Women in Ministry
Ashley Mejias Continues the Center's Commitment By Drew Trotter President
INSIDE Spring Break Means Missions A Virginia Tech Lament
Praxis V11 N2
Summer 2007
Pr a xi s
A Place For Ministry
W
omen’s ministry is an important part of our work at the Center for Christian Study, and ever since Amy Zell, our current Director of Women’s Ministries, moved to half-time a little over a year ago after becoming a mother, we have been praying and searching for just the right person to oversee and continue to develop this crucial side of the Study Center’s ministry. Women now comprise 54% of University of Virginia students, and the needs are great. God has wonderfully answered our prayers in the person of Ashley Mejias, who recently graduated from UVa with a Master of Arts degree in Religious Studies. Before coming to Charlottesville, Ashley worked for three years in Memphis, Tenn., for Streets, an inner-city ministry for children, and she still prays for, Ashley, our new Director corresponds with, and of Women's Ministries loves to visit “her kids”, as she calls them. She is presently employed by Theological Horizons, a work with students developed by Charles Marsh, a Religious Studies professor at the University, and his wife, Karen. Ashley has actively ministered to undergraduate women for several years, both with Theological Horizons and by leading Bible studies at Christ Episcopal Church in Charlottesville, where she is a member. Her bright, friendly demeanor won the hearts of the staff when she interviewed with us, and her heart for ministering with university women was evident at every point during the process. An extra bonus for us will be Ashley’s husband, Alex, who lived at the Study Center during his undergraduate days at UVa and later was also an active member of the Law Christian Fellowship. Under Ashley’s leadership, the Women’s Ministry small groups, counseling services, and programs will continue and expand. Amy Zell will continue in her half-time role as Director of Counseling Services. We also hope to offer for female students by fall 2008 a version of the Residential Program that is currently in place for men. This will allow us to develop a community for young women
who will be discipled in the ways of the King, learning what it means to live as a Christian in a complex and exciting – yet needy – world. We will have more information about Ashley in the next issue of Praxis, and hear something Amy Zell with one of her study groups (photo by Eric Kelley) of her vision for ministry at UVa through the work of the Study Center. Whatever happens in the future, Ashley will be building on the stellar service we have had in Women’s Ministry for many years at the Study Center. From the late 1960s onward, women and men both benefited from the Center’s work, but women often were underserved. The Center sought to improve its care for women in the mid-1990s, when Nancy (then Adams) Briggs became the first Coordinator of Women’s Ministries. With two Master’s degrees from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Miss., and experience as a missionary in South Korea and on two church staffs, Nancy served undergraduate women at UVa admirably for six years. She met individually with countless numbers of university women, taught numerous Bible studies, and led students on annual spring break mission trips to New York City among other duties. Nancy was also an innovator. For instance, she opened her home twice monthly for “Cook and Book” studies, where she led students both in preparing a meal together and in investigating the Scriptures and other books over dinner. She also initiated a Saturday Seminar on Healthy Living, where Christian experts helped students grapple with issues affecting university women. In
Psychologist Dena Cabrera of Remuda Ranch addresses UVa women at the February seminar "Beauty and the Body" (photo by Wes Zell)
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