Once a month we take the opportunity to meet women who are fulfilling God’s Call in whatever their ministry looks like. We look to the past, present and the leaders of the future.
Rebecca from Nigeria
Open Doors Partner
Rebecca, an Open Doors partner in Nigeria, was forced to flee her home twice to escape Boko Haram – but she has started a small NGO to serve widows and orphans in her city. She said, “We were all refugees at that time, and we all needed help, but I saw that many widows needed more help than I did.” Her team of volunteers are supporting 2,000 widows every month.
Suaad from Iraq
tailor/ teacher
Suaad is a tailor in Iraq, who was forced to flee her home in Bashiqa to escape the self-proclaimed Islamic State. Now she lives in Erbil, where Open Doors set up a sewing factor through a local church; Suaad is the manager. “I know my brother can barely support his own family now, so whatever I get I share with him,” she said. She teaches other displaced women sewing skills so they can support their families, and also regularly gives away clothes to those in need. “It’s what I like most about the job: that I can share with those in a worse position than me,” she said.
Candice Marie Benbow
writer and public theologian
Candice Marie Benbow work focuses on women’s healing and wholeness. Her essays can be found at various outlets including ESSENCE, Glamour, Vice, and MadameNoire. Candice Marie Benbow situates her work at the intersections of beauty, baking, faith, feminism and culture, giving voice to Black women’s shared experiences of healing and journeying toward wholeness. Some of Candice’s most important work has been partnering with religious institutions, faith leaders and communities to reimagine how faith can be a tool of liberation and transformation for women and girls.
She can also be found at candicebenbow.com.
Karen Gonzalez
Author
Karen Gonzalez, a native of Guatemala, is a speaker, writer, and immigrant advocate, who lives in Baltimore, Md. Her first book is The God Who Sees: Immigrants, the Bible, and the Journey to Belong. An immigrant from Guatemala, González studied at Fuller Theological Seminary. She has worked in the nonprofit world for more than ten years and is a former public school teacher. González, who lives in Baltimore, has written about spiritual formation, Latinx identity, race, gender, the Enneagram, and immigration. Her work has been published in Sojourners, Christ and Pop Culture, Faithfully Magazine, Mutuality Magazine, The Mudroom, and The Salt Collective.
Connect with her at Karen-Gonzalez.com.
Dr. Christine Jones
theologian & undergraduate professor at Carson-Newman University
B.A., Ouachita Baptist University (1999)., M.Div., George W. Truett Theological Seminary (2003)., Ph.D., Baylor University (2009). She teaches a variety of Old Testament courses, Faith, Freedom, and the Individual, Women in Biblical history, etc. Dr. Jones is the staff oversight for S.W.I.M.M (supporting women in ministry & missions). She is an advocate for female preachers/pastors and helps women discern their calling from God. In the past, she served on staff at churches in Arkansas and Texas in the areas of children and youth ministry. She occasionally provides pulpit supply for churches in East Tennessee.
Rev. Sharon Welsch
Associate Pastor
Sharon Howell Welsch, Associate Pastor, is a native of North Carolina. She holds a Doctorate in Worship Studies from The Robert E. Webber Institute of Worship. She lives in Mars Hill with her husband, Bill and five cats. She and her husband additionally minister to the community through the feeding program, “The Lord’s Harvest.”
Connect with her at http://www.lordsharvestforthehungry.org/
Rev. Lauren Efird
Senior Pastor at Greenwood Forest Baptist Church in Cary, NC.
Lauren earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Psychology at Campbell University and received her Master of Divinity at Duke University. Before coming to Greenwood Forest, Lauren served as a chaplain at UNC Hospitals. Rev. Efird made national news last year when one of her members, Gilles Bikindou, a Congolese immigrant, was suddenly detained and deported by I.C.E. while suffering with life-threatening health issues.
Rev. LISA HARTZOG
Pastor, Mars Hill United Methodist Church
Rev. Lisa Hartzog was appointed pastor of Mars Hill United Methodist Church in July 2018. Prior to her seminary training, she attended North Carolina State University in Raleigh, becoming a mechanical engineer before responding to her call to minister. Before being appointed pastor of Mars Hill United Methodist Church, Lisa served five other United Methodist Churches in the WNCC
ms. preacher lady 