Did you know that 1% of the words in the Bible are attributed to women? There are 93 women who speak in the Bible; 49 of them are named. These women speak a total of 144,056 words collectively. That is roughly 1.1% of the total words in the Bible. One percent.
This summer we are going to give the one percent our attention and focus with our worship series Occupy Scripture: Amplifying the 1%. For 10 weeks we will focus on the stories of the women of the Bible. We hope to introduce you to unfamiliar biblical women, highlighting stories that are not included in the lectionary (and hence, are not often heard in worship). These are stories of heartache and triumph, of oppression and power, of bravery and faithfulness.
During this series, we will welcome a variety of preachers to our pulpit. In addition to our ministers, Mandy and Sheryl, we will welcome Allie Osborne, Rev. Bill Nieporte, and Dr. Mark Biddle as guest preachers. Allie is a recent graduate of Christopher Newport and will enter BTSR as a student this fall. She is one of the young preachers Pastor Mandy mentored this past January for the Festival of Young Preachers. Bill and Mark have each preached for us previously, and we are eager to welcome them back.
Date Featured Woman Proclaimer July 1 Phoebe Rev. Sheryl Johnson July 8 Shiphrah & Puah Ms. Allie Osborne July 15 Rahab Rev. Mandy England Cole July 22 Rizpah Rev. Mandy England Cole July 29 Widow of Zarepath Rev. Dr. Bill Nieporte Aug 5 The Daughters of Zelophehad Rev. Sheryl Johnson Aug 12 Jephthah’s Daughter Dr. Mark Biddle Aug 19 Esther and Haman Rev. Mandy England Cole Aug 26 Woman Clothed with the Sun Rev. Mandy England Cole