perpetual motion

Elba, AL is a quaint town in south Alabama. I've been here since Wednesday night working with Covenant Community Church on a maternal health initiative. This Sunday I preach on Luke 10:38 - 42. In preparation for the sermon I read a great paragraph from the IVP Women's Bible Commentary.

"Luke is a book of journeys, but it is also a book that recognizes the importance of hospitality. The homeless and the travelers have need of shelter and of a caring reception at the end of the day. In accounts of the early church we are made especially aware of the women who received traveling evangelists into their homes . . . Theirs was the responsibility not only to provide food and housing for the itinerant missionary but also to assess the message that was brought. This required that the women must be carefully taught and possess a strong understanding of the fundamentals of the gospel." pg. 574

Lately I've been an itinerant minister. A lot of time is spent in my car. I'm thankful for those who house me along the way (Lauran, Tamara, Meg, Kate, LeAnn, Janet, Lori, Traci, Valerie and Allan, and . . . ). We truly are partners in ministry.

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Pulpits for Women

This year the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship held their General Assembly in Washington DC. It was thrilling to catch up with Sparkfly readers.

On Friday a group toured the historic home of the National Woman's Party now known as the Sewall-Belmont House (www.sewallbelmont.org). We learned of heroic measures taken in order to secure women the right to vote. It is amazing for me to think that my great-grandmother was not allowed to vote when she turned 18. It wasn't until 1920 that women in this country were able to cast their ballots.

Votes for Women was a common slogan during the Suffrage campaigns of the 19th and 20th centuries. Some on our tour of the Sewall-Belmont House decided we should begin a campaign called, "Pulpits for Women." In honor of the campaign, please meet Martha . . .

Martha Stearns Marshall was an eighteenth-century Separate Baptist Preacher. Martha was noted for her zeal and eloquence. (www.bwim.info)

In 2007, Baptist Women in Ministry initiated the Martha Stearns Marshall Day of Preaching to encourage churches to invite women to preach. The first Sunday of February is designated as the annual Martha Stearns Marshall Day of Preaching.

Question: Women preach in our church a lot. Should we participate?

Answer: Yes, if your pastor is a woman or women preach from your pulpit often, your church is still encouraged to participate. The Martha Stearns Marshall Day of Preaching is designed to offer opportunities to women who do not typically have access to the pulpit.

Question: Who should we ask to preach?

Answer: Consider asking a seminary student or a female on your church staff. If you don’t have access to seminary students, contact the BWIM office for recommendations in your area. The Martha Stearns Marshall Day of Preaching gives women an opportunity to gain valuable experience preparing a sermon, contributing as a worship leader, and interacting with a congregation on a Sunday morning.


For more information or to register your church please visit www.bwim.info, email LeAnn Gunter at leann@peachtreebaptist.net, or call 404-634-2463.

Pulpits for Women,
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