Marcella Brazelton - Director & Pastoral Counselor
Growing up, I was always fiercely in love with God - I felt as though my faith was woven into my DNA. I found myself feeling big feelings toward friends and family who were going through tough stuff. At times, this empathy toward others paralyzed me as I was not equipped to know how to handle it. Through my own experiences and education, God has brought encouragement after encouragement and opportunity after opportunity that led me to starting Nourish Ministries.
Now, you are probably interested in my credentials!
Beyond education, though, I have worked for years helping various ministries including churches and para-church organizations. During the late 1990's, my husband and I worked closely with the director of a ministry that brought Christian rock bands to various Hollywood venues (such as the Whiskey, Roxy) and to Venice Beach for outdoor concerts. My main job was to help the director with the logistics and the financial side of the ministry. It gave me a chance to use my empathy toward leaders in ministry while simultaneously learning more about what it takes to physically run a ministry.
We stepped away from the ministry in order to raise our family. I spent years as a full-time mom and homeschooled my three daughters. Sometime after my second child was born, I decided to go back to school and finish what I had started.
During a rough time-period for my family (which I am more than willing to share in person), I started volunteering at the dance ministry my girls were involved in. It quickly evolved into a full-time ministry opportunity for me and I began to fully understand the importance of the role of the arts and worship in the healing process. I noticed that each time I danced, I would feel as though emotional chains were breaking off of me. Even when I did not focus on healing while I danced, I still felt that release of the heaviness I was carrying around. It was clear to me that there was a connection between worship dance and healing.
The ministry attended a yearly conference in Long Beach, CA called The Dancer in Me. These conferences became a place of education and confirmation for me. I listened to stories of people healing through song, dance, drumming, prophetic painting, and prayer with banners. Things that were just concepts to me started becoming very real in my life. I was able to practice my education and hone my skills as a healer. One time I was given the opportunity to pray over a woman using banners and afterward I was to practice prophecy. Oh, I was so nervous! But, I did it and as I revealed what God had said to me, I watched the woman look at me in complete disbelief. I felt as though I was speaking gibberish but to her, it was right on. It answered to things she had been praying about for years!
This leads me to today. My goal for Nourish Ministries is to be a place that is welcoming, loving, artistic, real, and fun. More than anything, though, I want it to honor God. My husband and I pray daily that God will guide us in our steps to make this ministry something fresh, anointed, and beautiful. I want to help others heal - but, then I want to help them turn around and help others heal! Pass it on! A real passion of mine is education and I desire for Nourish Ministries to be a place of learning and a place for like-minded individuals to have a chance to share their gifts of healing through the arts with others.
You guys! I'm so excited about this ministry! My vision is that the ministry will be fully funded by donors so that anyone who needs healing came come and find a safe space to get messy so that they can return to their ministry situation with a clean, refreshed, and thoroughly nourished heart. When I went through the really tough time I mentioned above, I could not afford counseling and most pastors were far too busy (rightfully so) to offer any sort of consistent counsel. My dream would be to be able to come alongside churches to meet this need.
Wow, God is so very good!!!!
Now, you are probably interested in my credentials!
- B.S. in Christian Ministry
- Double M.A. in Biblical Studies & Worship Ministry
- M.Div. in Pastoral Care
Beyond education, though, I have worked for years helping various ministries including churches and para-church organizations. During the late 1990's, my husband and I worked closely with the director of a ministry that brought Christian rock bands to various Hollywood venues (such as the Whiskey, Roxy) and to Venice Beach for outdoor concerts. My main job was to help the director with the logistics and the financial side of the ministry. It gave me a chance to use my empathy toward leaders in ministry while simultaneously learning more about what it takes to physically run a ministry.
We stepped away from the ministry in order to raise our family. I spent years as a full-time mom and homeschooled my three daughters. Sometime after my second child was born, I decided to go back to school and finish what I had started.
During a rough time-period for my family (which I am more than willing to share in person), I started volunteering at the dance ministry my girls were involved in. It quickly evolved into a full-time ministry opportunity for me and I began to fully understand the importance of the role of the arts and worship in the healing process. I noticed that each time I danced, I would feel as though emotional chains were breaking off of me. Even when I did not focus on healing while I danced, I still felt that release of the heaviness I was carrying around. It was clear to me that there was a connection between worship dance and healing.
The ministry attended a yearly conference in Long Beach, CA called The Dancer in Me. These conferences became a place of education and confirmation for me. I listened to stories of people healing through song, dance, drumming, prophetic painting, and prayer with banners. Things that were just concepts to me started becoming very real in my life. I was able to practice my education and hone my skills as a healer. One time I was given the opportunity to pray over a woman using banners and afterward I was to practice prophecy. Oh, I was so nervous! But, I did it and as I revealed what God had said to me, I watched the woman look at me in complete disbelief. I felt as though I was speaking gibberish but to her, it was right on. It answered to things she had been praying about for years!
This leads me to today. My goal for Nourish Ministries is to be a place that is welcoming, loving, artistic, real, and fun. More than anything, though, I want it to honor God. My husband and I pray daily that God will guide us in our steps to make this ministry something fresh, anointed, and beautiful. I want to help others heal - but, then I want to help them turn around and help others heal! Pass it on! A real passion of mine is education and I desire for Nourish Ministries to be a place of learning and a place for like-minded individuals to have a chance to share their gifts of healing through the arts with others.
You guys! I'm so excited about this ministry! My vision is that the ministry will be fully funded by donors so that anyone who needs healing came come and find a safe space to get messy so that they can return to their ministry situation with a clean, refreshed, and thoroughly nourished heart. When I went through the really tough time I mentioned above, I could not afford counseling and most pastors were far too busy (rightfully so) to offer any sort of consistent counsel. My dream would be to be able to come alongside churches to meet this need.
Wow, God is so very good!!!!