Alumni McKenzie Beckworth and Selah Draper were a sister pair up in 2019.

Beloved fellowship partnering programs, “Sister to Sister” and “Brother to Brother,” return to Fresno Christian after a three-year hiatus. Sister to Sister and Brother to Brother are mentoring program initiatives for high school students to engage and mentor junior high students. Applications are due Nov. 15 for high school students.

The programs were replaced by small groups in 2022, which included high school leadership students mentoring a group of middle schoolers. The Sister to Sister program was brought back by student liaisons James Garcia and Hope Villines with hopes of matching up a high school student with a middle school student to help the younger students through the school year.

“This is one of those ways that we saw to revitalize the program because we’re building a community between high schoolers and middle schoolers, where there may not already be a relationship,” Garcia said.

Fresno Christian middle school and high school teachers, Brian Butler, Kristina Breshears, Melanie Portwood, Noah Heinz, and James Garcia will be overseeing the program and helping the students connect with each other. The teachers are taking time to select the right applicants to make sure the students are paired well. 

“This program matches up a high schooler with a middle schooler, and they have a big brother or big sister to help them walk through the entire year,” Villines said. It’s one of my favorite programs.” 

Sophomore Ashlyn Dyck was in Sister to Sister as a middle school student before it was replaced by small groups. Her big sister was Alumna Ruby Baker. Dyck is planning on joining the Sister to Sister program once again, but this time as a mentor hoping to guide someone the same way her mentor guided her.  

“My favorite part was going off campus and getting lunch along with being able to freely talk about God,” Dyck said.

Students will meet two times a month during lunch. They will have lunch on campus, along with food being provided by the school. The program’s big brother and big sister reveal will be announced next semester in January. Applications due Nov. 15 for high school students.

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