Central College Students Grow in Faith, Serve Others and Reach the Nations
Pella, IA (11/10/2026) — Central College students involved in Campus Ministries spent the 2025-26 academic year deepening their faith and reaching out to others. They gathered for retreats, studied Scripture over shared meals, heard from global mission leaders and joined mission efforts that stretched from Pella to Texas to Moldova.
The Allan and Grace Braskamp Family Endowment for Purpose, Meaning and Faith helped make that possible. Seven siblings established the endowment in Spring 2022 to honor their parents. It supports Central's student development programs and faith-based activities in an inclusive manner.
"We are incredibly thankful," says Hannah Laflin Goemaat, Central's ministries team coordinator and 2016 Central graduate. "This funding allowed us to offer ministry that we never would have been able to do without their support. It truly has been so impactful."
When the endowment's guidelines were first developed, the plan was to use the gift "to love and evangelize the lost; mature and deepen the faith of current disciples; and reach the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ." This year's activities reflect all three of those goals.
Highlights from the year were shared with the Braskamp family:
Retreats and leadership: Nine men and 13 women attended Fall Break retreats, and 35 students joined a coed spring retreat, "Joy Comes in the Morning." Campus ministry leaders also gathered each semester for teaching and fellowship.
Guest speakers: Reformed Church in America global missions leaders, including Shelvis Smith-Mather, an RCA pastor serving South Sudan, and The Traveling Team, spoke to students.
Service and fellowship: Supplies supported Bible study dinners, Pop-Up Bible Studies, outreach through UBM Homeless Ministry and Ash Wednesday lunch and services.
Global missions: Scholarships helped send five students and two staff members to Moldova and helped 27 students take The Missions Course. More than 40 people joined the Secret Church missions livestream.
"Campus Ministries has provided so many opportunities for me and countless other students to grow personally in our relationships with God," says Lydia Fisher, a vocal music education major with a religious studies minor from Quincy, Illinois and Class of 2027. "I am incredibly grateful for the Allan and Grace Braskamp Family Endowment and the opportunities to go and serve in places not only within the United States but also in Moldova. Through these trips, I have grown in many ways, but most importantly, I have deepened my understanding of what it means to love others through acts of service, as Christ calls us to do."
Central College of Pella, Iowa, is a private college known for its active student body, academic rigor and athletics success. Ranked the No. 2 Best Value College in Iowa by Niche.com, Central offers a learning environment with supportive educators committed to intellectual engagement, personal growth, career readiness and civic involvement. Founded in 1853 and shaped by its Christian heritage, the college of 1,100 students participates in NCAA Division III athletics. Central is an active part of the Greater Des Moines region and just minutes from Lake Red Rock, Iowa's largest lake.
Media Attachments
With funding from the Allan and Grace Braskamp Family Endowment for Purpose, Meaning and Faith, Central students traveled to Moldova and served local residents.
