A collaborative effort between the Center for Leadership Excellence and the Commission for the Status and Role of Women, Encouragements are monthly emails written by women in ministry for women in ministry with the intent to encourage and offer suggestions for how women in ministry can support one another. The full archive of Encouragements since its inception in June 2019 is available below. If you would like to be added to our email list, sign up here.
Recent Encouragements
An Encouragement for November
As I learned the names and genders of the newly elected bishops of the Southeastern Jurisdiction, oh what joy that filled my soul when I realized that two of the three were our sisters in Christ. Not that we don’t have some amazing male bishops, but this was definitely a blessing for us as women in ministry.
An Encouragement for October
It seems there is so much tension in the air. Disagreements are at every turn…on the news, on talk shows, on social media, in our churches, and sometimes within our own families. Disagreements over things big and small, from theology to politics to the most heated debate of them all, "Does pineapple belong on pizza?" …
An Encouragement for September
It was the final day of the Wild Goose Festival, an event I have attended every summer since its beginning in 2010. The final worship service this year included a riveting sermon by Diana Butler Bass.
Full Archive of past Encouragements
| Month | Scripture / Topic | Contributor |
| November 2022 | Acts 2:17-18, God’s Call and Annointing | Gypsie Murdaugh |
| October 2022 | Ephesians 4:2-4, Loving through Disagreement | Grayson Dye |
| September 2022 | John 11:1, Mary the Tower | Claire Clyburn |
| August 2022 | Corinthians 12:18-20, Women in Ministry | Marisol Hernández |
| July 2022 | Acts: 2:1-4, The Power of Words | Cassidy Salter |
| June 2022 | Romans 5:3-5, Holding on to Hope | Amie Stewart |
| May 2022 | Revelation 7:9-17, Living into God’s Promises | Crystal DesVignes |
| April 2022 | Matthew 24:3-4, Beware that no one leads you astray | Donna Coletrane Battle |
| March 2022 | Psalm 139:13-14, May the Force be with You | Laura Wittman |
| February 2022 | Matthew 12:23-28, Bodies and Burnout | Erin Roesch |
| January 2022 | John 1:1-18, Just the Way You Are | Lindsay Collins |
| December 2021 | Luke 1:39-56, Magnificat | Ivy Parker |
| November 2021 | Psalm 46, Be Still and Know | Laure Kalau |
| October 2021 | Ruth 1:16-17, Women Taking a Stand Against Racism | Shannon Marie Berry |
| September 2021 | Galatians 6:9, Balcony People | Christine Harman |
| August 2021 | Exodus 3:11, Who Am I? | Sung Moy |
| July 2021 | Romans 15:13, Hope | Laura Dunlap |
| June 2021 | John 15:1-5, Stay Close | Liz Roberts |
| May 2021 | Psalm 23:1-4, Your Sacrificing Years | Laura Johnson |
| April 2021 | Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, Slipstreams | Gayle Tabor |
| March 2021 | Ecclesiastes 4:12, The Three-Stranded Rope | Liz Hounshell |
| February 2021 | Mark 1:29-39, A Pandemic Valentine’s | Heather Rodrigues |
| January 2021 | 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Ditch the Hats | Monica Beacham |
| December 2020 | Luke 1:39-42, Cheering Each Other On | Molly Shivers |
| November 2020 | John 9:1-3, God’s Works Revealed | Mitzi Johnson |
| October 2020 | Romans 2:2, Transform and Renew Your Mind | Laura Dunlap |
| September 2020 | Luke 12:54-56 and Esther 7:2-4, Trust Yourself and Use Your Voice | Shannon Marie Berry |
| August 2020 | Deuteronomy 30:8, Be Strong and Courageous | Carol W. Goehring |
| July 2020 | Genesis 29:2 and John 4:11, Strengthened at the Well | Hope Morgan Ward |
| June 2020 | Jeremiah 1:5-8 and 1 Timothy 4:12a, Comparison | Allison Lancaster |
| May 2020 | Lamentations 3:22-23 and James 1:17, Change | Rhonda Grant Jordan |
| April 2020 | Deuteronomy 31:6, Two Hour Watch | Dawn Hare |
| March 2020 | Job 3:10 – 4:4, Does Your Anger Serve You Well? | Sarah Swandell |
| February 2020 | Mark 6:30-31, Busy-itis | Rhonda Grant Jordan |
| January 2020 | Phillipians 4:1-12, Words that Create Worlds | Kris Williams |
| December 2019 | “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” What Song is in Your Heart Today? | Leah Wiebe-Smith |
| November 2019 | Ecclesiastes 3:1-13, Be Where You Are | Laura Fine Ledford |
| October 2019 | Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, Holy Boldness | Donna Fowler-Marchant |
| September 2019 | Isaiah 55:8-9, Two Kinds of Fear | Laura Dunlap |
| August 2019 | Psalm 88:8-9, Holy Complaint | Josey Snyder |
| July 2019 | 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Comforted to be a Comforter | Laura Dunlap |
| June 2019 | Matthew 5:15-16, Shining with the Light of Christ | Laura Dunlap |