love of her life. She thoroughly enjoys every aspect of ministry and serving the Lord. A special privilege God has given the Van Gelderens is the wonderful story and miraculous healing of their son, Wayne III. Beverly loves giving his story out in tract form. She and Pastor Van Gelderen have traveled all around the world and been able to share their heart for young people and the family. Her life is rich and full.
