I grew up in a matriarchal family that was mindful of community; we knew our neighbors, we helped one another. If a neighbor needed something from the mom n’ pop shop, our mother sent my siblings and I to get it. If someone in a nursing home needed prayer, my aunts went. If a person in the neighborhood was in dire straits, the community rallied around them. When one mourned, we all mourned. Through actions big and small, we created a beloved community where all were seen, heard and affirmed.
As the general secretary and CEO of United Women in Faith who now lives in New York City, I’ve come a long way from my humble roots in Tyler, Texas. But my values have not changed, nor has my conviction. I firmly believe that taking care of one another is a mandate for those who claim to love God.
Now more than ever, our community needs all of us to show up, engage and be present. I knew this intuitively. But as I’ve traveled the country meeting with United Women in Faith members near and far, this point has been underscored. These interactions have fed my spirit. I am energized to tackle this next year, where our strategic goals are to expand our legacy, and lay the groundwork for the new generation coming in 2029. We are focused on using what we already have to fuel a pathway for those who are yet to come.
My feet are firmly rooted on the ground. I know that the challenges facing women, girls and youth are plentiful. From the climate crisis to the school to prison pipeline to housing affordability, the problems we face are great. These issues cannot be resolved by one person, one policy, or one movement. However, we can address them by working together, by holding onto hope, and by building the beloved community. It is true that I helm of this vast and impressive organization, but this work is as much about you, as it is about me.
We have a choice. We can focus on what is, or we can focus on what we want to be. If we wake up every day committed to putting faith, hope and love in action, we will take steps that make life better for all of us, including future generations. If we engage with women who are uplifting fellow women and girls, our ordinary contribution will blossom into the extraordinary.
Let’s remember this, what we see in front of us is not all there is. We must be aware of what is happening, even as we push for what is possible. For me, this can mean stepping back from the news, filling myself with scripture, or finding small ways to make a difference. It means not being pacified by the status quo and instead pushing for more. Love is action. And action allows us to persevere through chaos and drive change.
I am increasingly urging women to step back from all that is going on in life and really ask a couple simple questions: How can I put love into action? What is God asking me to do? Am I being my whole self in Jesus Christ? The clearer we get about what we are doing and why, the more we’ll be able to tap into the power that is inherent in all of us.
As I reflect on my one-year anniversary as general secretary and CEO, I’m reflecting on our organization’s founders. In 1869, eight women came together to gather resources to help women in poverty in India. Our founders’ example of action and determination drive me. They knew the collective was stronger than the individual. Their love for women, children and youth fueled them, in the same way that it fuels me and you. In the same way that God asked them to do what they could to impact change, God is calling on you and I to do the same.
But with one important caveat: God is asking us to do more, not do it alone. I’m inviting you to join me and the vast sisterhood of women of faith and do what you can to make a difference. Sure! There is a lot going on in society – despair, suffering, and hopelessness – that can bring us down. Even the rhetoric in politics can by dizzying. But we are not without hope.
Hebrews 12:1 says, “So then, with endurance, let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter. Jesus endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne.” In 2024, this scripture is for you and it is for me.
I’m asking you to remember who you are and never lose sight of our collective power. All across the world, women, children and youth are counting on us to show up and do our part. Will you join me?
