July Ministry Spotlight - IMPACT Sealy - Building Community, Pointing Students to Christ

When I first visited Sealy, TX as the KJIC Outreach Director, I had the privilege of connecting with Bryan Martisek and hearing about Impact Sealy—the ministry he and his wife Haley, along with other members of the community, are building to serve the youth of the city. I knew right away I wanted to share the heart behind this ministry with you.

Impact Sealy was born from a deeply personal season for the Martiseks, when they were fostering three teenage girls. During that time, the girls became connected with a local church and participated in a Disciple Now weekend (a local retreat for students). The church needed additional host homes for students, and Bryan and Haley opened theirs to a group of junior high girls. That weekend of connection and discipleship became the seed for something more.

Through those three days, God reawakened the Martiseks' calling to serve students—a call rooted in Bryan’s background in youth ministry and Haley’s in summer camp ministry. Stepping in to fill the need for a weekend host home reignited that desire to walk with students through everyday life consistently pointing them to Jesus.

In Sealy, a community made up of mostly smaller churches, there are only a handful with full-time youth pastors. Many serve bi-vocationally or as lay leaders, often trying to fill full-time ministry roles with part-time resources. Bryan and Haley had a vision: come alongside all of the youth leaders in Sealy, provide a neutral meeting space, create intentional moments for fun, connection, and spiritual growth—and help connect students to local churches for deeper discipleship.

And so it began.

In 2021, students started gathering for worship nights in the parking lot of the Martiseks’ ice cream shop, Scoops and Scholars. When the storefront shop closed (the Martisek's still have a mobile ice-cream trailer), those gatherings shifted to weekly Bible studies at the local American Legion Hall. Slowly, other adults caught the vision and joined them, building a team of volunteers from various churches and backgrounds who wanted to walk with students in their faith journeys.

That summer, they launched a full schedule of events—including a mix of free community gatherings at the beginning and end of the summer and “pay-your-way” activities every two weeks. These paid events are known as 20 Spots, where 20 students can sign up for a trip or activity (bowling, skating, the movies—even tubing the river!). One memorable moment Bryan shared was when they opened registration for a river trip, ran to the store, and had to sit down on a pallet in the middle of a store aisle just to keep up with the lightning-fast registrations. All 20 spots were filled within an hour!

But Impact Sealy isn’t just a summer ministry. Thanks to the generosity of Bal-Con, a local metal fabrication company whose owners have kids involved in Impact, they now have a stylish and welcoming space to meet weekly. Every Monday night, students gather at Bal-Con’s beautiful loft space for games, a teaching time, and small groups. The small groups—separated by age and gender—offer a safe, judgment-free space where students can ask honest questions, share what’s on their hearts, and be reminded of their worth.

What’s so powerful about this space is that it’s not in a church building. For many students, that removes a barrier. Whether it's denominational tension or just the word "church" feeling too loaded, this neutral setting provides a safe entry point for all students—Catholic, Baptist, unchurched, and everyone in between.

Sometimes, Monday nights are Worship Nights or Fast Food Takeover--where the group shows up at a local restaurant and fills the place with laughter and community. These nights not only give volunteers a break but offer easy, low-commitment invites for students to bring their friends.

Bryan put it like this: “This generation places a lot of value on the Instagram-ability of something. If we can host an event that students love and want to share, that lends us a little street cred.” And it works. Students come to Impact events because they see their friends having fun—and that fun opens the door to relationships, conversations, and transformation.

Here’s what might surprise you most: The Martiseks are volunteers. Impact Sealy isn’t even an official nonprofit yet. There’s no formal fundraising and no paid staff. Every single event happens because the Sealy community makes it happen. Business owners, individuals, and local churches donate supplies, volunteer their time, offer up facilities, or even show up with a grill and a bag of burgers. It’s a community effort in the truest sense of the word.

Events range from a dozen students at small groups, to 20 at the 20-Spot outings, to more than 100 at large community events. But the real fruit is in the students who come back to serve. High schoolers mentoring junior highers. Graduates investing in those still walking the halls. And even a paid intern this summer who is building connections and making disciples.

Impact Sealy is producing a legacy of leaders! These are teens who know their value, are rooted in Christ, and are passionate about connecting others not just to Impact, but to their churches, their communities, and ultimately, to Jesus.

And this is just the beginning. Bryan and Haley dream of one day coordinating a city-wide summer camp for all the churches in Sealy. Going forward, Impact will continue showing up, loving boldly, creating spaces for fun and friendship, and pointing students to Jesus one Monday night (and one scoop of ice cream) at a time.

We are so thankful for our listeners and supporters! Without you, stories like Impact Sealy wouldn’t be told.

Your prayers, generosity, and partnership allow KJIC to highlight ministries making a real difference in their communities. Through your support, we’re able to shine a light on those living out the Gospel, extend hope to the next generation, and inspire lasting change.