My Heart is Full
GILLIAN BRICKEY WM President
with The Gospel Coalition, I read the ARP History book on Woman’s Work, and I asked what seemed like a thousand questions and heard a thousand stories about ARP Women’s Ministry. WHEW, I heard some stories! Some were wonderful stories that painted the
picture of women serving the Lord faithfully through our denomination for generations. I also heard several hard stories about some of our challenges as a ministry. It was clear we had something WONDERFUL at work! It just needed some tidying up!
SEED Ministry. When I stepped off that plane with our piles of luggage and a life to re-establish, I had no idea that in two short years I would be serving in Women’s Ministry while facing a massive health crisis. I’d been in a wonderful local wom- en’s ministry circle before we left for Spain, and I intended to rejoin, but I really didn’t know about ARP Wom- en’s Ministry’s (ARPWM) broader opportunities to serve. When I was asked to be vice president of Cataw- ba presbytery’s Women’s Ministry - certain. Me? I’d been to ARP Women’s Minis-
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try Annual Meetings and a handful of Catawba presbytery’s events, but I didn’t understand how they were connected. When invited to take the role of VP of CWM, I prayed, sought the counsel of wiser women, and re- luctantly accepted. As with the ARPWM, serving as
president in Catawba presbytery is a three-year commitment as vice presi- dent, president, then past president. The vice president coordinates an event or two and sits on the board, the president carries the administra- tive duties, and the past president serves as an advisor.
Y’all, I don’t do anything halfway.
as VP for CWM, I searched God’s Word for His instructions and roles
Knowing, loving, serving, Jesus ARPWM November/December 2026 19
ive years ago we returned to the US from Spain to begin work with World Witness’s
I passionately began my service as VP of CWM in January of 2023, and in December, as I was poised to serve as president, I was struck with a bad round of Covid that unleashed a mystery chronic illness. All I could do as president was present the list of challenges I thought we could tackle that year and ask our board for solutions and implementation.
These women diligently began the work of setting up our digital drive to start digitizing our resources, they updated and expanded our social media, they renamed and revamped our spring and fall meetings to be more meaning- ful for our women, and they SERVED in a thousand ways, both me person- Women’s Ministry with my heart full watching our women, my friends, serve the Lord so well together. Thinking surely my health would improve, I also reluctantly accepted the nomination as the next VP for ARP Women’s Ministry, and I would serve as Catawba’s past president and ARPWM’s VP concurrently the following year. But my health did not improve. It grew steadily worse. In 2024, I began my role as VP of ARPWM, but I truly struggled. As the Annual Meeting approached, my one task to coordinate that year, I truly was where I couldn’t perform. And they DID! Again, in January I presented what I’d observed as our challenges, and our board rose to the challenge of brain- storming solutions! Together, we began a central drive to digitize our resources, established a contact list, a central email address, began the work of identifying struggling presbyterial boards, worked on a committee that, Lord willing, will bring us under the headship of Synod in a meaningful way, established a plan for bi-annual women’s retreats beginning in 2027, and more! These women have WORKED for the Lord on behalf of our women, and I am so grateful for the honor of serving with them. I only share about my illness to highlight that our boards are truly teams of women who can accomplish so much together for the good of our women and for God’s glory. Serving together feels like a picture of the Early Church as women worked elbow to elbow preparing for family and feasts! It has been a joy and privilege to serve in ARP Women’s Ministry! And now I gratefully move onto the advisory role of past presi- dent, welcoming our NEW president, Jenna Campbell. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your president.
Final note: May of 2025, my doctors determined Covid unlocked a genetic liver
disorder. I’m improving with treatment and continue to hope for healing. We are so grateful for the love, prayer, and support we continue to receive!
Women’s Ministries
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