Virginia Baptist Women in Ministry celebrated their 20th anniversary at their annual one day conference with a festival of word, table, & image through sermon, food, & art on Friday, May 1, 2009 at Grace Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia. The celebration was sponsored by Ann Charles-Craft, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia, Baptist Women in Ministry, Judith Bledsoe Bailey, Nancy Stanton McDaniel, Pam Durso, Samaria Baptist Church, The Resource Center, VCU School of Allied Health Professions’ Program in Patient Counseling, Virginia Baptist Women in Ministry, and Women’s Missionary Union of Virginia. The 50+ participants feasted on socialization, networking, worship, music, preaching, food, and art. 

Participants were greeted at the door with burlap bags which contained educational resources and special gifts from event sponsors and branded with the Feast logo. Worship leaders and guest musicians incorporated a variety of instruments and choice of music and hymns that enhanced worship as well as dinner. Worship leaders & guest musicians were Kim and Chris Crowley. Kim and Chris are area musicians and members of Grace Baptist Church. Kim is a BTSR Graduating Student with a concentration in Church Music; Chris is a secondary education music teacher. Kristin Eye was the gifted harpist who played beautiful background music at a delicious and relaxing dinner. The food, described by Suzanne Stovall Vinson, current VBWIM Moderator, was a “seasoned meal prepared with love and attention to color, taste, and texture.” During the evening meal, a variety of art, provided by a several local, state, and international artists, surrounded the dinner tables and guests.   

The two worship events were beautiful experiences of music, the reading of the Holy Scripture, sermons, prayers, art, and drama. Preachers were Rev. Amy Butler, pastor, Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, D.C., Rev. Alma Hassell, Instructor and Chaplain, VCU Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia, Rev. Abby Thornton, Minister of Spiritual Formation, Freemason Street Baptist Church, Norfolk, Virginia, and Festival Preaching Award Winner, Brittani Massey, Graduating Student, BTSR, Richmond, Virginia. (Prior to the celebration event, VBWIM sponsored a preaching contest for seminary women. There were five entries; Ms. Massey was chosen as the winner. Brittani received a cash award as well as the opportunity to preach her sermon at the event.) 

The Festival Liturgical Artist was Caroline Rutledge Armijo, Artist in Residence, Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, D.C. Caroline provided contemporary art as a focal point for the sanctuary on the theme of feasting. The design included a billowing tablecloth and bookends which communicated the freeing, flowing, and feasting image of the table. Caroline also provided three different works of art based on different points in the life of Moses in the church foyer. 

In an effort to provide for the needs of all of the participants, childcare and scholarships were available. Scholarships were provided by grants for ministerial excellence from BTSR and VBWIM. (The grants are part of a grant from the Lily Foundation.) Truly, we feasted on every aspect of the festival.

For too many Baptists, Baptist women in ministry is a concept, one that some Baptists embrace and support but that other Baptists denounce or just ignore. But Celebrating Twenty Years: A History of Baptist Women in Ministry, 1988-2008 reminds us that Baptist women in ministry is more than a concept. The many faces of women found in this short book flesh out the concept, making it into a living expression of women's faith, their experiences in ministry, and their commitment to encourage and support one another.

The story of Virginia BWIM is told by the six women who have served as its moderator over the course of the past twenty years. All six are refreshingly honest about the struggle to form the organization and to keep it alive during times of denominational turmoil and financial difficulties, and they each tell of the creative and ambitious leadership among Virginia Baptists that have been provided by the organization and its members.

Reading the book I was reminded of something once said by Thomas Helwys, one of the founders of the Baptist faith. He urged Baptists, "Let none … desipse the day of small things." Virginia BWIM has been and is a small association in many ways, but it has accomplished much, encouraged many, and held firm to a commitment to women ministers.

Pam Durso
Associate Executive Director
Baptist History and Heritage Society

Because woman are so often omitted from or minimized in historical accounts of Baptist life, documenting the contributions of women is essential to maintain an accurate historical record. In particular, the significance of women in ministry in the last four decades necessitates a continuing record of women’s individual and collective efforts. Celebrating Twenty Years: A History of Virginia Baptist Women in Ministry, 1988-2008 is an important piece of this history and documents the significant develop of one of the earliest state Baptist women in ministry organizations.

Written by the women who served as moderators of the organization (Judith Bailey, Betty Pugh Mills, Ellen Gwathmey, Deborah Loftis, Amy Patteson Holtz, and Elizabeth Rickert Dowdy), the chapters document both the activities of the organization and the reflections of the moderators. These personal touches remind readers of the connection between the individual women who have served and the organization which has grown and thrived under their leadership. Barbara Jackson also provides a short history of the organization’s journal, Synergy, and a few of its articles are excerpted. The appendices are also useful, full of names, dates, and events.

The story of VBWIM reminds us of the ability of strong, dedicated women to succeed in difficult times and to thrive despite pressures around them. This volume is essential for any serious student of Baptist history, especially those who are interested in the whole story, the one that includes women.

Susan M. Shaw
Associate Professor of Women’s Studies
Oregon State University