February 3rd, 2012
I love my job. Seriously love it. Connecting with, encouraging, supporting Baptist women ministers brings me lots of joy, but I am aware that what I do–what Baptist Women in Ministry as an organization does–reaches beyond women who are currently serving, reaches even beyond women who are discerning a call to ministry. The work Baptist Women in Ministry does, indeed the work that we all do together–has to be forward thinking. We have to look to the future. Because I have a daughter, I am reminded just about every day that this work will make a difference for our daughters.
Our churches need to be open to our daughters–they need to be places where our little girls feel comfortable in the pulpit. As Baptists, we need to celebrate when our daughters dress up like preachers for Career Day at school. We need to welcome our teenage girls into the pulpit for Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching. We need to provide good reading material for our young girls and give resources that encourage them to use all their gifts. We need to put our daughters to work, painting the church walls and working in the community. We need to jump for joy when our little girls announce that God has called them to be ministers.
We need to . . . wait! The truth is we are doing all of that! And our daughters are responding to God’s voice!
Ella is the daughter of Daniel Glaze, pastor of First Baptist Church, Ahoskie, North Carolina. She likes to sit in the pulpit and color.
Dorie is the daughter of Ruth Perkins Lee, minister of students at Auburn First Baptist Church, Auburn, Alabama. Dorie dressed up as a preacher for Career Day at school.
In 2010, St. Johns Baptist Church, Charlotte, North Carolina, invited Clara Kremer, Liz Solitario, and Amy Hammond to preach for Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching.
My friend, Kitt, very much enjoyed the 2010 State of Women in Baptist Life report.
Teenage girls recently painted the sanctuary walls at my church, Cornerstone Church, Grayson, Georgia.
Amanda, daughter of Natalie Kline, associate pastor of First Baptist Church, Waynesboro, North Carolina, wants to be a pastor when she grows up.
I am so thankful for churches, parents, communities, and friends, who open doors to their daughters.
Pam Durso is executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry, Atlanta, Georgia!
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January 23rd, 2012
My church, Cornerstone Church in Grayson, Georgia, will soon move into a new building–the very first building to be owned by our congregation. We began dreaming of having a permanent place to settle well over a year ago, and after lots of prayer and conversation and after losing one potential property, last August we found a perfect building–an unoccupied Presbyterian church in Snellville. And oh, the church building is so perfect–a white church with a steeple set in the middle of a wooded area. It is that “little church in the wildwood.”
The only hold back on the building was that it cost money–and money is something our small, six-year-old church doesn’t have too much of. But again, we prayed and dreamed and began looking for ways to raise money to purchase the building, and a wonderful story of grace and generosity began unfolding. Our congregation began giving, and then friends of Cornerstone living in Texas gave us $10,000.00. And then a foundation sent money, and Baptist churches across Georgia began sending checks. Then the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia provided a contribution.
Meanwhile, I had somehow been given the job of making announcements on Sunday mornings. So every Sunday during worship I stood before our congregation and told them that more money had come in–that people and churches and organizations believed in the work we were doing, shared our vision. And just let me tell you–making such announcements in my church results in loud applause, some shouting, and lots of “Hallelujahs” and “Thank You, Jesus!” Good news gets a very enthusiastic response at Cornerstone, which means making these announcements was a lot of fun.
One morning as I stood to make a new announcement some unplanned words came out of my mouth (and if you know me–you know that I plan pretty much every word that I say so this was one of those rare moments of spontaneity for me). The words I spoke: “I stand before you today as the minister of good news!”
And indeed I have been blessed to be the bearer of good news at my church–good news of the kindness of others, good news of financial support from unexpected sources, and good news of the purchase of a building that we will soon move into. I have been so blessed to be able to share the good news.
But as I have thought through my unplanned remarks I have realized that we are all ministers of good news. We all are called to share the good news of God’s love and the good news of how God is working in the world. And the world would surely be a better place if the good news was as enthusiastically received everywhere as it is at Cornerstone.
There are more stories to tell about Cornerstone and our journey. There is more good news in our future–and I hope to share those stories along the way.
Pam Durso is executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry in Atlanta, Georgia, and member of Cornerstone Church–soon to be in its new church building in Snellville, Georgia!
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December 19th, 2011
Last Saturday, I stood next to two teenage girls, both holding paint rollers and both wearing paint-splattered shirts. I shook my head and marveled for these two girls are our “church painters.” They had a little help, but the two of them had just painted the majority of the walls in our church’s new sanctuary. At one point, I said to them, “What other church do you know that would put teenage girls in charge of painting its worship space?” They laughed, and one replied, “I know! Isn’t it cool?”
I must admit that the paint job was not completely evened out, and a few areas needed some touch-up work. But for me, I found much delight in their presence, in their laughter, and in this new friendship formed over a paint can. I also found much joy in the fact that I am a member of church that hands paint rollers to teenagers and invites them to be part of the process of creating a beautiful place for our congregation to gather.
Pam Durso is executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry, Atlanta, Georgia.
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December 15th, 2011
Earlier this week I discovered that I live about five miles from a Sisters of Visitation monastery. The monastery is located in Snellville, Georgia–not too far from the Target where I do most of my shopping. On Tuesday, I set off to find this monastery, hoping to spend some time praying in their chapel and walking on their grounds. But I discovered that it not a monastery that is open to the public. They are a cloistered community with only a handful of nuns living and working together.
Although I was greatly disappointed to find the gate locked, I was amazed by the serenity and quietness of the small campus. Mostly, however, I was intrigued by the name “Sisters of Visitation” and by the inspiring statue that stands on the front lawn–a statue of two women reaching out to one another. The two women have to be Mary and Elizabeth, embracing as they share the good news of their pregnancies.
I sat in my car on Tuesday, thinking about the relationships of Mary and Elizabeth. While they were cousins, I sense that they were also “sisters of the heart.” And I read between the lines in Luke’s gospel and imagine their conversations. In my mind, I can see the two women, sitting in silence, holding hands, sharing a knowing smile. I love the sisterhood shared by Mary and Elizabeth.
I have my own “sisters of the heart,” and I recently had opportunity to gather with some of my favorite women. I gave myself a birthday party–to celebrate turning fifty! Women from various segments of my life came together, and I had the honor of introducing them–not by their job titles or by their roles in life. Instead I shared briefly their importance to me–how they have touched my life.
In planning the party and in experiencing that night of celebration, I have given much thought to the significant role that women friends have in my life, and I have been reminded again of how blessed I am. I have deep friendships, spread wide across age, geography, and life experience.
One of my friends who attended is actually my sister, Kenda. She is one of my younger sisters. We have shared memories of growing up in a family of four sisters—no brothers. What I have learned from Kenda is that sisters can be close friends, and having a sister, who is also my friend, means that I have someone with whom I share memories of the past but can also share struggles of the present and dreams for the future. My friendship with Kenda adds richness to my life, and I was pretty amazed that she flew from Dallas to Atlanta to be at my birthday party!
But Kenda was not the only one who flew in for the party. My friend, Julie, also came from Dallas to celebrate with me. I wish, oh how I wish, that I journaled. Because if I did, I would have written down all the wonderful, crazy, funny things that Julie has said to me. She has made me laugh harder than most anyone I know. And because she makes me laugh, she also makes me cry. She has pulled stories out of me—and I have found myself telling her my deep, dark secrets. Laughter and tears are somehow intimately connected—and I am thankful for a friend who laughs with me and cries with me and is willing to travel all the way from Texas just to come to my party!
My good friend, Devita, also attended my party. One of my all-time favorite things to do in life is have lunch or breakfast or coffee with Devita. I always take my notebook and pen—because I have to take notes. Our lunches end up not being not so much about food but about solving all the problems of the world, organizing everyone and everything—and I like to write down all our ideas. But what I love most about lunches with Devita is that we don’t just plot and plan, we get to work and make things happen. My time with Devita gives me energy, brings out my creative side. She inspires me, pushes me to think and to do more, dream bigger. Everyone should have a friend like Devita!
My birthday buddy, Suzanah, drove from Florida to be present for my birthday. Suzanah and I share November 30 birthdays. We don’t, however, share birth years. Suzanah is still far, far away from fifty. I am the “older” friend, but she looks past my ancientness and loves me anyway! For the past five years, Suzanah and I have celebrated our birthdays together–not always on November 30, but we have always managed to be together near the date of our births. Over the years, Suzanah has taught me many, many things—including to love traveling. She marched me to the top of Diamond Head in Honolulu in the summer of 2010, and one day she drove me around the entire island. And we vowed that someday we would move to Hawaii! Suzanah is the only reason I ended up in Prague and Germany in 2009. I was convinced that I could not go, but she promised to go with me! And she did! And while we were there, I made her take a long, long train trip all the way to Wittenberg, and on a very cold January afternoon, we sat in Martin Luther’s church on a beautiful wooden pew and talked about courage and prophetic preaching and living fully. 
And I carry a snapshot of that day in my heart—and am thankful that Suzanah has taught me so much about courage and convictions and friendship.
LeAnn also came to celebrate my birthday. I met LeAnn back in 2005. She was a recent seminary graduate, serving on church staff in Atlanta. She was single—and frankly, she seemed so very young to me. But I watched and soon discovered that she was already such a strong leader, a passionate minister. And then life changed for LeAnn—she got married, moved to California, then moved back to Georgia. She had a sweet baby boy—and in the midst of all those changes, LeAnn walked me along with me and dreamed with me. Hers was the voice of discernment that I listened to when I pondered the crazy idea of leaving a known job and venturing into the full-time world of Baptist Women in Ministry. Hers was the voice of reason—she asked me the hard questions, walked me through proper procedure and organizational structuring, and best of all, hers was the voice of love and encouragement—she told me to follow my heart, and I did. And I am thankful beyond words for LeAnn’s voice, her love, and her never-ending encouragement.
These are but a few of the women who attended. Grace, Sarah, Jessica, Emily, Gwen, Robin, Vicki, Libby, Carol, Renee, Aimee, and Alex all were there at the party too. I was pretty overwhelmed that so many came! And blessed, very blessed!
While I am not cloistered together with my “Sisters of Visitation,” I am bound to them by love and friendship! They are my “sisters of the heart.”
Pam Durso is the executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry, Atlanta, Georgia.
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November 30th, 2011
Fifty years ago, on November 30, 1961, I was born. So yes, today is my fiftieth birthday. In some ways, the number fifty shocks me. I can’t believe I have really been around that long. I feel so much younger than what I thought fifty would feel like, and some days I still don’t feel like a grown up.
But in other, more important ways, fifty thrills me. I have lived for fifty years, and I have lived well for fifty years. I have fulfilled my dream of teaching and have had the blessing of teaching in two fine Baptist seminaries. I have had opportunity to know, love, and be loved by students. I have been published. Books and articles that I have written have actually been read (well, I am hoping some people read my books). Plus, I absolutely and completely love the work I do! I get out of bed every day excited about the possibilities of the day!
I have been to places I never thought I would see and fallen in love with traveling. I have had conversations with some of my Baptist heroes. I had multiple phone conversations with two pioneering Baptist women, Addie Davis and Ella Mitchell–before their deaths. I once had lunch with Leena Lavanya, our Baptist Mother Teresa who works for peace and justice in India. And just a few weeks ago, I met Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.
In my fifty years, I have been connected with churches that have loved and cared for me, including my current church, Cornerstone Church in Grayson. I have also had a whole host of friends who have walked alongside me, friends who suffered through graduate school with me and who I now “talk to” on facebook. I have friends who have shared meals and wisdom with me; friends who have climbed mountains with me; and friends who have told their stories to me and listened to my stories.
At fifty, I am very much aware of the precious gift that is family. Parents and sisters, aunts and nieces, brother-in-laws and nephews–family becomes more and more important the older I get. And I have also have my a husband and two teenage children, who keep me sane and drive me crazy all at the same time. They have taught me and continue to teach me about trust and hope, kindness and forgiveness.
But perhaps most importantly, on this my fiftieth birthday, I remember that I have had a fifty-year faith journey. I was born into a family of strong faith–and my earliest memories are of a God who loved me unconditionally and who welcomed me into relationship.
Looking back at fifty years, my strongest feeling is of gratitude. I am thankful for family and friends, for communities of love and support, and for opportunities of service and ministry. I am thankful to God for fifty years! And today, on November 30, 2011, I am celebrating fifty!
Pam Durso is executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry, Atlanta, Georgia.
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