By Linn Ann Huntington
Ellis County Ministerial Alliance
Two decades ago, Pastor Dana Spivy Glover of Hays heard about an organization called Come before Winter. It is a Christian organization that supports women in ministry leadership positions around the world.
Intrigued, Glover decided to learn more about the organization. In time, she became a lead pastor herself at Hays Christian Church, 1318 E. 22nd St.
Originally from Louisiana, Glover received her Bachelor’s Degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She received her Master of Divinity Degree from Abilene Christian University (ACU) in Abilene, Texas. It was a professor at ACU who first mentioned Come before Winter to her. The organization holds several “Renewal” events each year, both in the United States and overseas.
In June 2022, Glover attended her first event in Tennessee. She recently returned from her first international event near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which was held June 1-5. This time she served as one of the “team leaders.” The Malaysia “Renewal” served 47 women from nine countries, Glover said.
On June 13, Glover shared with her church members in Hays how that journey from attendee to team leader took place, and why she chose to make that journey.
She said, “I attended my first renewal because I was approaching graduation with my seminary and degree, and I was in the process of discerning whether or not I had clearly identified a shift in what I believed my calling in ministry would be going forward.
“I was in a place of challenging spirituality as I tried to seek out wise counsel and listen carefully for God's clarity for a vision to move away from specifically leading family ministries and start expanding my service to ministries that would serve churches in a more holistic way. I felt really lost and needed a place to step out of my busy graduate school routines before graduating so I could pay more careful attention to God.”
Glover said she came away from that first event not only with a new circle of lifelong friends, “but I found a sense of peace in sitting through the unknown and turmoil. I learned new practices for keeping my spiritual growth healthy during seasons that feel like spiritual drought.
“I was tethered back to a solid foundation during a season of life where it seemed like I might float away from everything that felt familiar to me. It provided both grounding and growth.”
Following that first “Renewal” experience, in fall 2022 Glover taught at a virtual Renewal (brought about by the Covid pandemic) that served women in Russia and Kazakhstan. In 2023 she taught an eight-week online class on the book of James offered by the organization. That class served 12 women from nine countries, she said.
Come before Winter was established in 2001 by Karen Alexander of Abilene and a small group of Christian leaders from Church of Christ/Restoration Church backgrounds. Since then, according to its website, the organization has served 2,500 individuals and has held 46 “Renewal” events.
“The organization in intentionally ecumenical,” Glover said. All Renewal sessions are in English, so all attendees must be fluent in English. Participants pay only for their transportation to and from the event. Lodging, meals, and all session materials are provided free of charge, the website said.
Its Mission Statement is: “Come before Winter exists to renew, honor, and equip women in ministry around the world.”
The organization’s name comes from 2 Timothy 4:21 in the Bible. Paul, a missionary is alone and in prison. He is grieving the loss of fellow workers, including one who has left the work. Craving encouragement and the presence of friends, Paul writes to his protégé, Timothy, “Do your utmost to come before winter” and instructs him to bring several needed items with him.
“Today’s Christian leaders experience winter,” the website said. “While Paul spoke of the physical season of winter, . . . many Christian leaders experience ‘winters’ of adversity, exhaustion, and burnout.”
Glover said each “Renewal” event has four key components:
1. Study—Each event focuses on studying a single book of the Bible. At the Malaysia event, the book was Habakkuk.
2. Reflection—Glover said attendees over the five days were asked to re-assemble small broken bowls and mark the seams with gold paint. This symbolizes the restoration work that God does in each of us when we bring our brokenness to Him, Glover said.
3. Prayer—Attendees were taught “listening prayer,” a type of prayer that waits to hear from God.
4. Worship—Two worship services were held each day, morning and night. On the last day, attendees led the worship services themselves “however they wanted to,” Glover said.
She served as a Reflection Team Leader, one of 16 team leaders at the event. She said team leaders are selected from a large group of women who have volunteered for that role. Before each “Renewal,” Come before Winter’s staff selects the women who will be invited to lead that event, based on the Bible book that will be studied and each volunteer’s talents and abilities. She said that staff members themselves write the curriculum for each “Renewal” event.
Glover said she returned from Malaysia with “a sense of fulfillment in my calling to serve other women in ministry, and particularly women that are going through hardships in their roles as women leaders.
“I also received a strong sense of affirmation and camaraderie with other women who work in ministerial leadership roles supporting one another.”
More information about the organization is available at www.comebeforewinter.org.
