Learning in the Daryl Cannon School of Women's Ministry
by Laurie Reyes
Our mom leads an impressive women’s ministry at Sovereign Grace
Church in Joppa, MD. The Ladies’ Christmas Breakfast sells out every year drawing more guests than any other special event at the church. The weekly Bible/book study functions as an expression of Titus 2 ministry as older and younger women come together to study, discuss, and apply whatever they are studying together. The summer playground groups are an easy way for moms and kids to enjoy warm weather, fun, and fellowship together. The occasional corporate ladies’ meeting is a much-anticipated girls’ night out with rich times of worship, teaching, discussion, and refreshments. Our mom’s love for the ladies of the church is evident in the effort she puts into a high-quality women’s ministry. As impressive as that is, what impresses us most as her children is the ministry our mom has done over the years in her favorite context: our home.From the time she was saved at age 31 (we were 12, 8, and 3 years old at the time), our mom began using her home as a ministry base. In addition to providing a haven for our family, she hosted care-group meetings, picnics, evangelistic Bible studies, ladies’ intercession groups, and other small-scale church meetings. Our mom has always had that unique ability to make everyone truly feel “at home” in our house.
Our home was always bustling with activity, but my mom was never too busy to show compassion and care to “the least of these”. We remember Jonathon, a nine-year-old boy whose mom was dying of cancer. Initially Jonathon came to play with Jimmy, but was soon drawn to our mother. He would come to the house just to be with her. Jonathon often smelled and was crusted with dirt. Mom would bathe him and wash his clothes because she knew his mother would be grieved if she knew of the neglect. She gave him snacks and sometimes dinner, but mostly she gave him what he was really hungry for: a mother’s love and care.
We remember Rebekah and Elizabeth. A young mother in the church was critically ill, in and out of hospitals and needing care for her five small children. My mom cared for the youngest two: Rebekah 3, and Elizabeth 2. These two were a memorable pair, having decorated Laurie’s white bedroom with her fuchsia lip stick during nap time. They were the proverbial “hand full”, but our mom not only babysat them -for days at a time- off and on for months, but genuinely loved them. We still have fond and funny memories of Boggy and Biz-Biz which is what the girls called each other.
We also remember our home being a place for singles that didn’t have families in the church. Our family adopted many singles over the years. They came for holidays, dinner, vacations, and just to hang out. My mom had the knack of including people into our lives without pretense or formality. They just sort of joined into what we were doing, making them feel part of our family.
There were many times growing up when we had people live with us. We had two occasions where men from the church lived in our basement. We had a family of seven live with us…in our townhouse! After Karyn and Laurie were married, two single guys (at separate times) moved in. One paid room and board which our parents saved to give back to him for college money after he left. And most recently, Jimmy and Abby along with their two children were able to live with our parents while Jimmy fixed up and added to an older home they purchased. Abby remembers that in contrast to what many thought would happen, she felt completely at home working along side our mom to cook, clean, and have hospitality. She attributes this to our mom making her feel that her house was Ab’s house.
As we have grown up and now all have families of our own, we still see mom using her home as her ministry base. When hurricane Katrina caused our aunt and grandmother to relocate, our mom welcomed them into her home. Our Aunt Kathy (who was in her late fifties at the time) was severely mentally handicapped, only having the capacity of a baby. Our mom dressed her, fed her, and cared for her in every other way until she died of pneumonia less than a year later. Our grandmother also needed physical care. Our mom cared for grandma as if she were her own mother, even staying with her around the clock while she was receiving hospice care during her last days. We will never forget how our mom put her life on hold to care for our aunt and grandmother.
Our mother has never really had an empty nest. Even though none of us live there anymore, and Laurie and Jason even live in a different state now, we all still love going home to Mom’s house. Israel, her ten year old grandson recently said, “I love going to Grammy’s; it’s our other home.”
At mom’s house we learned that women’s ministry isn’t just Ladies’ Christmas Breakfast, or Bible Study, or large, fancy meetings. Women’s ministry is loving people. It’s loving dirty little boys who follow you around the house, and little preschool girls who dig up your flower beds; single guys who have no family and stop by anytime; aging inlaws who require special care; and loud grand children who do laps around the kitchen. Ministry is bringing people not just into your home, but into your life. All of this our mom has done over the years with no one watching.
Actually, we were watching. And our lives have been forever impacted by her godly example. And most significantly, God has been watching, and we hope she feels His pleasure in everything involved in her ministry.
We love you, Mom. Happy Mother’s Day!
From Karyn, Laurie, and Jimmy
Jimmy, husband to Abby and father to Jack 6, Charli 4, and baby girl due later this month, serves alongside his dad as an associate pastor at Sovereign Grace Church in Joppa, MD.
Jason, Laurie, and their four children have recently relocated to Akron, Ohio where Jason leads Covenant of Grace Church and Laurie plans to use many of her mom’s ideas for women’s ministry.
Karyn is a visual director for Macy’s corporation. She and her husband Dan have two teenagers, Sierra 16, and Daniel 13, and have been members of Sovereign Grace Church for over 20 years serving in various capacities including: leading care-group, leading worship, leading the décor team, photography, computer graphics, and building project management.
All three of us attribute our love for the local church to God’s grace through the example of our parents who have given their lives away loving and serving Sovereign Grace Church for almost thirty years - to the glory of God.
