Melissa Joan Hart Shares Her 16-Year-Old Son Brady’s Commitment to Christ

Melissa Joan Hart shares that her family has always embraced their faith, and her 16-year-old son Brady’s decision to commit his life to Christ was a delightful surprise this holiday season.

“[My kids] were all baptized as infants, since I was raised Catholic and my husband was raised Baptist. We somewhat raised them Presbyterian, but now we’re back in a Baptist church, and Brady felt a strong calling,” Hart, 49, told Us Weekly exclusively while discussing her charity work with World Vision.

(Catholics and Presbyterians commonly baptize babies to ensure they aren’t sent to purgatory if they die young, whereas Baptists wait until children have accepted Christ for baptism.)

“He has an amazing youth pastor who has inspired him,” Hart elaborated. “He also has teachers at school discussing faith with him and friends he confides in. Over the past year, his faith began to resonate really deeply with him.”

Hart, who also has sons Mason, 19, and Tucker, 13, with husband Mark Wilkerson, humorously noted that Bible class is the one subject Brady excels in “every year” and the one he “really concentrates” on. “It brings him understanding and fulfillment,” she said.

Hart disclosed last month that Brady made the “beautiful choice” to dedicate his life to Christ and get re-baptized. She explained that she and Wilkerson, 49, had him baptized as a baby to promise to raise him with knowledge of Christ, but he is now reaffirming that choice independently.

“Today he chose to follow Christ and have his church family witness his dedication and be a beacon of light for the Glory of God!” Hart posted on Instagram alongside a picture from the service. “God bless and keep you, Brady! John 3:30.”

While speaking with Us, Hart revealed that her youngest son, Tucker, was actually the one who informed her about Brady’s decision “about a month before” the baptism took place.

“I was like, ‘What?’ So Brady discussed it a bit, and then finally asked, ‘Would next weekend be a good time for me to be baptized?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, okay, let’s do it,’” she shared with Us, emphasizing that “it was all him.”

On the day of the service, Hart admitted that she and Wilkerson struggled to hold back tears—Brady was quick to call them out on their emotional state.

“People were passing us tissues! My husband and I sat in the front. We usually sit in the back of the church. But there we were, right in the aisle, just crying,” Hart laughed. “And [Brady’s] like, ‘I looked over at you guys. You were just a mess.’ Like, sorry!”

Although Hart didn’t foresee Brady’s dedication to faith, she mentioned that it has always played a significant role in their family life. They “lean into” their religion by praying “at every meal, before traveling,” and “morning and night when someone is struggling.”

“This year has been challenging for us, with the loss of loved ones and a friend battling cancer,” she noted. “So it’s been a rough year, and we’ve truly relied on prayer as a family.”

Additionally, the family frequently “quotes Scripture” and the kids observe their father reading the Bible each morning at 5:30 before they hear it playing in the car.

“So they witness a lot of that faith. I believe through that faith, they’ve grown stronger,” she added.

Hart and Wilkerson have also taught their sons the importance of giving back from a young age. She reminisced about one of their sons being captivated by a rainbow as a child, which inspired him to sell bracelets backstage on the set of her sitcom Melissa and Joey. He later donated the proceeds to the MaxLove Project, which aims to improve the quality of life for families facing childhood cancer, rare diseases, and chronic hospitalizations.

This led the family to discover World Vision, a Christian humanitarian non-profit dedicated to providing water, healthcare, education, and protection to children worldwide. Over the past four years, Hart and her family have sponsored three girls “for our three boys” in Zambia, even visiting them in 2019 and 2023.

“In those four years of participating in the program, the impact of even a small amount of money we contribute has been astonishing,” she expressed. “They once had a tiny structure on the property where about 15 girls would sleep, and they lacked access to clean water, which meant the girls had to walk long distances for water. They also had a small garden that produced just leafy greens, and no proper bathroom.”

Thanks to their contributions and the generosity of others, Hart reported that the village now has a well, enabling the girls to have enough time to attend school. A new “hygiene program” has been initiated, and Hart has gifted bicycles to help the girls travel to and from their classes.

“You can gift goats to families in Honduras, or provide medical supplies to families in Africa. The options in World Vision’s gift catalog are extensive—from animals to backpacks to school supplies to feminine hygiene products,” she explained. “You can find what families need, make a donation, and provide help. It truly is a gift that keeps giving.”

Hart emphasized that during the holiday season, gifting in someone else’s name can be a meaningful alternative when you’re unsure of their personal preferences.

“Especially for individuals you may not know well, it’s a great gift idea when you think, ‘Do I get them a candle? Or what if they don’t drink and I give them wine?’” Hart noted. “Instead of contributing to more clutter in someone’s closet or giving something someone will likely re-gift, why not do something that genuinely matters and will truly help people?”