Rev. Brenda Booth, an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) living in St. Louis, Missouri, is the Executive Director of Isaiah 58 Ministries, an organization helping neighbors in the city through a variety of services including a food pantry, thrift store, and showers. Booth’s faith is integral to the work she does at Isaiah 58 ministries.
“My faith is the work that I do. I truly believe that what we are doing on a day-to-day basis is what Christ has called us all to do,” Booth shared.
Since 1970, Isaiah 58 Ministries has worked to meet the needs of low-income people in St. Louis. Open five days a week, Isaiah 58 provides many services, including showers on Wednesdays. Its food pantry provides shelf stable foods and fresh food distribution twice a week, along with holiday meal bags for more than 800 families on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Isaiah 58 thrift store has gently used clothing items and hosts special events such as a Back-to-School Fair and holiday store with toys and gifts. Booth has been with this ministry since 2006, working tirelessly to create programs that have a lasting impact on the community.
If Booth could give one piece of advice to churches looking to serve others, it would be to remember “that we’re not doing a service to, we are doing service with. That is a key element of doing the work because otherwise, it’s this power dynamic, and we try to eliminate that power dynamic and recognize that the people who need help also have much to give.”
If you or your congregation has any questions for Rev. Brenda Booth, feel free to contact her by phone at 314-776-1410 or email at brenda@i58ministries.org/.
