helen Jenkins

I sympathise so much with the stories that have been told here. I am now 66 and am still waiting. I heard the call of God when I was 14 years old, when He said to me, ‘As the Father sent me, so send I you.’ It was entirely unexpected and overwhelming to me that He would speak to me in this way. I could not become a minister because of my gender and so I did a degree in Biblical Studies and became a teacher of Religious Education here in the UK. To me, it was second best, but I did not see what else I could do. When I was in my thirties, I joined a charismatic church where my gifts were recognised and I was used to preach regularly and lead a house group. however, there were one or two who were very jealous of me (one in particular) and they incited the pastor the fire me. He did so and proclaimed to me that I had never been a leader of the church – even though my husband and I, together with the pastor and his wife, were the only people who were invited to attend the leaders’ meetings. I was devastated and my most productive years (my forties) were lost to ministry. Apart from occasional preaching, I did not do anything in the church for 20 years. Then we joined my son’s church (he is a pastor) and the way opened up for me to (unofficially) lead a Bible Study group and this led to two more. These prospered until circumstances brought them to an end (my unwise choices, but then I had never had a mentor, because of course anointed and gifted women are not spotted and brought on by the leadership of the church as men are). There followed a few years of testing, criticism and attack. I believe God permitted this to train and refine me as He trained and refined Job through his sufferings. Bob Sorge’s book ‘Pain, Perplexity and Promotion’ was very helpful to me. And here I am – 66 and still without recognition or opportunity.