I began serving as a mentor for HER VOICE last year. I have the privilege of coaching Denise Vaughan, who
serves as our Women’s Ministries Leader at Rochester Life. Denise has also been gifted by God with talent to
write and speak. She has her own blog, “Neeserisms.com,” and has spoken at retreats and conferences. HER
VOICE is the perfect description of what God is doing through Denise and other female leaders at our church as
well as across our Network.
Women like Denise are stepping into roles of leadership and in doing so, are modeling what it means to
empower others for works of service. For example, three of the women from our church who went to the
conference shared the following Sunday. These three women are at different seasons of life, and also at different
stages of their journey with Christ. However, their stories overlapped in how the HER VOICE conference
encouraged their hearts and affirmed their identities as uniquely created individuals who have been gifted by
God for works of service. That’s something to celebrate, and it’s also worth emulating so that other women might
find THEIR VOICE in God’s kingdom too!
- Pastor Leif Holmes
Pastor Leif serves as Senior Pastor at Rochester Life since September of 1999. Before that,
he served in various associate, youth and children’s minister roles at churches in Lacey and
Enumclaw, Washington. Pastor Leif has great passion for overseas missions and has traveled all
over the world (including Mexico, Russia, Africa, Nicaragua and Cambodia) to share the message
of Christ. Next to his relationship with God and commitment to his family, Pastor Leif is an avid
reader and history buff. His wife, Laura, enjoys music, detective shows and a good cup of coffee.
Pastor Leif and Laura have three children – Elise, Sydney and Ty.
As I arrived at Fiddlers, a local coffee and hangout spot, I was filled with anticipation, nervousness, and curiosity
as to what this meeting would hold for me. When Pastor Kyle Rasmussen arrived he warmly greeted me, after
getting a drink from the baristas who he knew all by name. From the moment he sat down Pastor Kyle was
interested in not just talking about my message, but in hearing my story. Earlier in the week he had met with my
pastor and so he had a sense of who I was and of the call on my life.
When we began to discuss my She Leads message, his first words to me were of encouragement and edification.
He then asked me “What do you think of your message?” When I shared with him that I had just listened to
the message again and that I realized some areas that I needed to fine tune, he was in agreement as well. I have
to say as we began to discuss the message, where I could make adjustments, parts that I needed to let go of, the
presence of the Holy Spirit was strongly felt in that little coffee shop. In that hour that we met, not only did we
come up with a clear and God led plan to bring clarity to my message, but for me as a woman in leadership,
called to minister, I walked away from that meeting acknowledged, encouraged, and commissioned to go forth
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