Faye Carol Yarbrough

Faye (Small) Yarbrough was born in Georgetown, Guyana to Maureen and Sydney Small. She is the second of five children and the only girl. She immigrated by the grace of God to the United States when she was eight years old with her family, when her mother accepted a midwifery nurse position at Albany Medical Center Hospital in Albany, New York. Faye accepted the Lord Jesus Christ at the age of 13 at Pineview Community Church during her Sunday school class.

As a young child, her desire was to work for the United Nations. A third-grade student when she entered the United States, she continued to High School, graduating in 1976. Continuing her education, she attended and graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering in 1982. She was a recipient of the Rensselaer Minority Fund, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and General Electric’s Program to Increase Minority Engineering Graduates Scholarships.

From 1983 to 1992 she served in the United States Army as a Non-Commissioned Officer obtaining the rank of Sergeant in the Corps of Engineers. She obtained a Marksman Rifle Badge and was awarded an Army Achievement Medal along with an Army Commendation Medal.

Faye worked in Aerospace for 20 years first with Ferro Corporation, and then at Triumph Processing Inc. She worked in various positions such as Laboratory Manager,Science, Environmental Manager, and Occupational and Safety Manager. In 1996, the employees of Triumph Processing voted her manager of the year.

Faye Yarbrough attributes her spiritual growth in the Lord to joining Trinity Baptist Church of Los Angeles. Baptism at Trinity by immersion was an act of obedience to God. Her call to global ministry was deepened by her involvement in Sunday School, Women’s Ministry, Deaconess Board, Missions, and Coordinator of Trinity’s Excellence in Academics (T.E.A) Tutorial Program. Her ability to listen to and agree with God resulted in her willingness to go where He was sending her by means of International Ministries. Further, the T.E.A. Tutorial Ministry, which includes children in the church and schools in the Jefferson Park Area of Los Angeles, helped to make her aware of the needs and the potential of children. This awareness deepened her call to global ministry.

Faye was commissioned as an American Baptist global servant to South Africa with International Ministries in July 2020. She is currently working with special needs children in math and science since February 2021. She works through International Ministries’ partner Baptist Union of Southern Africa. Her ministry is with three Baptist Union churches in Qonce, Ginsberg and Breidbach, South Africa.

The churches are Bethany Emmanuel (Teleios Christian School, Busy Bee Daycare and Project Dorcas Entrepreneurial Training), Bethel(Jityaza Combined Primary School, SANAKO organization for the Blind, Forbes Grant High School, Ginsberg Daycare) and Calvary(Breidbach Primary and Secondary School, Breidbach Daycare, Schornville Primary School). She mentors, tutors and advocates for special needs children and their families at the listed schools. She helps to introduce more technology into the learning environment. She is also able to share the word of God during morning devotions at the schools. She is collaborating with some amazing pastors, principles, educators and South Africa Eastern Cape Province Department of Education officials, who are already dedicated to making sure each student has a chance to see and use the gifts God has placed in their spirit.

Her other cross-cultural experiences include Haiti, Mexico, Zambia, and Ghana. The Lord has called her to help special needs young adults and children through Discipleship and Education (Math and Science).

Her favorite phrase is, “I wake up every day on purpose because it is God’s purpose for my life.”