Dorena Williamson is a preacher's kid, pastor's wife, and veteran of cross-cultural ministry. In 1995, she and her husband, Dr. Chris, planted Strong Tower Bible Church, a faith community in Nashville, TN, that celebrates the beauty of God's diverse kingdom. Dorena has written ColorFull, ThoughtFull and GraceFull, a series of children's books that feature diverse ethnicity and helps shape perspective on race, disability, and homelessness. A frequent podcast guest and speaker, Dorena co-leads Nashville's Be the Bridge group, part of an international collective focused on building bridges of reconciliation. She is a stylist with Evereve, a fashion brand that empowers women. She and Chris have four kids, ages 15-25.
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Jennifer Lucy Tyler is a Bible teacher, storyteller, entrepreneur, and growth coach. She is also the creator of two journals, Be Your Own Relationship Goals: Volume 1 and The Changemaker Guide to Studying the Bible. In 2016, Jennifer founded From My Block to Yours, a nonprofit that exists to empower changemakers that are taking the Gospel from the four corners of the block to the four corners of the world. In 2016, she received a coaching certification through Lifeforming Leadership Institute and focuses on helping women grow spiritually through online courses. In 2018, Jennifer founded Soul Circles, an alternative ladies’ night out, centered around studying the Bible inductively. Jennifer resides in Maryland and is happily married to her husband, Jeffrey.
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Karen Ellis is an African-American woman who is passionate about theology, human rights, and global religious freedom. She is the Director of the Center for the Study of the Bible and Ethnicity at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia. Since 2006, Karen has collaborated with the Swiss-based organization International Christian Response, ministering to the persecuted church in over 40 countries. She travels internationally advocating for global religious freedom, particularly for Christians living in hostile environments. Karen lives just north of Atlanta with her husband, Carl, with their four grown-up children close by. Karen is constantly chasing her very busy granddaughter.
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Trillia Newbell is the Director of Community Outreach for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. She is the author of Sacred Endurance: Finding Grace and Strength for a Lasting Faith, If God is For Me, a six-week Bible study on Romans 8, Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves, United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversity, and the children’s book, God’s Very Good Idea: A True Story of God’s Delightfully Different Family. Trillia lives in Franklin, TN, with her husband and two children.
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Sharon Hodde Miller leads Bright City Church with her husband, Ike, in Durham, NC. She has a PhD on women and calling, travels the country speaking, and is the author of two books—Free of Me: Why Life Is Better When It's Not about You (2017) and and Nice: Why We Love to be Liked and How God Calls Us to More (2019). You can find her on Instagram or her website SheWorships.com. Sharon lives in Durham, NC, with her husband and three children.
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Jessica Steddom currently lives in Nashville, TN, which has been her home for the past eight years. A graduate of Belmont College, Jessica has pursued photography and video work for four years now, and she couldn’t be more sure that this is where she’s supposed to be. She loves working with all different types of people and companies, understand what others are creating and coming alongside to help share their message or craft. She hopes to continue to create work that is meaningful and artistically pushing the boundaries
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In obedience to Christ’s command to love our neighbor and make disciples of all nations, HOPE International provides discipleship opportunities, training, a safe place to save, and loans.
Through regular interactions with clients, staff members share the Gospel, facilitate Bible studies, and invite clients to experience lasting transformation through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Because many clients have had limited access to formal education, HOPE’s network offers biblically based training, mentoring, and coaching to help clients start or expand their businesses.
Clients regularly save money to stabilize household income, provide a safety net in emergencies, start or expand businesses, or pay for household expenses such as school fees.
As they access much-needed capital, clients can launch or expand businesses by purchasing productive assets, buying supplies in bulk, improving inventory, or investing in improvements.
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Partner with usWant to learn more about HOPE’s holistic approach to poverty alleviation? Read Created to Flourish, co-authored by HOPE’s president and CEO Peter Greer, to go deeper in understanding how lives are being transformed around the world.
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