Mothers are the quiet strength that keeps the world in motion. ✨

We show up in many forms: nurturers, teachers, leaders, and friends. We arrive in different seasons to guide, support, and to inspire. Join us in celebrating our 3rd Annual Mother's Day and Ministry Special Edition Newsletter. This is a time to honor the fullness of the day, to acknowledge the range of emotions it stirs, and to celebrate the profound impact women have had on our ministries and our lives.

As you walk with us through the stories of four of our sisters, may their journeys leave you feeling Renewed, Inspired, Supported, and Empowered .❤️

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

I am the daughter of Rebecca, and the granddaughter of Florence. I enter this 2025 Mother’s Day season honoring both, my Mother and Grandmother – “Becky and Queen Flo.” I stand boldly on their shoulders acknowledging the sacredness of women centered relationships and spaces of resilience and care, that for me, in honor of them, is the legacy of Sacred Sistahing™ .

Sacred Sistahing™ is a womanist practice of shared care, connection, and community among women of color. It affirms the importance of holding safe and sacred spaces for women in ministry to care for one another, while resisting oppression of any kind. Through acts of love, kindness, counsel, laughter, dance, song, truth-telling, story-telling and rituals, Sacred Sistahing™ calls us to see our Sistahs as reflections of God, and gives us space to be the brilliant and bold women of faith God calls us to be…Regardless.

A MOTHER'S EXAMPLE: A BRIEF REFLECTION

Written By: Dr. Josie Hoover (RISE - Pittsburgh Mentor)

This is significant to mention because my mother completed one year of college before becoming pregnant and getting married to my father before I was born. As the oldest sibling, my mother has always set a positive example, even when she wasn’t intending to. She was a debutante, the first black all-state cheerleader, and first college graduate of her siblings. Living into my vocational call within higher education (where my mother spent her entire career), and as a minister of the gospel, I have found that I possess some of my mother’s attributes that impact my work today: her work ethic, professionalism, organizational/administrative skills, demeanor, etc.

My mother remains my biggest cheerleader and tells me often how proud she is of me; however, I’ve been proud of her my entire life. Thank you for setting THE example and standard, because I would not be who I am today without you. I see you, I love you, and

Happy Mother’s Day!

MY FIRST INFLUENCER: LESSONS FROM MY MOTHER

Written By: Rev. Dr. Yamie Barnett (RISE - ATL 24')

As a third-generation clergy member, I have witnessed firsthand the actions that help the church function behind the scenes. It’s the youth volunteers who prioritize a child’s soccer game just as much as teaching them about the books of the Bible. It’s the deacons who drive the church van faithfully every Sunday. It’s the hospitality ministry that curates meals to feed the entire congregation at every major church event. I learned a long time ago that real influence doesn’t always come from the person standing at the front of the room, but from those often operating in the most thankless positions.

As both a pastor’s kid and a pastor’s wife, she holds a unique understanding of service—one that has shaped my ministerial journey from the very beginning.

My mother was my first influencer.

She taught me my first scripture passages, Psalms 1 and 23, and encouraged me to hide those words in my heart. She showed me how to extend compassion and kindness to people who often overlooked her and treated her as merely an accessory. She taught me how to do the work of ministry while allowing God to do the work within me.

Because of my mother’s influence, I was able to learn about God in both theory and practice. Because of my mother’s influence, I dare to speak up when many would be encouraged to remain silent. Because of my mother’s influence, I am more informed, equipped, and prepared to serve God and God’s people well.

DIVINE DARKNESS: EMBODIED MOTHER HOPE

Poem Written By: Irene Preetha Prasannakumar, Doctoral Student (RISE - NYC 26')

When life casts shadows, deep and thick

When you hit rock bottom, like a solid brick 

With the unfolding ways folded secure and tight

With your eyes closed firm against the darkest night,

With the feeling of being buried deep,

The deep that is scary and wants you to flee or weep.

A sudden realization that the dark surrounding is familiar, 

The similar darkness, the Divine darkness, that glimmer.

In your mother’s womb, 

The glimmering darkness, an epitome of Divine Hope, that seemed gloom,

Is an embodied Mother Hope making room for its buds to bloom.

The embraced and embodied Hope, Mother Hope, holds space for rest, rejuvenation, transformation, growth, and healing,

Enabling to sprout through the darkness by laying our roots to the foundation of feelings.

Mother Hope now tunes the frequency of the beating of our hearts to the earth’s and everything that exist,

Reminding us that in communities we co-exist and persist.

Mother Hope walking consistently with life back and forth in time

Re-visiting past, re-imagining future, flowing with courage and grace,

making hope a reality here and now at our own pace.



The breeze, trees, and birds teach and preach a life lighter, simpler, deeper, stronger, and together, with humility, kindness, intentionality, and creativity as a lover.

To embody the Mother Hope is to be visible, vibrant, and vocal 

With the language of Being, feeling, breathing, and becoming glocal

Of multiplicity and community,

Of questions for freedom with responsibility,

Of resilience, resistance, courage in the face of exile and threat,

Of Justice amidst evil, hate, and regret,

And the language of love and life of possibility,

Until we RISE and reclaim everything as our own and we as It’s, in Unity.