My husband was called to preach while he was just a young teenager. God led us to believe that he should prepare for ministry by going to seminary upon college graduation, despite knowing that we would be leaving his secure job, and I had some great opportunities to teach in our home state as well. I saw it as a great adventure because the seminary my husband selected was the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. It meant a new place to explore! His only concerns were leaving the country and his family, but he felt certain of his calling not to study at a satellite campus, but to take advantage of the opportunities afforded him by being on campus, as attested to by college professors and close friends.
What I didn't realize is that our time at seminary would be equally as beneficial for me. The Seminary Wives Institute (SWI) at Southern is an accredited program for ministers' wives to prepare for ministry. If a woman completed the required courses, she may actually graduate with a certificate, or she may choose to take only those courses she feels most suit her needs. I fell into the second category because there were a few required courses I had already taken at North Greenville, but I LOVED every course I did take!
Mrs. Mary Mohler, the wife of president Al Mohler, serves as the director of SWI, and teaches classes herself, along with other faculty wives. Several seminary faculty and other guest speakers also teach, but I want to make Mrs. Mohler and the faculty wives that teach SWI this week's Wednesday's Woman, or Women in this instance!
Mrs. Mohler taught me Essentials I and II, Ministry of Hospitality, Embracing Femininity, SBC I and II, Embracing Femininity, and Redeeming the Time. I would be struggling to keep my head above water without taking these courses! I feel equipped to be a pastor's wife because of the time I spent in SWI. More than the subject matter taught me, however, as Mrs. Mohler took the time to connect with her students, to really get to know them. Even though she had more than enough people of whom to keep track, she still learned my husband's name some way. At the beginning of class, pressing prayer requests were shared, and at the end of the second semester, I shared that my husband would be facing neurosurgery over the summer. I didn't say his name, but Mrs. Mohler did. She took the time to answer my questions as we began to face issues as we ventured into ministry for the first time.
Other teachers were also major influences in my life, though I'm sure they have no idea. In Marriage and Family, Mrs. Tanya York taught me how to love my husband, and how being transparent can be helpful to other women. Mrs. Helen Logan taught me all about Biblical Parenting in her class, something I definitely use every day! The name of my blog makes it obvious that I fell in love with Titus 2 while in Mrs. Jaylynn Cook's Mentoring class.
I am so thankful for Wednesday's Women, and I believe the church my husband and I serve are better blessed because these ladies trained me!
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