‘After the anointing, came the encouragement,’ is one of several lessons that resonated in the minds of East Jamaica Conference Pastors’ wives as Roxanne Chambers, Vice President of the Shepherdess International, Central Jamaica Chapter, addressed the group during their first fasting and prayer session of the year. The event, which was held on Sunday March 27, 2022, took place via zoom.
Chambers was direct in summoning each participant to careful introspection, with the reminder that a call to leadership requires transformation. With this transformation, comes the need for encouragement, particularly from those who have had shared experiences.
She referenced the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who was handpicked by God for a specific purpose, that of ushering in the birth of the Messiah. However, she was also quick to point out that God did not just call Mary for the task ahead, but he gave her support and encouragement in the physical form of her cousin Elizabeth, who encountered the shared joys and challenges of pregnancy. Elizabeth then, was able to provide meaningful mentorship to her younger cousin Mary. Likewise, older ministers’ wives should mentor and encourage younger wives in ministry.
“No one else can truly understand your experiences as Shepherdesses” Chambers stated. “It takes someone who is walking in your shoes to understand exactly what you are going through, with the tasks that you are faced with.
Today is a call to sisterhood, to stand in support of our husbands and to be our sister’s keeper, to support one another in your experiences as you minister.
The planned two-hour session, lasted for an additional ninety minutes as participants testified of God’s goodness in their lives. None was seemingly ready to leave. Many expressed the blessings they received from the session.
Elena Thomas who serves as Shepherdess for the Regent Street, Trench Town, Whitfield Town Churches, shared during the meeting that the call to sisterhood, “is a call to testify, travel, rescue the perishing, give a package to a fellow Pastor’s wife, share a fascinator with a Pastor’s wife.”
Also sharing her comments in the chat was Vice President Zenobia Taylor, Shepherdess for the Kencot District of Churches, that “a call to sisterhood is a call for transformation. We are to encourage and build up each other, reach out to each other.”
In addressing the objectives of the fasting and prayer session, Assistant Chaplain Metlyn Lewis,noted that, “our duty is to provide spiritual care which includes conducting worship services for individuals and various organizations. Our work is all about Jesus and so we believe that we need to lay that foundation.”
The laying of that foundation continues with upcoming fasting and prayer sessions planned for the remaining quarters of the year.