Carole Nordstrom

Carole Nordstrom was born in Holland, Michigan the youngest of 7 children born to Gord and Jean DeRidder, and attended Immanuel Baptist Church while growing up. The family was always very involved in church events, outreach, and childrens and youth ministries. It was during her senior year in high school that Carole decided she wanted to go into some sort of youth work. Carole attended Cornerstone University (then known as Grand Rapids Baptist College) for one year. During that year, she met and fell in love with Dave Nordstrom. After a whirlwind romance, they married and moved to Denver, CO to start their first year of youth ministry together at a Baptist church.

After many moves and changes, they settled in North Carolina, where Dave was working as a Youth for Christ Campus Life leader, and Carole worked as a Christian Bookstore manager. During that time, Dave went through cancer surgery. It was a turning point in their lives, solidifying their commitment to eachother and to the work that is their passion, outreach to lost and forgotten teens. In 1986 they were blessed with the arrival of their first daughter, adopted from a Christian young woman in Ohio. Not able to have biological children was a tough blow to Carole, and this adoption was a huge gift from God. As they raised their daughter in a highly secular area, far from family, they chose to move back to Michigan to be closer to family and to raise their daughter Angela in a more godly atmosphere. Dave took a position in Muskegon YFC as an area Campus Life director. Carole worked at various jobs. But her heart was broken over teen mothers who seemed to need so much help and guidance. After much prayer and counsel, Carole, too, went on staff part time as the new Teen Moms Coordinator for Muskegon County. During that time, they also adopted two more daughters, Taylor and Makenzie. Over the next 20 years, she ministered to hundreds of young families. But the time passed for the need for a separate club for teen parents. She asked if she could switch her ministry role to work alongside Dave in Girls Ministries in Campus Life, and was allowed to do so. Since then, Carole has worked with girls (some are teen parents, some are not), and has enjoyed seeing spiritual growth in the girls in the Campus Life program there. Dave and Carole also lead the youth group at their church, CrossWinds Fellowship in North Muskegon. Carole is also on the Unity Music Festival Committee, and is active in the Rock the Coast event held in May each year. But Carole's favorite involvement is in the lives of her daughters and her three grandchildren, Braiden, Lydia and TaNyia.

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