ABHMS publication ministry Judson Press brings resources, inspiration to recent Women Who Minister Conference
VALLEY FORGE, PA (11/26/24)—This November, Gale Tull and Denise Hall represented Judson Press at the annual Women Who Minister Conference in Shawnee on the Delaware, Penn. This ecumenical Christian gathering, originally started by five women connected to each other through legal work, attending Berean Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York, and a social network that included the Rev. Marsha Scipio, brings together Christian women to equip them in various leadership roles, including preachers, evangelists, worship leaders, as well as mothers, for a time of spiritual renewal, fellowship, and education.
Left to right, Gale Tull, marketing associate for Judson Press; Rev. Sanetta Ponton, member of ABHMS Board of Directors; and Denise Hall, resource and sales associate for Judson Press, at the Women Who Minister Conference in November 2024.
This year, the three-day conference featured worship services, plenary sessions, workshops, and communal activities designed to foster growth, encouragement, and inspiration. One of the conveners, the Rev. Sanetta Ponton, associate pastor of Justice, Advocacy, and Compassion at Metro Community Church in Englewood, New Jersey, is a member of the board of the American Baptist Home Mission Societies. She led the opening worship on Thursday, November 7. Attendees had the opportunity to network, share faith experiences, and enjoy resources that support their spiritual journey. This year’s theme, “Endure… ,” was focused on building wholeness and empowering women to thrive in their ministries and personal lives.
Scipio, the founder and convener of Women Who Minister, who currently serves as the Director of Baptist World Aid at the Baptist World Alliance, addressed the theme of the conference in her welcome to attendees: “Endure … is taken from Hebrews chapter 10. In verse 32 in the Common English Bible, it reads: ‘But remember the earlier days, after you saw the light. You stood your ground while you were suffering from an enormous amount of pressure.’ My grandmother and so many of our foremothers knew how to stand their ground. They did not cave under the pressures of life, but rather stood flat-footed with a determination that they would live and not die. They didn’t glorify suffering, but rather glorified a God who they believed would see them through life’s trials.”
“We’ve seen women accept calls to ministry and start to attend seminary, women started businesses, took up leadership roles in their church and community as a result of attending our conference,” said Ponton. “In the last three years, we have incorporated the intergenerational aspect, bringing younger women into the circle. We offer them scholarships, mentoring relationships. We’re really proud of them.”
Hall, who staffed the Judson Press bookstore with Tull during the conference, praised many facets of the gathering. “The workshops were intergenerational. The oldest woman there was in her 80s, and the youngest, I think, was 18,” she said. “Another was one-on-one prayer partner time, where we were encouraged to pray for our partners following the conference. Reflecting on the wide age range of the participants, she added: “Young people are hungry for the truth of the Gospel of Jesus! I look forward to staying connected with a couple of the ladies and hearing about the organization’s 10th-anniversary mission trip.”
Commenting on the importance of the conference to Judson Press, Tull said: “This conference reaches the women in ministry who reach others through various means. We publish books to help equip them to walk in their calling and to help someone else. It’s also good to see the sisterhood that exists between the generations. Reach one, teach one.”
By Rev. Dr. Anna Piela, ABHMS senior writer and associate editor of The Christian Citizen
