Book Description
When God Whispered My Name: Stories of Journey Told by Baptist Women Called to Ministry—a book filled with holy whispers—is a tribute to the ministries of nineteen women with "Baptist-ness" as their heritage. In their own words, they tell their stories of life and sacred calling, describing hostile environments of rejection, home churches that dismissed their call, and, thankfully, some people and places that offered them the grace of acceptance and nurture. Dr. Bill J. Leonard, the writer of the foreword, places their stories into the larger historical context. The writer of the afterword, Rev. Suzii Paynter March, describes the world of "Baptist-ness" as the place that encircled, and sometimes restrained, these women. Still, they each heard some kind of holy whisper that summoned them to tell and re-tell the good news. The world has been richly blessed by their gracious and tenacious obedience, and their stories will inspire readers to go and do likewise with their own unique callings.
Book Reviews
“When God Whispered My Name shares the stories of women with diverse backgrounds, recalls the diverse ways they were called, tells the diverse ways they minister, and reveals the diverse ways they have been challenged. Yet they have a sense of sisterhood with others on the journey of ministry.”
—Carolyn Blevins
“Women ministers, including my friend of almost 60 years, Carolyn [Staley], have enriched my life and the lives of countless others. I hope their stories will encourage others who feel the call to follow it with humility, peace, and love.”
—Former President Bill Clinton
“This book is a collection of faithful and, at times, fierce testimonials of Baptist women who heard and responded to the call of God. For some, the still, small, voice moved them to confront cultural and religious obstacles. For others, the call was a fire, stirring up in their very bones. For all, it was a voice too certain to be ignored, too necessary to be handled as anything less than sacred. We too get to listen in to these divine conversations and as such are inspired to consider our own holy summons.”
—C. Gregory DeLoach, MDiv, DMin
Dean, Mercer University McAfee School of Theology
“I gladly endorse this timely book of firsthand accounts from reverent women who heard, pondered, struggled, and answered the whispers of God’s Spirit that led them into ministry. The honest reflections about their trials, tragedies, and triumphs makes this book a ‘must read’!”
—Wendell Griffen
Pastor at New Millennium Church
“There is power in a story well told, a sacredness that speaks to shared experiences, and draws us closer to God and to one another. When God Whispered My Name is full of such stories. Equal parts inspiring, sobering, and challenging, the stories of these women bear witness to the Good News that flourishes when one dares say yes to God’s call. This timely volume is sure to offer hope, encouragement, and community to women and men who are wrestling with that same mysterious call from God and those seeking to empower them.”
—Mandy McMichael
Associate Director and J. David Slover Assistant Professor of Ministry Guidance, Baylor University
“The voices and stories which live in these pages are powerful reminders of Peter’s Pentecost proclamation that God pours out God’s spirit on God’s daughters and on God’s sons, with no regard for whether they are daughters or sons; thanks be to God.”
—Chuck Poole
Senior Pastor, Northminster Baptist Church
This beautifully diverse, soul-disclosing collection of call stories captures the breadth of experiences embodied by women in ministry among Baptists. From Arkansas to Cuba, from Georgia to Uganda, what a gift to be invited into the heart journeys of nineteen women who persevered in order to respond to God’s call. For anyone who may be curious about the inspiring, heart-breaking, brave, and faithful inner workings of the journey for Baptist women in ministry, this book is for you.
—Meredith Stone
Executive Director Baptist Women in Ministry, Abilene, Texas