BWIM 2025 Annual Gathering

November 6-8, 2025

NOVEMBER 6-8, 2025

SECOND-PONCE DE LEON BAPTIST CHURCH

ATLANTA, GA

The BWIM Annual Gathering is a multi-day event where Baptist women in ministry, our supporters, and partners come together for worship, learning, and community. Join us for inspiring worship, plenary sessions and conversations that highlight women’s voices, leadership, and experiences, and be in the room for the release of the State of Women in Baptist Life Report 2025! You’ll also experience opportunities for connection through peer groups, coaching, spiritual direction, and fellowship. We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta where you’ll find a place for encouragement, renewal, celebration, solidarity, and support!

Schedule

This event will include the release of the 2025 State of Women in Baptist Life Report.

Thursday

4:00 PM – 6:30 PM Check-in / Registration

5:30 PM – 6:45 PM Dinner

7:00 PM Worship
Rev. Barbara Lavarin, preacher

8:30 PM Reception

Friday

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Presentation of the 2025 State of Women in Baptist Life Report and Response

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Lunch, provided

1:00 PM Plenary, Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale

2:00 PM Plenary Talk Back Discussion

2:45 PM – 7:00 PM Optional Activities and Dinner on Your Own (*see below for a list of optional activities)

7:00 PM Worship, Rev. Joy Martinez-Marshall, preacher

8:30 PM After Party, TBA

Saturday

7:00 AM – 10:00 AM Optional Activities (*see below for list of optional activities)

8:45 AM – 9:45 AM *Come to the Table Led by Deborah Garrard, Executive Director and Lead Coach at be(e) well serve well, a nonprofit wellness initiative

10:00 AM Communion Service, Rev. Nikki Hardeman

11:00 AM Event Concludes

*Come To the Table

This will be a meditation of movement, sound, and stillness, preparing the body & soul to receive the body & blood of communion with Christ and one another. It will be led by Deborah Garrard, Executive Director and Lead Coach at be(e) well serve well, a nonprofit wellness initiative

- - NOT a yoga class – scripture-based meditation.
  - No special clothing or mats needed. I will have some mats but mostly we will sit on the carpeted floor. (Think of all the dirt floors where the disciples sat!) Chairs will be available.
  - Gentle movement, all levels, ages,
  - Mostly stretching, breathing, and opening to receive Spirit.
  - Movement will be approx. 20 minutes of the full hour leading to . . .stillness, reflection, releasing, receiving.
  - There will be background music, crystal bowls – symbolizing our bodies as sacred bowls, being emptied to be filled with the body of Christ.

*Optional Activities

Peer Community Groups: Attendees have the option of being grouped with peers in order to share in community during the Annual Gathering. On the registration form, you can select whether or not you would like to participate in this aspect of the Annual Gathering and can indicate various areas around which you might want to be grouped with peers. We know that many attendees already have peers and friends that they intend to spend time with during the gathering, but we also want to create opportunities for those who are looking to create new peer relationships.

Spiritual Direction: You will have the opportunity to sign up for hour-long spiritual direction sessions during the optional activities times on Friday and Saturday. Spiritual direction sessions are available for a fee set by each director.

Coaching: You will have the opportunity to sign up for hour-long coaching sessions during the optional activities times on Friday and Saturday. Coaching sessions are available for a fee set by each coach.

Keynote Speaker

Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale

Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale is the founding and Senior Pastor of the Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Georgia. Dr. Hale has been in ministry for 46 years. She established ELAH Pastoral Ministries, Inc., a mentorship program that assists in the development of pastors and para-church leaders in 2004 and convened her first Women in Ministry Conference in 2005. In 2010, she authored her first book, I’m A Piece of Work: Sisters Shaped by God.

Dr. Hale presently serves as the Chairperson of the IC3 Conference Board, a member of the Board of Trustees at Hollins University, a member of the UNCF NFEI Advisory Council, a member of the Welcome.US Council and an emeritus member of the Board of Visitors of the Divinity School at Duke University. She is most recently the past President for the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference. Dr. Hale is an active Lifetime member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Dr. Hale is a native of Roanoke, Virginia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hollins College. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from Duke University and a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary. Dr. Hale is a contributing writer for many books and publications and the recipient of numerous honors and recognitions including in 2023 when she was honored with the Duke University Distinguished Alumni Award.

Worship Leader

Rev. Dr. Ossie McKinney

Rev. Dr. Ossie McKinney serves as Worship Pastor and Director of Worship Arts at Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. For more than 40 years, she has led congregations in music and worship. She is also the Director of Research and Administration for Outreach and Growth with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, where she develops resources that share the stories of racial justice advocates and equip congregations to engage in faithful action.

A gifted preacher, teacher, and storyteller, Dr. McKinney serves as an adjunct professor at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology, where she teaches a spring course on African American Spirituality and Social Justice. She is passionate about creating worship that weaves together song, scripture, and story to call the church toward justice, unity, and hope.

Ossie is married to Rev. Charles McKinney, Jr., and is a proud mother and grandmother of four. She brings her love of family, community, and the gospel into every space she serves.

Preachers

Rev. Barbara Lavarin

Thursday Night Preacher

Barbara serves as BWIM’s Director of Supporting Women in Ministry. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Barbara is a proud daughter of Haitian immigrants. Barbara earned her B.A. in Child Development from Tufts University and her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. Upon graduating from Princeton, She faithfully served as an Assistant to the Pastor for Youth and College Students at Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA until 2023. Throughout her ministry, Barbara’s commitments include advocating for safe spaces for women and children and celebrating the role of the arts in prophetic witness. In addition to her work as the Director of Supporting Women in Ministry at Baptist Women in Ministry, Rev. Lavarin is a Spiritual Director.

Rev. Joy Martinez- Marshall

Friday Preacher

Joy Martinez-Marshall serves as the pastor of First Baptist Church of Ottawa, KS. She holds a B.A. in Religion from Baylor University and a M.Div. from George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Before serving at FBC Ottawa, Joy pastored in Lincoln, NE and Waco, TX. Joy is on the Board of Directors for Baptist Women in Ministry and serves on the American Baptist Churches USA’s Board of General Ministries. She is committed to helping the local church partner with what God is already doing in the neighborhood. Joy loves to cook and knows the value of the perfect game day snack. She and her husband, Austin, are avid sports fans and readers. When not cheering on Liverpool FC and the Dallas Mavs, they like to spend time with family and enthusiastically try any restaurant Guy Fieri has recommended.

Rev. Nikki Hardeman

Saturday Communion Service

Nikki serves as BWIM’s Director of Advocating for Women in Ministry. She received a Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University and a Bachelor of Arts from Mercer University. Following her education, she served local churches in Georgia through youth, young adult, and homebound ministry roles. She also ministered on the state denominational level as associate coordinator for congregational life at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia. She has also recently completed a tenure as Interim Pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, GA, the home congregation of President Jimmy Carter. Nikki also writes and produces a small-group Bible study curriculum called FaithElement.