Hi beloveds,
Mother’s Day is a beautiful time to reflect on the amazing legacies and lineages of those who have mothered us and those we love. I also recognize that Mother’s Day is complicated for so many for a plethora of reasons. Wherever you found yourself this Mother’s Day weekend and in the days to follow, I hope that you were and are surrounded with love and care. As we prepare for our annual Homegrown Women’s Preaching Festival this fall, I have asked one of our amazing Anita Mcleod interns here at the Resource Center, Anna Holmes Blair, to offer some lessons from her own life as someone raised by a host of preaching women. From our first coffee conversation as colleagues, Anna emphasized that a big part of the woman she is today is because of the preaching women (her mother, her grandmother, and her aunt) who have raised her and the impact that their courage has had on her journey. I hope you will enjoy and appreciate these beautiful memories and lessons from the women who have shaped her. I also hope it will encourage you to consider financially supporting the HOMEGROWN: NC Women’s Preaching Festival as we seek to lift the voices of local clergywomen and faith leaders right here in North Carolina. For more information on sponsorship packages and how you or your affiliated institution can become a sponsor, simply email Anna, at anna@rcwms.org or make a contribution on our website, www.rcwms.org.
Racquel: When many people think of clergy kids, they assume someone whose father or grandfather was a minister. What was the experience like having a grandmother who was a pastor?
Anna: Growing up around intelligent, compassionate, dedicated female ministers helped shape my faith to be based on an understanding of the Divine as the best parts of masculinity, femininity, and everything in between. Having a grandmother as a pastor shaped what I understood ministry to be. It was leading the church, preaching on Sunday, and caring for the congregation, but it was also nurturing, feeding, singing, caring for the children, and reaching out into the community. These are not side functions of the church. This is ministry. This is the calling of the church.
Racquel: How has being raised around women in ministry during your formative years shaped who you have become?
Anna: Seeing my grandmother, aunt, and mother preach powerfully from the pulpit instilled a vision of proclamation of the Good News that transcended gender. My grandmother pursued ministry when she didn’t know if she would find a church that would accept a female pastor. She followed her calling even when her health failed her. My mother has always been in ministry through music, discipleship, and leading the youth, but she has followed her calling to the pulpit despite countless obstacles and daunting uncertainty. Because of their example, I am less hesitant to follow God’s calling on my life, even when I feel I do not have the necessary words, power, or confidence. Their lives of ministry were bold even when they were weak. Their words were comforting even when they were scared. Their songs were beautiful even when their voices were shaky. Their faith to follow was nothing short of world-changing.
Racquel: What lessons have you learned from your grandmother’s journey, and what has been the best piece of advice she has offered to you?
Anna: My grandmother told stories of the resistance she faced when pursuing her calling to ministry. She described men in her classes who would say, “Well, who is going to raise the children while you are working? Don’t you feel bad for abandoning them?” She said that there will always be people doubting you and trying to hold you down or put you in a box. Her advice was, “Smile and nod, then do whatever the heck you need to do.”
For more information on the Homegrown Women’s Preaching Festival please visit us at https://ncwomenpreaching.com/.
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