Happy Tuesday gals!  We hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

With the start of the new school year swiftly approaching, and the influx of new students arriving to campus, our office has been BUSY!  (You may have noticed, since we’ve missed our last two posts for the blog!)  Despite the hectic schedule and deadlines preparing for a new school year to start up, we’ve had the chance to begin meeting our incoming girls for this year…and boy do we have some great girls!

We’ve also had a bit of change going on in our office.  Our current Women’s Ministry Coordinator, Carrie Gilliam, is leaving us L  Carrie and her husband are preparing for the adoption of a baby boy that will be born in September and they have lots to get done before his arrival.

While we’re sad that Carrie' is leaving us, we are also excited that the Lord has brought a wonderful woman to take her place.

We are thrilled to introduce Lesley Hildreth to you as our new Women’s Ministry Coordinator!

(Lesley with Catherine, one of our C@SE girls)

If you were at any of our Connecting Point events last year, then you probably recognize Lesley’s face.  Lesley is the wife of Center for Great Commission Studies Director, Scott Hildreth and was our faculty advisor for Connecting Point last year.  Lesley has a HUGE heart for women’s ministry and has spent the last 6 years of their time here striving to serve the women of SEBTS in some way.

We’ve asked her to share just a bit about herself and about her heart for the women of Southeastern.  Read on to get to know Lesley –

“Hey girls! I am so excited about the opportunity to serve you at Southeastern. Scott and I have been at Southeastern almost six years now and it has been a huge blessing to be a part of a Great Commission Seminary after serving eight years on the mission field with the IMB. It is both my desire and passion to help equip women for ministry and to encourage them along the way!  Over the past couple of years I have been able to serve SEBTS women in several different ways: I have been a mentor for the Thrive Mentoring program, a guest lecturer for the BWI course Preparing for Missions, served on the Connecting Point team, and am a member of the Seminary Women’s Club.  The opportunity to deepen my relationships with the women on this campus brings me great joy!  I look forward to meeting you soon!”

Lesley is already in our office working, so feel free to stop by and meet her.  As always, ladies…we look forward to ministering to you and with you this school year!

All summer, we've heard from the wonderful women of SEBTS and caught up with their ministry and travels around the world.  Today's post will catch you up on what we have been up to here in Women's Life.  It's been an awesome summer! 

Denise's summer

This has been a summer of pressing forward toward the goal. What is that goal, you might ask? Well, the goal is graduation in December with my EdD! 

Even though that has consumed most of my time outside of work, we were blessed with a visit from our oldest daughter, Courtney, and her family. We went on a frog hunt, played at Monkey Joe's with cousins, saw Despicable Me 2, had a pool party with cousins, and had dessert every night. It was lots of fun, and I really miss them when they are back home in Savannah. 

Another highlight of the summer was visiting with several missionaries. We celebrated Lincoln’s one year birthday with Josh and Allison, spent a weekend with long-time friends who have been serving in South America, and had dear friends spend the night with us on the way to two months of training.

Summer went by way too fast, but we were blessed immensely!

Carrie's summer

Whew . . . this summer has been such a unique time for my husband and me!  Typically, summers for us include the normal working schedule, a few trips to the beach, long evenings spent with family and friends, community mission projects, and of course – church softball games!  Besides an amazing trip to Ohio to see my brother’s BAPTISM, this summer has been quite different.

You see, Cameron and I are in the process of adoption.  There will be a baby boy born in October who will need a family to love him and a home to live in, and we are fortunate enough to be that family.   We are also in the process of selling our home.  Life for us at this moment could be described with one simple word – PAPERWORK.

In the midst of all the busyness and hectic deadlines, the stress and demanding schedules, we are reminded by the Lord that this is a season and we can take joy in Him and His provision during this time.  I think we are learning the meaning of the phrase, “Be faithful in the small things.”  During a summer like this, where hours of leisure are non-existent, we are learning to do what we can when we can.  The grace of God is such a beautifully sustaining presence in our lives and we are so grateful to know we serve a good Father who cares for us and guides us in every step of this journey.

Even though this summer is not full of grand overseas travels or hours with our hands deep in summer mission work, it is full of trying to remain faithful in the midst of chaos.  For this season, we are thankful, and for God’s faithfulness, we are forevermore grateful!

Liani's Summer

This has been my first summer in North Carolina, and our family has taken advantage of all the really cool free amenities and events available.  We have taken a few Saturday day trips to the different North Carolina Beaches, as well.  We leave early, allow the kiddos to wear themselves out while we watch them play, and then they sleep wonderfully that night, usually even on the ride back to Wake Forest.

I also had the very unusual experience of meeting some siblings that I had never met before.  While my husband and kiddos spent some time visiting relatives and friends back in Arkansas, I went to the state of Washington, along with 1 sister I grew up with, to meet 2 younger siblings from Washington, and 2 older siblings from the Netherlands.  Thank goodness they spoke English!  We met to celebrate the 75^th birthday of our biological father.  It was a neat introduction to family and relationships that I will continue to kindle, because while we share our biological father, we do not all share a heavenly Father.

Year round elementary school began this past Monday for my children, seminary is around the corner for my spouse, and I will soon take another BWI Class or two.  For our family, hectic-ness is approaching, but I am pleased to say our first summer in North Carolina has been enjoyable!

Megan's Summer

This summer has been a memorable one for me, and it's not over yet. We had fun visits from both sets of our parents, and we spent much of our time working and simply enjoying a (wet) NC summer.  There were weddings, and my roommates (FINALLY) returned from their year of mission work in East Asia.  Greg and I celebrated our first anniversary by taking our first ever trip to the Outer Banks. It was a beautiful, restful time, and I thank the Lord for our first year!  

Quite soon, we will also be heading out to Montana to hike around Glacier National Park with my family. Glacier is currently #1 on my "places in the world I want to go" list, and we're going to make the most of it! We will be backcountry camping with my cousins for 2 nights, and then we will hike out on the 3rd day to spend the rest of our time with our family at Many Glaciers Lodge. 

We'll get back just in time for the hustle and bustle of New Student Orientation and the start of the fall semester. Greg will be starting his second year of seminary, and I'll keep working as we work to pursue relationships with our community. And we'll continue to grow closer as we enter year 2 of our marriage :)

This summer, we wanted to give you a taste of the many places that our SEBTS family will be during the school break. Our first post in the series is from our own Mrs. Charlotte Akin, who has kicked off her summer beautifully. Enjoy!

Where will you be this summer?

We started our summer in Cancun, Mexico, celebrating our 35^th wedding anniversary. This was wonderful and relaxing, a great way to start our “downtime summertime.” We will be traveling to many places this summer—Louisville for a friend’s wedding, Houston for the SBC annual meeting, and Georgia for a family wedding and time with my brothers and sister. 

Who will you be with?

We will be with friends, family, trustees, and donors.

What will you be doing?

In addition to our travels this summer, in July we will be with our good friends the Fulps. We will enjoy time with them at the lake in Roxboro.

Who/How will you be serving?

We will be taking care of our grandchildren—Micah, Jordan, and Kai—in Birmingham while Paul and Kari take a vacation. So we will be serving our kids and grandkids. J

What are you most looking forward to out of all of your adventures?

The best thing is that Danny and I get to do all of these wonderful things together. 

Charlotte Akin is the wife of Dr. Daniel L. Akin, president of SEBTS. She was born in Atlanta, Ga. and, at age 11, came to know Christ as her personal Savior at the Georgia Baptist Children’s Home in Palmetto, Ga.  She lived there in the children’s home until she was 18. She has been married to Dr. Akin since 1978—they just celebrated their 35^th anniversary in May! They are blessed with four wonderful sons (Nathan, Jonathan, Paul and Timothy), three incredible daughters-in-law (Ashley, Kari, and Anna), and nine precious grandchildren (four boys, four girls, and one grandson on the way).  Mrs. Akin’s main ministry after her family is to the women of SEBTS. She is the facilitator for “Biblical Foundations for the Minister’s Wife,” and recently co-taught “The Ministry of Homemaking and Hospitality” for the BWI. One of her favorite events this past year was having the college ladies in her home, and she hopes to make this an annual event.  In her spare time, she loves reading, cooking, going to the beach, and being with her grandchildren as much as possible.

These donuts are happy that exams are over. Are you?

Come by the Women's Life Office for free donuts all day today!

 (8-5. We're closed for lunch from 12-1.)

It is the last week of our  Get to Know You  series. We have loved sharing with each one of you, and it has been so neat to get to know those of you who have passed through our office so far this semester! Feel free to stop by and visit any time. 

Our last "Get to Know You" post introduces Megan Lawrence.  She's the other half of our amazing office assistant duo team.  Read all about Megan below & leave her some comment love!

Get to know Megan Lawrence and her superhero husband this week!

  

We would love to hear your conversion story—when and how did God reveal Jesus Christ to you? 

 I grew up attending church with my family, but it wasn’t until I was in the 8^th grade that the true message of God’s salvation provided through Jesus Christ hit home for me.  I was reading the “Left Behind” book series when I understood fully for the first time that my sin had condemned me to hell and that God’s grace applied through Jesus’ sacrifice was the only thing that could save me. I prayed the prayer at the end of the book for Christ to be the Lord of my life. Since that very moment, I knew that my life would be lived in His service. 

How did you end up at SEBTS? What did you study? How are you using it now?

The Lord truly brought me here. An international business major in undergrad, I had a bad overseas experience and was hoping to find a way to serve the Lord that did not involve international missions. I had always loved children’s ministry and had been working as my church’s 3 & 4 year old coordinator for a few months when I felt God calling me to pursue a master’s degree at a seminary. A few people from the church I attended during undergrad were already here, and the Lord graciously kept me from noticing that SEBTS was a Great Commission Seminary (It must have taken Him a LOT of work! The school’s focus is so clear!), so I submitted my application. Once I got here, He changed my heart towards international mission work, and I graduated with a Master of Arts in Christian Education.  I use my degree as an assistant editor of the Treasuring Christ Curriculum produced by Providence Baptist Church. TCC is a Sunday School curriculum for children in preschool through high school.

When and how did you meet your husband? Can you briefly relate the story of your relationship from the time you met until you were married? Are there any funny or memorable moments you'd be willing to tell us about?

Greg and I met while attending Bayleaf. I felt like I knew him before he knew that I existed because he played violin in the young adult band, so he was up in front every week. He claims that the first time he knew that I existed was at a red-carpet themed birthday party (where I dressed a bit like Avril Lavigne).  We were friends for a few years before we started dating, and we dated for a year and a half before we were engaged. From there, though, we sped things up a bit and were married 5 short months after getting engaged. One of the craziest things about our relationship had to be our first date. For our very first date, Greg invited me to spend a week in New Jersey with his family for his sister’s wedding! It was definitely a sink-or-swim first date! But his family was awesome, and they seemed to like me well enough to let me stay. 

 Megan and Greg's first date

What is one piece of advice would you give to other wives on loving and helping their husband? 
I am such a newly-wed that I feel thoroughly inadequate to advise other wives on loving and helping their husbands. One thing that I have started to learn in these last 6 months is that different men feel respected through different circumstances, but NONE of them feel respected if they are called out in front of other men for a shortcoming. Save the critique for a private conversation, and praise more than you criticize.

What is one piece of advice you would give to single female students as they attend SEBTS?  

I went through SEBTS as a single student, and the biggest lesson that I learned was to live by faith in the Lord’s work rather than by what I thought seminary was supposed to be. He taught me lessons I never dreamed I would learn, brought about life changes that I was adamantly opposed to when I first entered seminary, and broke down so many stereotypes I had allowed myself to believe. God worked mightily through my roommates as he taught me all of this, and life at SEBTS would not have been the same without them. Just remember that it is okay not to have it all planned out or to understand it all right from the beginning! And let your friends walk with you through what the Lord wants to do.

April, Kara, and Courtney: Three of the beautiful women who challenged Megan throughout her time at SEBTS. This was taken at Kara's 20s themed birthday party!

What are you currently studying in your times with the Lord? What is one aspect of God’s character and the gospel you’ve learned about this past year?

I have been reading the Gospel of Luke recently. After a year of enormous changes, I just needed a reminder of who Jesus was and what his life meant for all of us. These past few weeks in particular, God has been reminding me over and over of His goodness and His strength. As Greg and I spend the next few years preparing to follow the Lord (possibly to the Northeast of the U.S.), I have needed His reminder that any work that we do for Him is because of Him, and it is enabled by His power in me.

What is your role in the Women’s Life Office?  What’s your favorite part about the job?

I am one of two Administrative Assistants in the Women’s Life Office (you met Laura last week). In the office, we take care of day-to-day operations to help the office and programs run efficiently. We do all that we can to make sure that Denise and Carrie and the office as a whole can provide the wonderful classes, events, and programs that you all enjoy. We’ll most likely be the ones to answer an email or the phone whenever you get in touch with us. My favorite part is connecting with women who are leaders in their churches or communities. It is so interesting to hear each woman’s story!

Don't forget that you can stop by & visit any of us in the Women's Life Office Monday-Friday!  We hope to see you soon!!

Welcome to the 2nd week of our
"Getting To Know You" posts from the WLO.

Today we're introducing Carrie Gilliam, our Women's Ministry Coordinator.
 Want to know a little about Carrie, read on...

 

We would love to hear your conversion story—when and how did God reveal Jesus Christ to you? 

I became a believer when I was seven years old. My parents were both believers, so I was raised learning about God and the importance of Jesus. I remember being at a church puppet show where the puppeteer presented the Gospel and the importance of believing that Christ died to pay for our sins. I decided that he was right and that I wanted to believe that too, so I went down front with another little girl from my church and ask Jesus to be my Lord – at that moment my journey began and my life has never been the same!

When and how did you meet your husband? Can you briefly relate the story of your relationship from the time you met until you were married? Are there any funny or memorable moments you'd be willing to tell us about?

I wanted to be a Gilliam early on. When I was in the 2nd grade I met a Gilliam and he became my first love. I used to write Mrs. Gilliam in my diary, dreaming that would one day be my last name. Unfortunately things didn’t work out with that Gilliam and like every other grade school romance we moved on…until I was in the 8th grade. That’s when I met Gilliam # 1’s cousin, Cameron. He was new to our school, and it was love at first sight- for me anyway. Not long after my secret crush began, my parents broke the news that we would be moving. Sadly, I watched my dreams fall, crashing to the ground. That was in 1996.

Fast forward to 2005. I was a student at SEBTS. Since I lived in the area, I decided to attend my old “home” church out in Louisburg. One glorious Sunday, after church, a group of us went to eat lunch in town. As I ate my Mexican food, I looked over to the far corner of the room and was suddenly stunned. “What?! Could it be true?!” Were my eyes playing tricks? In fact, they were not! I could clearly see him: Cameron Gilliam, my childhood love…my secret crush from the 8th grade! He looked a little different – a bit more grown up. He also caught me staring at him (how embarrassing)! That little stare was obviously providential, as it was the starting point to a love that has been a true gift from God! We’ve been married for 6 ½ years, and I’m so proud that my last name is Gilliam ;)

Carrie & Cameron with their niece, Kenna, and nephew, Tate.

What is one piece of advice you would give to single female students as they attend SEBTS?

I was single when I started at SEBTS, so this question is dear to my heart. Use this time to strengthen your belief in the Lord, His truthfulness, and the awesomeness of His character. He says He is good; choose to believe it. He says He is faithful; choose to believe it. He says He knows what is best for you; choose to believe it. In fact, take joy in it; take joy in Him and where He has you! Take joy in the waiting. You’ll learn a lesson of contentment many folks never endeavor to learn.

What is one piece of advice would you give to other wives on loving and helping their husbands?

Cameron was never a student, but I can give some thoughts from the general perspective of being a wife and a helper. Remember that your husband is a person, too. The Lord has equipped him with a mind and a heart and his own ability to think about things and make decisions. This is a good thing…encourage it in your husband. Learn to love his perspective on life and simple things like how to do house-hold chores or cook a meal. Most likely you’ll approach them from completely different processes. But that’s the beauty. Learn to watch him & the way he works. Learn to value it and treasure it. You’ll love him more for it!

What are you currently studying in your times with the Lord? What is one aspect of God’s character and the gospel you’ve learned about this past year?

Currently, I’m working through the Old Testament and am in the book of Deuteronomy. It’s been a really neat time for me as I am continually being challenged in my thought life and how I think of God. So often, I make up what I think God’s character should be like according to my logic. Reading Scripture from the beginning is forcing me to realize how shallow and sinful my preconceived ideas about how God thinks/acts really are. I am learning what God says about His character and how He says He relates to His people. It’s a really beautiful and humbling eye opener!

Carrie with girls from her class at their SEBTS graduation. 

How did you end up at SEBTS? What did you study? How are you using it now?

I actually came to summer camp here as a child. My Dad was a student in the late 80’s. When I was in college applying for graduate schools the Lord really changed my heart on His direction for my life...so instead of becoming a VCU grad student, I became an SEBTS grad  I received a Masters of Arts in Women’s Studies in the fall of 2007 and currently use what I gleaned from my studies in my job here every day!

What is your role in the Women’s Life Office? What’s your favorite part about the job?

My official title is Women’s Ministry Coordinator, which means that I do anything pertaining to ministering to the women connected with SEBTS. Currently, I’m still learning my job and how to effectively do it…(any suggestions?) but if I had to pick a favorite part, I’d say it’s a tie between teaching in the Women’s Institute and just plain ol’ relationship building with our SEBTS girls. We’ve got some really great women around this school!

Where do you attend church?

Cameron & I attend North Star Baptist Church (NSBC meets at Cedar Creek Middle School in Youngsville.) We love, love, love our church!

Carrie with her friend Rhonda from North Star, getting ready for the Youngsville Christmas Parade.

Tell a funny/random story about yourself?

I won 2nd place in the 1991 National Whistler’s Convention (children’s division). I was 8. See for yourself; it’s international history!

What would you ideal meal be?

Not sure, but my ideal snack involves soft-serve yogurt, cookie dough, fresh fruit, and marshmallow fluff. Strange combination, I know.

Come by and meet Carrie in the Women's Life Office.  We are located in the Ledford Center on the 2nd floor.  Our office hours are Monday through Thursday 8am to 5pm, and Friday's 8am to 4pm.  We are closed daily from 12-1 for lunch. 

It's the start of a new year, and each new year brings about the opportunity to refresh and renew. This year, with so many new students entering our programs, we thought we'd spend a little time introducing ourselves to you. 

Over the next 4 Mondays we are going to be sharing  "Getting to Know You" posts, where you can learn more about all of us here in the Women's Life Office.  Haven't you always wanted to hear how Denise came to know the Lord, her advice to female seminary students, or even her favorite meal?  Well here is your chance to get to know us all. 

We are starting off this Monday with Denise O'Donoghue, the Director of Women's Life.  Our hope is that after you learn more about who we are and what we do, you will come and visit us in the office so that we can meet and get to know you, too.  

 

Can you tell us a little about your parents, your siblings, your growing up years? 

I grew up primarily in Charlotte, NC. My sister Allison did not come along until I was 13 years old, so she is more like a daughter in many ways. This meant that my growing up years were mainly as an only child. My mom was a believer, but my dad did not come to be one until after I was married and our first child was born.

We would love to hear your conversion story—when and how did God reveal Jesus Christ to you?

When I was about 8 years old, I heard a revival preacher explain about the free gift of salvation that God offered through Jesus Christ. It was a way to make things right between you and God. I knew that I wanted to be part of God’s family, and so I accepted Christ during the revival.

When and how did you meet your husband? Can you briefly relate the story of your relationship from the time you met until you were married? Are there any funny or memorable moments you'd be willing to tell us about?

Rod and I met on a half blind date. I say half because he knew who I was, but I didn’t remember meeting him. I was 16 the first time we went out. He was 20. We didn’t date again until a year later, but were engaged 3 months after that. He wanted to be sure I was “his” before I left for college. A year later, when I was 19, we married.

One of Rod’s favorite things to do when we first got married was to play practical jokes. His favorite was to hide under the bed or between the mattress and box springs and then surprise me when I came to bed. It was easy to fool me with pillows shaped to look like he was in the bed, and of course it was dark.

 

Denise and her husband, Rod, and their 4 grandsons. 

What is one piece of advice you would give to single female students as they attend SEBTS? 

For every woman, focus on the here and now and the calling God has placed on your life this day. For students, pour your energies into school – that is the place God has you now. Please don’t waste important time and energy worrying about the future… what will I do when I graduate? Will I be married? Etc.

What is one piece of advice would you give to other wives on loving and helping their husbands?  

For the wives who are supporting their husbands, especially those who are newly married, I can identify with you. Rod started law school shortly after we were married, and what I can remember of those times was him being holed up in the bedroom studying every night. I now know that school will pass quickly and the best way to help your husband is to pray for him and to be an encourager. I am afraid I was more of a nag, demanding attention when he had so little time to give.

Who is a godly older woman who has influenced you, and what is the most important thing she has taught you?

My friend Frances has a saying that has really helped me conquer worry: “In light of eternity, does it really matter?” My tendency is to worry about anything and everything. This saying is short and easy to remember and puts life into perspective for me.

What are you currently studying in your times with the Lord? What is one aspect of God’s character and the gospel you’ve learned about this past year?

Presently, I am reading through the books of John. As I read, I am identifying characteristics of a true believer and those of a false believer. It has shown light on areas of my life where I am not living as Christ would have me. Before that, I read through Psalms twice. The first time just for the joy of reading it. I was inspired to go back and reread it and journal all the attributes of God that I found there. It really changed my time of adoration and praise – just searching for what God has said about Himself through His Word.

How did you end up at SEBTS? What did you study? How are you using it now?

I came to SEBTS in search of training that would help me be a better Women’s Ministry Coordinator at my church. I studied Biblical Counseling because I felt it was my weakest area in ministering to the women in my church. I use it now as I work with the women of SEBTS, helping them find biblical solutions to the issues they encounter.

What is your role in the Women’s Life Office?  What’s your favorite part about the job?

I am the Director of Women’s Life. It is hard to identify just one favorite part, since it is such a great job. I love to teach and have the opportunity to do that in the Biblical Women’s Institute as well as at the graduate level in the Women’s Studies programs. I also love working with women on an individual basis and seeing how God is at work in their lives – it is like a front row seat to cheer the women on to what God would have them do and then seeing how He leads and guides. Finally, I love the women who I work with. They inspire me to be the woman God created me to be.

  Denise O'Donoghue speaking at one of our Connecting Point events earlier this year.

Where do you attend church? 

Bay Leaf Baptist Church in Raleigh.

Tell a funny/random story about yourself? 

I can’t think of anything particularly funny, but I do like some things that many women are not especially fond of. I like to watch college football and basketball. I like to go camping, or just sit by the fire pit in our backyard. I love to scuba dive and have ridden in a hot air balloon several times. Having said all that, I am NOT athletic, hate to exercise, and have no rhythm for dancing. I have recently been introduced to auctions and have found them to be a fun way to spend time.

Denise and her grandson playing on the beach.

What would you ideal meal be? 

My ideal meal can be identified not by the food, but by the company. Our children have lived all over the world the last several years, so my ideal meal is one where our children, spouses, and grandkids are all present.

What is your goal for 2013?

My goal for 2013 is to complete my research and writing of my dissertation in order to graduate with my EdD this year.

  

 Come by and meet Denise in the Women's Life Office.  We are located in the Ledford Center on the 2nd floor.  Our office hours are Monday through Thursday 8am to 5pm, and Friday's 8am to 4pm.  We are closed daily from 12-1 for lunch.