Our Story
To invest in “her” is to change the world. I haven’t experienced a greater joy or reward than to see a girl discover her true identity in Christ and walk in the fullness of what God has for her. It’s powerful and it doesn’t stop with her. Her faith will move mountains in her family, in her peers, and in the work of her hands. You know a girl too. She was made for something greater than what the world offers.
In 2010, I was a girl who stepped out in faith as I asked God a question, “How do I tell her she doesn’t have to settle; that you have so much more for her if she will trust you with everything?!” God answered that heart-felt question with a calling to testify to this next generation of girls and help show “her” that narrow path.
Many steps of faith took us from our first book & resource, Finding Your Fairy Tale Ending, to a website and blog, to several Christ-centered events big and small and then becoming a nonprofit. Now, more than ever, we are inviting others to join us on mission for HER!
-Dechari Cole, Founder & Executive Director of GL4G
Our Vision: A community of teen girls building a firm foundation on the love of Jesus, moving from a head knowledge of religion to a heart of relationship with Jesus that produces beautiful feet to carry the Good News into every area of her influence.
Our Mission: Equipping and encouraging teen girls to pursue Jesus with authentic community, Biblically-based resources, and Christ-centered events to mature her in her faith and encourage her to live courageously 4 God.
Meet Our Team
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Dechari Cole
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
"I want to equip every teen girl with both a crown & combat boots! I know there is a great battle over her because of the powerful destiny she is called to in Christ. We get to remind her who she is in Him."
Dechari stepped into ministering to teen girls in 2010 with a call to first share her story and create a tool that would gather girls and allow space for them to sharpen one another as they sought God's best. With over 10 years of professional event planning experience, a bachelor's degree in interpersonal communication, minor in business, and most of all the leading & creativity of the Holy Spirit, God led Dechari to author her book, incorporate GL4G as a nonprofit, create Christian conferences and events, and disciple girls across the USA.You can most often find Dechari having a date with Jesus at one of her favorite brunch locations, texting friends & family, doodling on an iPad or journal, or adventuring with her husband. Dechari and her husband live in Nashville, TN.
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Baylee Sanders
PROGRAMS & OPERATIONS COORDINATOR
"I'm doing this 4 Her. For all the teenage girls today, but also for teenage Baylee. I want her to know that she can live BOLDLY as a daughter of Christ, seeking Him with all her heart."
Baylee's vision of using her education and family & consumer science degrees to start a weekly teen "camp" called Camp Mary & Martha was a perfect God-fit for GL4G's mission. After partnering to launch this summer camp & creating a teen study called Choose What's Better, Baylee joined the GL4G leadership team.
Baylee is organized and creative. She finds a lot of joy in creating fun crafts and she loves combining creativity with discipleship, helping girls use their God-given gifts and talents to advance His kingdom. She's a major fan of the color pink, dark chocolate, and spending a cozy night in reading books. She, her husband, and daughter live in Fleetwood NC. -
Mallory Bentley
ADMIN & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
"I want girls to know that when everything in their lives feels unsteady, Christ is our only foundation. We can live in the fullness of His love because we are called His beautiful daughters, who he intentionally crafted."
In 2022, Mallory was entering into a time of transition and the Lord led her to join with Baylee in developing Camp Mary & Martha. She became a co-writer on a new teen study called "Choose What's Better" and co-director of Camp Mary & Martha, a new program of GL4G.
Mallory shares the heart of GL4G to see this next generation discipled in a deep relationship with Jesus. Mallory is a creative and planner. She loves crochet, design, party planning, cooking & baking, and is great with details. She lives with her husband in Millers Creek, NC.
Meet Our Board of Directors
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Francine Ivey
PRESIDENT
Francine has a special heart for this ministry as she not only invested in its Executive Director, Dechari, when she was a youth, but also watched God birth GL4G. Francine is a proud mom of 3, CEO of Consumed Coaching, Founder of Consumed by the Call Ministries, speaker, author, certified master coach and bible teacher. She sees God's hand in divinely orchestrating not only her position on the board, but for this ministry vessel to help many teens nation wide & internationally to build a Christ centered community. She lives in the Dallas Fort Worth Area.
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Chris Baxter
DIRECTOR
Chris has a huge heart for sharing the Word of God & leading in prayer. We first connected with Chris when she sponsored a GL4G teen and the rest is history as they say. She has been a long time writer & her books & devotionals are impacting many (Respitefortheweary.com). She has served in woman's ministry for years and we are so honored to have her share her wisdom, warmth, writings, and battle for this next generation with the Word and prayer. Chris has 4 adult children. She and her husband live in Brentwood, TN.
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Brianna Corr
DIRECTOR
Brianna is our newest addition to the GL4G family & we are so excited to have her as an answer to prayer! She is the middle child of 7, grew up a pastor's kid, loves learning and travel, is a great baker and passionate about this next generation. She is known for her leadership and thoughtfulness. She has a degree in education & currently serves as a Camp Director at Deer Run Retreat. She shares GL4G's heart to see this next generation be discipled in the Word of God & live out a strong faith in Christ Jesus. She lives in Nashville, TN.
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Missy Bentley
SECRETARY
We are so honored to have this lady serve on our board. Missy has true southern charm, hospitality and the sweet accent and hugs to go with it. You might not suspect it, but she is our biggest world traveler as she's served people and lived across the globe for the past 25 years before landing back in North Carolina.
Missy is a prayer warrior, gardener, thrifter, enjoys hosting and loves her family - husband, 4 kids & their spouses & 6 grandkids, ...but also every stranger she meets. Missy and her husband live in Morganton, NC.
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Beautiful-Joy Fields
TREASURER
This woman lives up to her name. She's a brilliant woman of God who can work with numbers while smiling and bringing life & joy to those around her. Beautiful-Joy currently serves on the Inflight Customer Experience Team at United Airlines, created The Tea Party Collective - teaching character development to young women, and loves mentoring and serving. She is excited to use her experience in data analytics, forecasting, financial planning and undergrad degree in math to tell God's story that is unfolding through Girls Living 4 God. She lives in Chicago, IL.
Our Beliefs
GL4G Core Beliefs
1. THE BIBLE:
(2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Hebrews 4:12) We believe that the Scriptures in all 66 books of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired of God, error free in the original manuscripts, and the supreme authority of faith and practice for followers of Christ.
2. GOD:
(Deuteronomy 6:4) We believe there is one living and true God, who is one in essence, while eternally existing in three distinct persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
3. THE FATHER:
(Matthew 6:9; John 5:19-24; Ephesians 1:3-6; 2:1-10) We believe the first person of the Trinity orders and directs all things according to his purpose and pleasure. He has created humanity to bring him glory and honor, through his grace. While he is transcendent, he is also actively involved in his creation- offering an eternal relationship with us through his Son Jesus Christ.
4. THE SON:
(John 1:14-18; I Corinthians 15; Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 2:9; Revelation 20:11-15) We believe Jesus Christ is both the eternal Son of God and virgin-born Son of man. Fully God and fully man, He surrendered nothing of His deity during His earthly life. His sinless, sacrificial offering on the cross satisfied the Father's justice, offering atonement for all of humanity's sins, for all time. We believe in his bodily resurrection, His physical ascension, and His visible return back to earth to establish His earthly kingdom.
5. THE HOLY SPIRIT:
(John 16:5-16; I Corinthians 12; Ephesians 2:10; John 3:1-8; Ephesians 1:1; Galatians 5:16-25) We believe the third person of the Trinity executes the will of God in this world through humanity, by leading, guiding, filling, teaching and convicting. The Holy Spirit is not merely an impersonal force, but is a person, displaying the qualities of personhood (intellect, emotions and will). He equips believers upon conversion by giving them gifts to be used for the building up of the church, and by bearing fruit through their yielded lives.
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 1:13
6. MAN:
(Genesis 1:26-27, Romans 1:18-32; 3:10-23) We believe that mankind was directly created in the image of God to enjoy His fellowship and fulfill His purposes on earth. However, in Adam, all mankind fell into sin; consequently, all people are spiritually dead and subject to the certainty of both physical and spiritual death apart from faith in Jesus Christ.
7. SALVATION:
(John 1:12; 3:16; 14:6, Ephesians 2:8-9) We believe that salvation is by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ alone. All who believe in Him are declared righteous by the Father on the grounds of Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection. God says they are sealed by the Holy Spirit and no one can undo what He has done. (Ephesians 1:13, Isaiah 43:13, John 1:28) Ephesians 2:8-10 summarizes our salvation.
• We are saved by grace – It is a gift from God
• We are saved through faith – We must believe
• We cannot save ourselves – We are to do good works, but they cannot save us.
8. THE CHURCH:
(Acts 2:41-47, Hebrews 10:24-25, 1 Corinthians 12-14) We believe that all who are “born again” by the Holy Spirit belong to the one true church and are instructed by the Scriptures to associate themselves in local, visible churches. We ask that all GL4G leadership and counsel be a part of regularly attending a local church body.
9. BAPTISM :
(Matthew 28:18-20, Romans 6:3-7) Baptism is a clear injunction of the Scriptures which outwardly expresses the inward reality of new life in Christ. “Biblically, baptism is associated with forgiveness (Acts 2:38; 22:16), with union with Christ (Romans 6:1-10), making disciples (Matthew 28:19), and repentance (Acts 2:38)....Theologically, baptism may be defined as an act of association or identification with someone, some group, some message, or some event....Christian baptism means identification with the message of the Gospel, the person of the Savior, and the group of believers.” [Basic Theology; Charles Ryrie, p. 422]
Baptism...
...proclaims the believers unity with Christ.
...proclaims the believer’s identification and accountability to the local church.
...is a symbolic proclamation of the believer’s new life in Christ. ...demonstrates the believer’s commitment to be obedient to Christ.
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