“God sent me to serve.” That’s the heartbeat of Cindy Yost’s life, a statement that beautifully encapsulates her role at Central and beyond. As Operations Coordinator, Cindy wears many hats—supporting worship, sending out prayer requests, keeping an eye on security, managing schedules, and handling the complexities of an 85,000-square-foot facility. Yet, her service goes far beyond her job description.

Cindy joined the staff at Central on January 12, 2016, a date she remembers clearly because it was soon after her husband of 33 years passed away. She found the job through a church member, Sarah Kerr, who worked at the Helping Up Mission, where Cindy volunteered and was employed as a temp. Central people helped her walk through what she calls “the darkest time in my life”—a time, that she wouldn’t change if she could, because she became, and remains, closer to God than she’s ever been. It’s no surprise that her favorite Bible verse is James 1:2-5: “Count it all joy, my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds….”

Central people helped her walk through what she calls “the darkest time in my life”

Cindy says that she always believed in Jesus, but wasn’t raised in a Christian home and was never discipled. When she was 28, her brother took her to a tent meeting where she committed herself to the Lord. Her husband had a similar experience at a Franklin Graham Crusade. She is grateful they had the experience of walking together in faith before he died.

What Cindy likes best about her job is the people. Her door is always open, and she is always ready to exercise her spiritual gift of “helps” (Romans 12:7). She loves everything about Central, and says its volunteers and staff are the best she’s ever worked with. When asked what she does for fun, she is at a loss for words for a moment. She doesn’t have any of the usual hobbies or pastimes, but she does have a passion for missions and, after retirement, hopes to start a nonprofit involved in an international ministry in which American leaders work in equal partnership with leaders from other countries.

In the meantime, she serves in any way she can. On Thursdays, she has a standing date with a 95-year-old friend to go out to eat or just take a drive. She sees her position at Central as a mission and does not feel she has to stick to a 9-5 schedule, checking e-mail on evenings and weekends to make sure there are no emergencies. During COVID-19, she homeschooled her three grandchildren who were attending their classes virtually.

Her face lights up when she mentions those grandchildren, 17- and 10-year-old girls and a 9-year-old boy. (She also has two grown daughters.) Cindy is particularly close to the oldest granddaughter who loves hanging out, sharing laughs with her, and texting when they’re apart.

Finally, worship is Cindy’s greatest joy. She loves being in the presence of God and singing praises to him on the worship team at the tiny Southern Baptist Church she attends.

Loving God. Loving people. Helping others. That’s Cindy Yost.