Details---Patience---Presence

Lessons Learned from Women

Posted in the April 2025 Newsletter

In honor of Women’s History Month I wanted to share some lessons I have learned in my life from the women in it. Lessons that I can truly say I would not have learned on my own.

Importance of Details

Without this lesson I am not sure I would have ever learned the other two that I am going to share.

When I was very new to youth ministry it was Liz my wife, then girlfriend, who taught me to pay attention to the details. She is the one that clued me in to the fact that different people move through the world differently.

It was from listening to and learning from her that I started to be better able to understand others, look at things from their perspective, and learn to help people build the capacity for their own unique calls and journeys.

Not everyone is, or needs to be, on my path. If it was not for this lesson I would never have been paying enough attention to the specific challenges that professional women face to give Her Chance, a mentoring program to prepare Wesley College third year students, well, a chance when Peggy brought the idea up in the first place.

Patience

I am not the most patient person, at least I didn’t used to be. I have learned patience, largely from women. Women who refused to give up on their dreams.

Vivian Michael is one of the greatest examples. A Wesley College graduate, Vivian experienced a calling to ministry when still a young adult. Shortly after she was married and started a family and now she had to wait for her husband to figure out that she had a call to ministry. It took him a lot longer than it took her. When she finally made it to Wesley College her oldest was almost grown. After graduation she started preaching, teaching at women’s meetings, and growing in her ministry. It was another five years before her family accepted what she had accomplished and she jumped through all of the hoops and was finally ordained in 2024.

Almost two decades of waiting on the rest of her community and support system to catch up with something she knew to be true for so long. Yet she was patient, finding ways to engage in ministry, live a rich life, and love well all while knowing that God would be faithful. I could not ask for a better example of how things take time and great things take even longer.

The Courage of Presence

My last lesson learned was the courage of presence. For too long, I only saw the importance of action. The importance of doing more than being.

The importance of moving forward more than simply standing with someone. The need to prove myself more than the need to just be myself. Something I still sometimes struggle with.

Veronica, Wesley College graduate does this so well. Though she and I share a measure of impatience at times. She is a courageous, justice oriented person living in an injust world. She is a woman called to leadership and ministry in a community that often does not thing women should do either. I think her greatest courage is found in simply showing up fully as herself.She shows up in communities practicing FGM and shares how harmful this traditional practice can be. She shows up as a young, female leader and finds people wanting to argue simply just with her presence at the table and yet in that space she speaks up for the girls in the community who need protecting. She excels at being and witnessing, though don’t get me wrong, she does a great job of doing as well.

I have learned the importance of details, patience, and how courageous it can be to simply be, fully and authentically yourself. And I have learned all of that and more from the women around me. Called into their own vocations of leadership and service so we celebrate the Women’s history, women’s leadership, and the potential of women to change the world.

-Eric-

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Wesley College Foundation Welcomes

New Board Members

Lawrence Rhew

Enterprise Service Executive, Ellucian

Gavelston, TX

Mr. Lawrence Rhew has been a technology leader (former CIO) in both Healthcare and Higher Education for over 36 years. His primary focus has been on advancing technology utilization to support patients, students, and outcomes. He currently works with colleges and universities, helping them overcome institutional challenges that hinder their strategic goals.

Lawrence Rhew

He has served on the board of the Ronald McDonald House and was involved in Rotary for several years. Lawrence received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch and his MBA from Regis University. He is from Galveston, Texas, and currently lives in the area. He has two adult children and a new grandson.

As a first-generation college graduate, Lawrence is proud to serve education and help students improve their lives through education and opportunity. He became interested in Wesley College through his friend and colleague Ed Franklin, who introduced him to Wesley College and Eric Soard.  He is excited about the opportunity to use his knowledge to help change lives and communities.

Gaye Manning

Retired – Vice Chancellor Finance & Administration

Camden, AR

Mrs. Gaye Manning has been a higher education administrator for over 39 years with the primary role of providing financial leadership, guidance and counsel towards the development of academic programs, student support services, campus operations, technology advancements, and major capital enhancements on the SAU Tech campus, the Arkansas Environmental Training Academy, and the Arkansas Fire Training Academy.

She received her BBA from Southern Arkansas University and her MBA from Henderson State University. Throughout Gaye’s career, she was actively involved in state, regional, and national business officer associations and held officer roles in The Arkansas Association of College and University Business Officers, The Southern Association of College and University Business Officers and The National Association of College and University Business Officers. Gaye currently serves as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Rotary Club of Camden. Additionally, she serves as the Council Chair and Finance Chair at Fairview United Methodist Church in Camden, Arkansas.

Manning has spent four decades on a community college campus and has witnessed how education can transform lives by providing knowledge, skills, empowerment, social mobility, and a better quality of life.