Volume 11, no. 1, SPRInG 2017

In THIS ISSue2

The Annual Gathering

3BWIM News

4-52016 BWIM Supporters

6“Self-Care: Ain’t Nobody

Got Time for That”by Mary Alice Birdwhistell

7 “What if We Tried

a Little Amplification” by Pam Durso

8A Church that Gives

Vocarea voice for women in baptist life

P. o. Box 941294ATlAnTA, GA 31141-1294

404-513-6022

FolloW BWIm on FACeBooK, InSTAGRAm & TWITTeR.

ouR VISIonBaptist Women in Ministry will be a catalyst in Baptist life, drawing together women and men, in partnership with God, to illuminate, advocate, and nurture the gifts and graces of women.

Worship at 10 a.m. • Lunch at 11:15 a.m. Lunch Tickets are $25 and will be available on the BWIM website on March 15.

Be watching the BWIM Facebook Page and the BWIM E-newsletter for more details.

celebrate and Worship with Baptist Women in MinistryWeDneSDAY, June 28, 2017

SmoKe RISe BAPTIST CHuRCH, STone mounTAIn, GeoRGIA

ossie X. McKinneyOur Worship Leader

KASey JOneSOur Preacher

CRoSSRoADS: DISCoVeRInG THe SACReD In eVeRY JouRneY

BAptiSt WOMen in MiniStry

leADeRSHIP TeAm

Mary Alice Birdwhistell

Lynn Brinkley

Scott Claybrook

Taryn Deaton

Daniel Glaze

Carol McEntyre

Starlette McNeill

Deborah Reeves

Tambi Swiney

exeCuTIVe DIReCToRPam Durso

pamdurso@bwim.info

exeCuTIVe ASSISTAnTAshley Robinson

ashleyrobinson@bwim.info

InTeRnMeagan Smith

meagansmith@bwim.info

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Baptist Women in Ministry will host its annual gathering on June 28 at Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, Georgia, where we will worship together, fellowship with friends both old and new, and as always enjoy exceptionally good food!

Our worship theme this year is “Crossroads: Discovering the Sacred in Every Journey.” Each of us stands in liminal spaces—most every day—deciding which path to take, figuring out which road to follow, pondering our future. Such is not a new experience. God’s people have long stood in the crossroads. Jeremiah 6:16 reminds us that this is an age-old quandary: “The LORD said to the people: ‘You are standing at the crossroads. So consider your path. Ask where the old, reliable paths are. Ask where the path is that leads to blessing and follow it. If you do, you will find rest for your souls.’”

In his book, The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred, Phil Cousineau writes “If we truly want to know the secret of soulful travel, we need to believe that there is something sacred waiting to be discovered in virtually every journey.” (xxiv) Join with us in June as together we explore the sacred in our journeys.

WoRSHIPWorship begins at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning, June 28, at Smoke Rise Baptist Church, 5901 Hugh Howell Road, Stone Mountain, Georgia. Our preacher is Kasey Jones, pastor of National Memorial Baptist Church, Washington, D.C., and our worship leader is Ossie X. McKinney, minister of music at Faith Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia.

lunCHLunch will be served following worship. Tickets for lunch are $25 and will be available on March 15 on the BWIM website – www.bwim.info. More details to come soon.

WoRKSHoPDuring the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s General Assembly Baptist Women in Ministry will host “Allies, Advocates, and Amplifiers,” a panel-based workshop that focuses attention on how men and women can be allies, advocates, and amplifiers for women ministers and leaders in the church. Join this panel of influential male and female leaders within the Fellowship and hear their suggestions and ideas for moving forward together.

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BAptiSt WOMen in MiniStry neWS BWIm’sleADInG Women Leading Women, an event co-sponsored by Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Baptist Women in Ministry, will celebrate the influence and voices of women from across the Fellowship movement. This three-day, intergenerational gathering will be held on April 26-28 at First Baptist Church, Knoxville, Tennessee, and will include time for conversation, worship, leadership development, networking, and deepening relationships.

mARTHA STeARnS mARSHAll monTH oF PReACHInG Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching began in 2007. That year, 54 churches participated in this initiative. In 2016, 211 churches participated. This year BWIM will celebrate the tenth anniversary of MSM! MSM celebrates the preaching voices of women while also offering churches the opportunity to stand together in their support of women preachers.

menToRInG In 2016, with the help of a generous grant from the Forum for Theological Exploration, BWIM expanded and formalized its mentoring program. Five mentoring groups were formed—two for new pastors, one for associate ministers, and two for outside-the-box ministers, which includes chaplains, leaders in non-profits, bi-vocational ministers, and ministers working in non-traditional settings. Each group includes one mentor and four participants with a total of twenty-five ministers now involved in the program. The groups gathered for a

retreat in January 2017 and will spend the next year learning from a seasoned minister, sharing life together, and establishing healthy habits and practices for ministry.

PlACemenT Baptist Women in Ministry offers placement help both to churches and candidates. Numerous churches reach out to BWIM, asking for resumes, recommendations, and information about potential ministry candidates, and the BWIM staff responds to each request and provides assistance. The BWIM staff also provides placement help to numerous candidates, both women and men, coaching them on resume preparation, interviewing and negotiating skills, and serving as a connecting point between many of the candidates and search committees. BWIM’s assistance is provided as a ministry, and there are no fees for our services.

THe BWIm WeBSITe The BWIM website is packed full of resources, including information about Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching, the Addie Davis Awards, and a resource page, which includes maternity leave policies, ordination and installation service resources, placement and personnel helps, state and regional BWIM contact information, and a list of helpful books and articles.

THe BWIm BloG Baptist Women in Ministry welcomes you to read, enjoy, and share our blog. Read Pam Durso’s weekly blog on Wednesdays, and meet an amazing array of ministers each Friday in our series, THIS IS WHAT A MINISTER LOOKS LIKE.

CleRGY SexuAl mISConDuCT TASK FoRCe In 2016, along with Stephen Reeves, Pam Durso helped form a Task Force to address clergy sexual misconduct. The Task Force is working on best practice policies for church and organizations within Baptist life, offering educational resources through workshops and in seminaries, and addressing resources for survivors.

DAYS oF DISCeRnmenT FoR ColleGe Women Each year BWIM hosts one or more “Day of Discernment” events for college women. These events create intentional space for college women to reflect on and discern their God-given calling. Two “Day of Discernment” events are planned for 2017.

AnnuAL GAtherinG

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Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, Georgia

Ashley Robinson was the 2016 Martha Stearns Marshall preacher at Beulah Baptist Church,

Deveraux, Georgia.

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tO BAptiSt WOMen in MiniStry SuPPoRTeRS, 2016

WITH muCH THAnKS

InDIVIDuAlSMonthly GiversAlyssa AldapeCourtney AllenMissy Ward AngallaJessica AsbellLauren and David BassIrene Bennett Mary Alice BirdwhistellKatie BrayLynn BrinkleyKatrina BrooksGary BurtonPaul and Shauw Chin Capps Becky Caswell-Speight and Josh SpeightRuth ClowaterJeni Cook FurrTaryn DeatonPaula DempseyEllen DiGiosiaAlex DursoPam DursoPam Foster Christy McMillin GoodwinAdam GraySarah GreenfieldErin and Jake Hall Mary Elizabeth and Matt HancheyYvonne HaroldKristen Harris-BridwellIrcel HarrisonJenny HodgeKarlan HolikEmily HolladayJane HullBecky and Doug Jackson Craig JanneyBarry and LeAnn JohnsLibby Johnson Kelly Moreland Jones

Linda Jones Ruth Perkins LeeAmy LinJulie LongRebecca MathisAmy McClureEmily Hull McGeeOssie McKinneyStarlette McNeillKristen MuseMegan and Marty PikeKristen PopeKevin PranotoStacy Pyle Deborah ReevesStephanie RileySara RobbCharity RobersonAshley RobinsonJulie SadlerKatrina Salter-WoodRobin SandbotheTiffany Brown SeafordEllen SechrestStephanie Moody ShafferTamara SmathersMeagan SmithMaria StinnettJames and Meredith StoneTambi SwineyDavid Tew Molly Shoulta TuckerTonya VickeryWill WardCharles WatsonDoug and Pat WeaverAshton WellsDonald Williford

Annual GiversMary Yangsook AhnNancy AmmermanGerald Arnold

Jennifer AsbillDiana AustinPatricia AyersCatherine BahnJudith Bledsoe BaileyPatricia BaldwinHarold BassCaroline BellLibby BellingerStacy BlackmonDoris BlackwellCarolyn BlevinsMargaret BrooksTara BrooksCaralie Nelson BrownAnn and Kent BrownBrenda and Reid BuckelewCharles and Diane BuggEileen Campbell-ReedMegan CarterSusan and Tony CartledgeAli ChappellBetsy CherryCindy and Ryan ClarkScott ClaybrookElizabeth CoatesReba CobbAllyson and Matt CookDolores and Melvin CooperCherilyn CroweJim and Susan CrumplerJayne DavisLeah Grundset DavisRonald DavisAmelia and Paul DebusmanRuth DembyDeneise DillonMelanie DoverTillie DuncanGreg EarwoodCharlotte EpleyAmy Joyner FinkelbergSue Fitzgerald

Betsy FlowersMary and Scott FoskettMarie FoxCharles FullerPenny GammillDon GarnerNeita GeilkerChris GeorgeKaren GilbertDaniel GlazeSteve GrahamLibby GrammerBrenda HaferJanice HaleKate HanchNatalie HardemanNikki HardemanEd and Judy HareGenie HargroveMerianna HarrelsonJohn HarrisMary Nell HarrisJanice HaywoodClaire HeltonWilliam Craig HenryDiane HillDan HobbsDock HollingsworthDalen and Shari JacksonBarbara JohnsFrances and Joseph JonesRichard KahoeElizabeth KennettJay KieveCheryl KimbleVallerie KingBrittany KrebsMelissa KremerJoe LaguardiaJudy LandonDay LaneDeirdre LaNoueNancy Lee

Laura LevensLinda LewisDeborah LoftisJewel LondonAngela LoweNora LozanoJane LyonJoan and Terry MaplesMolly T. MarshallAdell and Jerry MartinGloria and Phill MartinSusan and Tom MartinJuanita MaxeyMelody MaxwellRebecca Husband MaynardJudy McCallCarol McEntyreHannah McMahanDavid and Sarah MurrayNatasha NedrickEsther Soud ParkerRandy ParksStephanie PattersonSuzii PaynterJulie Pennington-RussellRoger PittardBill and Ruth PittsLeDayne PolaskiPeggy Sanderford PonderAurelia PrattKimberly PriddyBo ProsserSusan ReedBrittany RiddleAlexia RiggsLorita and Mac RobinsonLinda RogersPatti and Royce RoseAnthony Mark RozaRo RuffinKenda RussellRob and Janie SellersPaula SettleRachel Gunter ShapardJo Ann SharkeyCrystal ShepherdKathy SheredaDelores SmithJames and Debra SmithLayne SmithKelsey StillwellLaura Stephens-ReedClarissa Strickland

Stephanie SwansonBill and Leta TillmanKristen TuckerTommy ValentineCarrie VealBrent and Nancy WalkerRhonda WaltonChrista WariseChris and Kara WheelerAmy WhittingtonMark and Rebecca WiggsChris and Amy WilkinsJessica and Daren WilliamsJean WillinghamAnn and David WilsonBarbara and Wade WoodTiffany WrightJoyce Cope WyattOuida WyattBrett and Carol Younger

CHuRCHeS Monthly GiversGrace Baptist Church, Richmond, VALamberth Memorial Baptist Church, Roxboro, NCNorthminster Baptist Church, Jackson, MS

Annual GiversBall Camp Baptist Church, Knoxville, TNBeulah Baptist Church, Deveraux, GABlacksburg Baptist Church, Blacksburg, VABroadway Baptist Church, Louisville, KYCalvary Baptist Church, Asheville, NCCalvary Baptist Church, Waco, TXCommunity Baptist Church, Milledgeville, GACornerstone Church, Snellville, GAFirst Baptist Church, Abilene, TXFirst Baptist Church, Ahoskie, NCFirst Baptist Church, Asheville, NCFirst Baptist Church, Dalton, GAFirst Baptist Church, Greenville, SCFirst Baptist Church, Gretna, VAFirst Baptist Church, Madison, NCGreenwood Forest Baptist Church, Cary, NCHaddock Baptist Church, Haddock, GAHayes Barton Baptist Church, Raleigh, NCMilledge Avenue Baptist Church, Athens, GA Northside Baptist Church, Clinton, MSPintlala Baptist Church, Pintlala, ALSecond Baptist Church, Liberty, MOSecond Baptist Church, Lubbock, TXSmoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, GAWatts Street Baptist Church, Durham, NCWilliamsburg Baptist Church, Richmond, VA

oRGAnIZATIonSMonthly GiversCooperative Baptist FellowshipSmyth & Helwys Publishers

Annual GiversCampus Ministries, Carson Newman UniversityCooperative Baptist Fellowship FoundationCooperative Baptist Fellowship of ArkansasCooperative Baptist Fellowship of North CarolinaCooperative Baptist Fellowship of South CarolinaCooperating Baptist Fellowship of Oklahoma

SeminariesBaptist Seminary in KentuckyBaptist Theological Seminary at RichmondBaylor University’s Truett SeminaryCampbell University Divinity SchoolCentral Baptist Theological SeminaryDuke University Divinity SchoolGardner-Webb University School of DivinityHardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon SeminaryMercer University’s McAfee School of TheologyWake Forest University Divinity School

Gifts Made in Honor or MemoryJim and Susan Crumpler in memory of Carolyn CrumplerAlex Durso in honor of Pam DursoPam Foster in memory of Marjorie GravesDaniel Glaze in honor of Pam Durso and Ashley RobinsonKathleen Hanch in honor of Sue Murphy JasperCaleb Hopkins in honor of Ellen SechrestNora Lozano in honor of Catherine B. AllenJewel London in honor of Pam DursoMolly T. Marshall in honor of Angela LoweJulie Pennington-Russell in honor of Dorisanne CooperPaula Settle in honor of Trudy JohnsonStephanie Moody Shaffer in honor of Pam Durso

When I first began to hear about the importance of self-care for ministers, I thought, “that sounds nice.” But I also thought, in the words of YouTube

sensation Kimberly “Sweet Brown” Wilkins, “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”

I interpreted self-care to be optional or “as needed.” My philosophy was to take care of myself every now and then so that I did not burn out. If I am being honest, the idea of self-care just seemed selfish. I felt guilty stopping to care for myself when it seemed like there were so many other more important things that needed to be done.

Now, seven years into ministry, I still don’t have time for self-care. There are always more e-mails that need to be sent; more people who need pastoral care and encouragement; more plans need to be made for church events or community endeavors.

Yet despite the relentless busyness of ministry, I now choose to make time for self-care. I have discovered that it is absolutely necessary for my physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, and the well-being of those whom I serve.

Because I have watched seasoned ministers who prioritize self-care continue to thrive in beautiful ways for years into their ministry.

Because I have seen even more seasoned ministers burn out at both ends and become cynical, jaded, unhealthy, and exhausted.

Because I have learned the hard way what happens when I do not take care of myself.

Because our church is in an interim period, and all the sudden, I am the only full-time ministerial staff person. I certainly do not have a lot of extra time these days, but I know that if I do not make time to care for myself, I cannot be present to my congregation in the ways that are most needed right now.

I love what Parker Palmer has to say about self-care in his book, Let Your Life Speak. He says, “Self-care is never a selfish act—it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others. Anytime we can listen to the true self and give it the care it requires, we do so not only for ourselves but for the many others whose lives we touch.”

These days I am trying to follow Parker Palmer’s advice. I am relentlessly carving out time in my schedule for the things that feed my soul, for the activities that nurture and strengthen my body, for time with the people with whom I can simply be me, for friends in ministry who understand this life and journey with me through it, for the simple pleasures that give me great joy, and for the God who continues to abide faithfully with me, even when I think I have more important things to do than to abide faithfully with God.

Friends, if you and I are to follow in the way of Jesus, who taught us to love God and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, then that includes truly loving ourselves and allowing ourselves to be loved. May we be people who daily choose to make time for that.

Mary Alice Birdwhistell is associate pastor at Calvary Baptist Church, Waco, Texas.

Ain’t nOBOdy GOt tiMe fOr thAtSelF-CARe:by Mary Alice Birdwhistell

Amplification.” It was not a new word to me, but it was a new use of the word.

Back in September 2016, the Washington Post ran a story about female staffers at the White House, who had adopted a meeting strategy that they called “amplification.” The story goes like this . . . and it is a familiar one for women in all professions, but even more so for women ministers.

Back in 2009, when President Barack Obama took office, the majority of his staff was male, and the few presidential female staff members often found themselves excluded from meetings—not invited to the table or welcomed to the conference. When those women finally did make it into a meeting, their voices were ignored.

Does that sound familiar? All too often women ministers have been overlooked, discounted, or even snubbed, and when the invitation finally arrives to participate, our voices are unheard. Recently, I was in a meeting with fifty or so religious leaders—the majority of those were male executives of denominations or faith organizations. There were only a handful of women in the room. I sat quietly at the table—I am a listener by nature, but after a while, I wasn’t listening to the words spoken, I was listening for female voices. Somewhere along the way, I realized that none of the women, all of whom are also leaders in their faith groups, none of those women spoke up. The men dominated the conversation, and when finally a woman made a comment, she was hesitant and spoke very briefly. I left that meeting greatly disturbed—not because what had happened was a surprise to me, but disturbed because the

women present that day were exceptionally brilliant and gifted. Some of them make their living by speaking or preaching. And yet at that table, they did not feel comfortable enough to offer their opinion.

This is where amplification comes in. After President Obama took office, his female staffers began talking among themselves. They recognized their shared dilemma of not being heard. So together they adopted the amplification strategy. They decided that when a woman spoke up at a meeting and offered insight or made a suggestion, another woman would immediately repeat the first woman’s words and give her credit—her name would be called and her ideas affirmed. Their strategy encouraged the women to speak up–to share their opinions. The strategy also forced the male staffers and even the president to recognize the women’s contributions.

One of the female staffers noted, “We just started doing it, and made a purpose of doing it. It was an everyday thing.” The president noticed, she said, and he called on women more often. During his second term, women made advances. Their voices were heard and taken seriously. Their speaking on behalf of one another and affirming each other’s words and ideas helped change a male-dominated environment.

After reading the Washington Post story (thanks to my friend, Tambi Swiney, who told me about it), I started wondering what amplification would look like if we as women ministers adopted it as our strategy. What if we spoke out on behalf of each other? What if we publicly affirmed each other’s words and gifts? What if we intentionally credited each other and spoke the names of those with good ideas out loud? What if we boldly recommended one another to pulpit committees, conference planners, book editors? What if we amplified our minister sisters?

What if . . . what if we lived as a sisterhood committed to amplification?Pam Durso is the executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry, Atlanta, Georgia.

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WHAT IF We TRIeD A LittLe AMpLificAtiOnby Pam Durso

Pam DursoMary Alice Birdwhistell

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The 2016-2017 BWIM Leadership Team and Staff : Taryn Deaton, Lynn Brinkley, Deborah Reeves, Ashley Robinson, Mary Alice Birdwhistell,

Pam Durso, Starlette McNeill, Tambi Swiney, and Scott Claybrook

BAPTIST Women In mInISTRYp. o. Box 941294Atlanta, GA 31141-1294

Address service requested

A CHuRCH THAT GIVeSGrAce BAptiSt church, richMOnd, VirGiniA

Grace Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia, founded in 1833, has for many years nurtured and encouraged the callings and gifts of women. Lynn Clanton, a lifelong member of the church and a former music director, says of Grace, “Sixty plus years ago, this was a pretty typical Southern Baptist church. It certainly is not now. It has been a gradual change from accepting women in ministry positions to having lots of diversity in memberships. I like who we are now.” Wanda Sauely Fennell, the minister of music, echoes that sentiment. She and her family were drawn to Grace in part by its stance on women: “It was very important for us for our daughters to see women in leadership roles in the church.”

For over twenty-five years, Grace has lived out that commitment. In 1991, the church called Betty Pugh Mills as minister of church family life, and six years later, the congregation named her as their pastor. Betty served in that role from 1997 to 2013, when she was called as pastor by

Hampton Baptist Church in Hampton, Virginia. In July 2015, Grace called a new pastor, Courtney Allen, who served on the BWIM Leadership Team from 2012-2015.

Baptist Women in Ministry gives thanks for Grace Baptist Church and is grateful for the church’s consistent and faithful support since 2013. BWIM is also greatly appreciative of Grace member Judith Bledsoe Bailey, who also served on the BWIM Leadership Team from 2012-2015.

Grace’s support and ongoing contributions make possible BWIM’s work of advocating, connecting, and networking. You too can be a supporter. Give online at www.bwim.info/give or send in a contribution to Baptist Women in Ministry, P.O. Box 941294, Atlanta, GA 31141-1294.

Courtney Allen Photo credit: Makayla Levison

non-profit Org.

u.S. pOStAGe

PAIDpermit no. 11

Athens, GA