Big Faith in Small Hearts
How God Is Using Children to Lead the Way Home
By: Sheila-Ann Bender
“You shall teach them diligently to your children… when you sit… when you walk… when you lie down… and when you rise.” — Deuteronomy 6:6–7
From the earliest pages of Scripture, God reveals His heart for generational discipleship—a calling for parents, families, and communities to pass down the truth of His love from one generation to the next. The Neos Initiative is living out this biblical mandate in powerful and practical ways, beginning in San Francisco and now extending to Cleveland.
What Is the Neos Initiative?
The Neos Initiative is a children’s ministry planting organization with a clear and compelling mission: to ensure that every child knows they are loved by God and is equipped to show that love to others.
Through schools, outreach programs, and community partnerships, Neos focuses on evangelizing and discipling young hearts with the message of hope found in Christ. Their vision extends beyond individual transformation—they seek to establish sustainable, Christ-centered initiatives that can ultimately be entrusted to local communities of believers.
By reaching children in homes where the gospel is not yet known, Neos is cultivating something remarkable: children becoming the very catalysts God uses to lead their families to Him.
A Mission Born from Personal Experience
Co-founders Vanessa Brakey and Marie France Lanine understand this mission deeply—because they once lived it.
Both women grew up in broken, non-Christian homes marked by hardship, loneliness, and spiritual absence. Their passion to reach children today is rooted in their own longing as young girls to know the love of God.
Vanessa’s Story
“I grew up in a broken home where I didn’t hear the gospel,” Vanessa shares. “I knew about God, but all I really knew were rules. I tried to find my worth in being a good girl and excelling in sports.”
Everything changed when an injury in college halted her pursuit of basketball.
“That’s when God got hold of my heart. I realized how different my life could have been if I had known from a young age that I was loved—not for what I could do, but because of who God is.”
Marie France’s Story
Marie France’s childhood was marked by instability and pain.
“By the age of eight, I had experienced divorce, drug abuse in my home, and even a murder. I was a very lonely child.”
One night, lying awake at her grandmother’s house, she whispered a simple but profound prayer: God, are You there? And if You are, You are BIG—and I am in trouble.
Believing she needed to earn God’s favor, she set out to make 1,980 birthday cards for Jesus before Christmas. After weeks of effort, she had only completed one hundred.
“I buried them in my grandmother’s backyard and looked up at the sky, hoping it would be enough.”
A month later, God answered—not through her effort, but through His grace. Her mother encountered the gospel through a televised message and gave her life to Christ. Soon after, their family found a Bible-believing church.
“My life has never been the same,” Marie says. “Like me, how many children today are asking, ‘God, are You there?’ That question has always stayed in my heart. At one time, Vanessa and I were them.”
How the Neos Initiative Began
The seeds of Neos were planted in 2017, when Vanessa and Marie France independently began hosting pop-up Vacation Bible School programs in their San Francisco neighborhoods during school breaks.
Recognizing the need—and God’s hand—they officially launched the Neos Initiative in 2021.
One of their most impactful steps was opening a Christian elementary school in a part of San Francisco where no K–5 Christian education options existed. Alongside camps, outreach events, and after-school programs, the school provides both academic support and spiritual formation.
With small class sizes and deeply committed teachers, students who once struggled in traditional school settings are now thriving—academically and spiritually. And while the educators play a vital role, the founders are quick to give glory to God for the transformation taking place.
Generational Discipleship in Action
At the heart of Neos is a simple but powerful strategy: reach the child, and you open the door to the family.
Children take home Bible lessons, assignments, and conversations that introduce their parents and guardians to the gospel—often for the first time. As families come to faith, discipleship begins to take root within the home itself.
The testimonies are both moving and unmistakably God-driven:
- A young boy with a severe medical condition came to the school for extra attention—and encountered Christ. Today, his faith is influencing his entire family.
- Two girls faithfully walked themselves to a weekly Bible and Breakfast program for months. Through the materials sent home, their mother came to faith—and even a previously unbelieving sibling now believes.
These are not isolated stories—they are evidence of God’s transforming power at work through faithful ministry.
Expanding the Mission: Cleveland
In 2024, God called Vanessa and her husband to relocate to Cleveland, where a new chapter of Neos began.
Serving in the Buckeye–Woodhill community—an area facing significant economic challenges—Vanessa launched a weekly Bible club through a local after-school program. Children from Pre-K through fifth grade gather for Bible teaching, crafts, and encouragement.
But the need extended beyond spiritual nourishment.
Recognizing that many children relied on school meals as their primary source of food, Vanessa and a couple from her church launched Goodness Grows Kitchen. Their local church later partnered with them to help with the cost of preparing the meals.
This initiative provides free, healthy, consistent meals to children who might otherwise go hungry. More than that, it offers dignity, stability, and a tangible expression of Christ’s love.
Local mothers—many of whom do not yet know Christ—volunteer in the kitchen, preparing and delivering meals. Through these relationships, they are being introduced to the gospel and welcomed into Christian community.
Vanessa shares this testimonial: “A mother from the community joined Goodness Grows Kitchen. Through her involvement, she has not only gained meaningful work and connection but has stepped into deeper community and is now part of our church family. We have watched her grow in confidence, relationships, and a sense of belonging.
A Vision Bigger Than Themselves
When asked about the future, Marie France responds with faith-filled boldness:
“We would love to see a Neos Initiative in every city, every neighborhood, every church—until all children know the love of God and can share that love with others. We know this is far too big for us—but we pray.”
And indeed, what is impossible for man is never beyond the reach of God.
Closing Reflection
The Neos Initiative is more than a ministry—it is a living expression of Deuteronomy 6 in action. By reaching children, equipping them with truth, and empowering them to carry that truth into their homes, Neos is helping ignite generational transformation.
Because when a child discovers the love of God, it rarely stops there.
About the Author
Sheila-Ann Bender is a writer and ministry contributor who documents stories of faith and transformation. She specializes in sharing testimonies of God’s work through organizations reaching children and families with the Gospel.
About the Neos Initiative
The Neos Initiative is a children’s ministry planting organization founded in 2021 by Vanessa Brakey and Marie France Lanine. Operating in San Francisco and Cleveland, Neos runs Christian schools, Bible clubs, camps, and community programs with a mission to ensure every child knows they are loved by God and is equipped to share that love with others. Their approach focuses on reaching children to open doors for entire families to encounter the Gospel.
