Joel 2:28-29 (NIV): ’After this, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.’
I am not one for making new year resolutions but rather follow a spiritual practice of setting my intention of how I desire to live out my life with God for the coming year. As the past year wanes and I welcome in the new that is fresh, full of hope and promise, I set aside a few days in the early weeks of January to just reflect on my past year with God. My journey with Him and the ways I tangibly lived out my vocation. I ask the Holy Spirit to walk with me through the previous year highlighting places I have been obedient and answered His call, and places I have struggled or resisted His invitation to walk more closely with Him. I then spend time just pausing and listening to the Spirit with an openness and willingness to give language to what I sense the Spirit speaking to my heart, listening for His fresh invitation.
Recently, Pastor Leon gave me “Forgotten Voices” to read and reflect on the role of women in the context of the Christian and Missionary Alliance and its growth and development of our denomination throughout Canada.
Besides being an absolutely fascinating book to read, I was both encouraged and greatly challenged by the stories I read of these amazing frontier women of God. These women had grit, incredible courage, and tenacity as they blazed the trail for the expansion of the Kingdom into the “Wild West” and trust me it was wild. They effectively planted and lead congregations, ran camps, built churches, and spoke boldly of the Good News of their Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to anyone who would listen!! I love that quality and maybe Leon saw a bit of that in me that he wanted to fan into flames, ha, ha, ha…
This book caused me to consider deeply the role and responsibility that is entrusted to each of us as people of the Way, followers of Jesus, regardless of our gender. These brave women served as pastors, teachers, church planters, and evangelists. They exhibited incredible faith and trust in their service to God and the call on their lives. So much so I asked myself more than once “am I really trusting you my Beloved to lead and guide me in my life, all aspects of it?”
These tenacious women were often scorned and criticized, berated by naysayers, but they were never deterred from the service to the Lover of their souls. Fortunately, this was not A.B. Simpson’s view of them. In fact, he blessed, admired, and empowered them in ways that went far beyond the social constructs of the day. There were numerous times he came to their defense and drew them under his care and mission. They truly were co-laborers in his passion to evangelize a lost world before the return of the King.
Simpson believed he was living in the “last days” and felt an urgency to spread the Good News of the gospel to hasten the King’s return. He believed that if women furthered the primary mission of the Church to reach lost souls for Christ, then he enthusiastically endorsed their ministries to achieve that objective. He encouraged and supported them in speaking engagements at large gatherings and conventions. In fact, after women spoke with his blessing at “the 1893 great convention” in Atlanta, Georgia, one of the leading pastors of the city tried to set "the community right on the subject of women speaking in public." Simpson chided him for missing all the amazing results of the convention then went on to say:
“A little side issue of a purely speculative character, which God has already settled, not only in His word, but in His providence, by the seal which He is placing in this very day, in every part of the world, upon the public work of consecrated Christian women. Dear brother, let the Lord manage the women. He can do it better than you, and you turn your batteries against the common enemy.”
Simpson believed women were of great value in the work of God not only because they exhibited the power of God in their personal lives and ministry works being clearly directed by the Holy Spirit, but also the ways they represented the redeeming plan of eternity as modeled by Jesus and the ways He welcomed the service of women as part of His ministry. In Romans 16, Paul commends many women who serve the Way faithfully and even refers to a woman named Junia as an outstanding apostle, a kinsman, a fellow prisoner…fascinating!! It was this same attitude Simpson embraced as he inspired women to commit themselves to service of expanding the Kingdom in the US, Canada, and around the world.
Many of the stories recounted in the book spoke of the incredible Divine Healing these women personally experienced just prior to committing themselves to service. These must have inspired them to endure the incredible hardships of ministry, things like the bitter cold of the prairies and living in poverty to name just a few. Sadly, there were very limited funds or even pastoral support for these women as they embarked to these remote and sometimes hostile communities. Many were self-funded or given a scant offering from the poor they ministered to and had no options but to trust solely on the Lord for their meager provision, leading some to become discouraged from the lack of support and leave their vocation broken and defeated.
Those early pioneer women who endured were incredible prayer warriors and their reputation of effective prayer spread throughout the communities they travelled many weary miles to, winning over many converts, planting churches, bringing care and aid to the suffering and impoverished people they encountered. Numerous times these women established orphanages and faith/healing homes, youth camps, and were responsible for aiding in the construction of a building that would become the local church.
These are just a few of the tidbits hidden in the pages of “Forgotten Voices.”
I am grateful to be a co-laborer with people like A.B. Simpson, Leon, and my husband. I am blessed to be part of a denomination that recognizes, blesses, and nurtures the gifts and manifestations of the Spirit of God in Godly women. Women who have a heart and passion for God. Women who long to serve their King, their LORD, their Saviour, the Lover of their souls with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength all the days of their lives, with every breath they have within them. Just like those early pioneer women of the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
I have reflected on these women a lot during my days of setting my intention for 2026 and have come to a place where I open my hands, heart, and life to whatever the Master has need of in and through my life. I also loved that these women had no need for their names to be in flashing neon lights. It was enough for them to faithfully live out their vocation or call on their lives with no fanfare and often no means. Often enduring conditions that were beyond difficult, requiring immense sacrifice, faith, and courage.
As I reflect on 2025 and look forward to 2026, I wonder what the Lord my God may be inviting me to step into…I pray my passion would be reignited and that I have the courage to step forward and into all He has in mind for me…I pray that for each of you as well as we enter a new year filled with promise and potential. Fondly, Melody
Acts 2:17-18 (NIV): "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike.”
Friends, Leon has released a new podcast this week from the panel discussion from our training day where he features a number of individuals from our midst who speak on Finding God in the midst of pain and suffering. If you missed it, you can listen to it HERE. I strongly encourage you to check it out - you will be inspired and encouraged!!
