Baptist Women in Ministry currently has 117 individuals, churches, and organizations that give monthly to our work. We would love to have 140 monthly supporters, and this week we hope to add at twenty-three donors to our giving list! Monthly gifts provide dependable income for Mentoring Program! Small monthly gifts of $10 or $20 or larger monthly gifts of $50 or $75 make a significant difference! Read Natasha’s story about how important the Mentoring Program has been for her, and join her in giving monthly to BWIM!
When I was three years old, my family went on a vacation at the beach. Of course, I couldn’t help but run all over the place. I wanted to touch, feel, and experience everything. I would dart off, and my mom would have to catch me. On the last dart, I ran right into a mound of fire ants. They began to cover my body. My dad rushed out of the water, leaving my older sister, and both my parents flung me into the water to get the ants off. That’s how my sister learned how to swim.
In the chaos, she was left to figure it out. Sink or swim. Unfortunately, that’s how many women are forced to develop their ministry gifts. The opportunity to engage with women who are pastors and serving in vocational ministry is rare, so we often go without mentors and just have to figure it out.
That’s exactly how I felt in seminary. It was clear the path that women often take in ministry is different from men, yet I had no formal setting to figure it out. Thankfully, I saw a Facebook post about Baptist Women in Ministry’s mentoring program. I cannot express how valuable it is to be in a cohort of strong, impassioned women who are living out their callings. We discussed everything from clothes, to preaching style, to pay scales for performing weddings and funerals. We were able to be real and hold each other accountable. I’m glad I don’t have to figure it out alone.
I give to BWIM so that other women will have an opportunity to be part of the mentoring program.
Natasha Nedrick is executive assistant and project specialist for Global Missions at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Decatur, Georgia.