I became a Christian as a teenager and my inclination toward leadership roles began at the same time. I helped with the youth group, sought ways to contribute as a young Airman after I enlisted in the Air Force, and when I became a mother, I organized play groups at different duty locations to meet and get to know other women in the same season of life. I sensed a calling to ministry three years ago when our family was stationed overseas. My journey embracing that calling–finding resources, mentors, and friends along the way to offer guidance and encouragement–has shaped my passion for helping other women realize their identities as daughters of God, empowered to serve and lead wherever they are, in whatever season of life they find themselves.
Living overseas for those two years profoundly transformed my faith. It forced me outside my cultural bubble in every way, and what a wonderful, glorious awareness it was to see that the Lord is everywhere, not just my home country! We shared life and left pieces of our hearts in Azerbaijan, and I will forever be grateful for how our time there opened my eyes to the global church.
In addition to cheering women on in however they are serving God, I am excited about the missional call on the church as a whole. All believers are sent out to make disciples, to demonstrate the great love of God through Jesus Christ. I adore the magnificent diversity within the church: We represent so many different talents and perspectives through which we can bring the Good News into our communities! We can trace this Spirit-inspired creativity all the way through Scripture, and LeadHer is one fantastic example of it right now.
My reason for starting a local chapter here in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area is simple: There wasn’t one yet! This is one of the busiest parts of the country, home to an ever-changing, dynamic community of people. My prayer is that the Anne Arundel County LeadHer local chapter can serve as an anchor for women to come together and grow deeply in the faith, be inspired to develop and use their leadership skills, and nurture their relationships with those around them. The sincere examples of bold faith I have already witnessed through Christie Love, Holly Madden, and my fellow coordinators are clarion calls that women of Christ can and are doing His work in the world right now!
Click here you are interested in learning about starting a chapter on a military base.