Three women serving in pastoral leadership were honored for their work in advocacy, leadership, and preaching, respectively. The awards were presented at the annual meeting of the Covenant ministerium on June 28, 2023.
Rev. Phyllis Myung was presented the She Advocates award for her advocacy as pastor of next-generation ministries at Great Road Church in Acton, Massachusetts. In addition to her current role, she has a background in education, political science, and did a brief stint in the financial sector. In her acceptance remarks, she honored the people she considers her original advocates. “My parents, who emigrated from Korea—they were the original advocates for me….I am here today, because of them having a faith they passed down to me.”
Rev. Dr. Sara Heacox Sosa was given the She Leads award for her work as family ministries pastor at Faith Covenant Church in Burnsville, Minnesota. Rev. Sosa holds a master of arts degree from North Park Theological Seminary and a doctor of ministry from Bethel Seminary. In her acceptance remarks, however, she credited a different set of experiences for her most significant leadership training. “The thing that made me the best leader I could be was by being a mom,” said Sosa. “A sense of wonder, leaning into the possibility of what might be, being a non-anxious presence. If you want to grow as an adult, I recommend spending time with kids. Let’s lead this generation, and let’s allow them to lead us.”
Rev. Nicole Bullock was presented the She Preaches award for the gifted preaching she has displayed at pastoral stints at Blue Oaks Church in Crystal, Minnesota, and New Community Covenant Church in Chicago, Illinois. She and her husband have since relocated to the Pacific Northwest, but due to a flight delay, she was unable to receive her award in person. In 2021 she authored a reflection on prayer for The Covenant Companion. According to Bullock, women are part of “the witness of the Spirit among the community of believers” that “finds strength when we collectively turn our hearts and concerns to the Father, trusting that he hears us and is prepared to answer our pleas.”
The Women in Leadership initiative started in 2019 and holds events throughout the year to highlight, promote, and advocate for women in pastoral ministry, focusing on four major themes: authorizing women to lead in senior pastoral positions and throughout the church, advocating for survivors of abuse and harassment, advancing women of color, and white women doing antiracist work. The initiative works in tandem with a number of other projects intended to resource and support women pursuing or serving in pastoral ministry, including the Advocates for Covenant Clergy Women (ACCW), the Commission on Biblical Gender Equality, and Project Deborah. You can read here for more on how the Covenant Church supports women in ministry.
