Documentary celebrates women in Church ministry

Living Loving Serving: Women Leaders within the Church is the debut documentary film from Keep the Faith, Britain’s leading magazine in regards to the black Christian community.

The film features five women – Bishop Rosemarie Mallett, Tanya Hughes OBE, Pastor Marjorie Esomowei, Pastor Rhona Mplogomo-Tackie and Pastor Yvonne Brooks, who share personal insights about their faith, ministry work and experiences as leaders.

Speaking at a web based screening event for the documentary, Marcia Dixon, publisher and editor of Keep the Faith Magazine described the project as a “labour of affection” and a movie to “encourage women within the Church”.  

“It was in my heart to make this documentary to pay homage to the implausible roles that ladies play inside the Church,” she said.

The film, produced and directed by Laurelle Jones, was sponsored by the Pentecostal Community Bank and producer and director Abigail Otchere, who said, “When Marcia announced this phenomenal documentary I used to be considering 30, 50 years down the road this may be a legacy.”

Otchere added: “In the following three or 4 generations to return, people can have a look at anointed, prophetic women in ministry who’ve all made an instrumental contribution to our church ministry context.”

The ministry of Pastor Yvonne Brooks, a pacesetter on the New Jerusalem Community Church in Birmingham, was profiled within the documentary. She reflected on how much has modified for girls within the Church.

“Growing up, women weren’t in ministry. You couldn’t aspire to those positions and we didn’t really give it some thought since it was like a closed door,” she said.

“I learnt that you could serve with no title. I served for a few years having no title, I supported my husband as he was moving into pastoring.”

She continued: “I might need to say that having the ability to impact other people’s lives positively in ministry has been the highlight of my life. It wasn’t attempting to make a reputation for myself, or attempting to get a position.”

Also spotlighted within the documentary is Tanya Hughes OBE, HR Deputy Director within the Treasury, and a trustee of Women on the Frontline, a charity that works with vulnerable women, including sex employees. Hughes didn’t grow up in Church and had no understanding of the meaning of titles inside the Church setting. 

“I just knew that Jesus loved me and that I now had a hope in my life that I didn’t have before. I had this burning desire in me to achieve out to people,” she said.

Hughes began her journey into ministry through street outreach and “loved it”. 

“When I got more involved in church, it was really interesting because for me it was about going outside the partitions of church,” she said.  

She continued: “Within church I now know there are structures and folks have roles and responsibilities, but for me I desired to give you the chance to signpost hope of their lives.”

The screening also included a panel discussion of ministry leaders who expressed their passion for preparing the following generation of church leaders. Hughes would love to see women of “all ages” inside the leadership space. 

“Not only can they learn from me and others, but I can learn from them,” she said.

She added: “I feel it’s imperative for any leader, particularly women in leadership, to pave the best way for others to give you the chance to return through and stand on their shoulders.”

Asking God to send people is the approach Pastor Brooks advocates. “Look for these people around you that God will send to you and deposit in them, then nurture what you’ve deposited in them to assist to bring them to a spot of maturity,” she said.