In the beginning, the breath of God moved over the waters, and from the dust of the earth and the spirit of heaven, life began. Eve — the mother of all living — stood not as an afterthought but as a vital act of divine imagination.

She, the nurturer of nations, the voice within the garden, the sacred carrier of promise, still echoes across time.

This May at New Unity Baptist Church, we lift high the banner:

"She Preaches, She Rises: Daughters of Zion Standing Tall."

In honoring the women of our house and our history, we do more than celebrate — we testify.

We testify that women are not simply participants in the story of faith; they are architects of it. They are the midwives of freedom, the songwriters of liberation, the fierce defenders of family, faith, and future.

The Sacred Power of Women in Worship: When women gather in sacred worship, heaven listens differently.

There is a rhythm in the prayers of women that calls forth rivers from dry ground. As Rev. Harold Carter, Sr. writes in "The Prayer Tradition of Black People," and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper the 1845, Baltimore-born American abolitionist, suffragist, poet, temperance activist, teacher, public speaker, writer. and one of the first African American women to be published in the United Statest writes:

“Go on! go on! we are gaining ground; Freedom is sounding her trumpet sound.

Lo! the nations hear the strain, Freemen they shall all remain.

They shall know the blessed story, Of our freedom and our glory.”

" (Frances Ellen Watkins Harper — “The Deliverance” (Excerpt).

There is a sound in the songs of women that splits the sky wide open. There is an anointing in the hands of women that mends the broken and lifts the fallen

At New Unity, we believe — as declared in our New Unity Nation statement - newunitybaptistchurch.org/about-us/new-unity-nation/ — that we are called to build a living, breathing expression of heaven's dream on earth.

That work is incomplete without the wisdom, the courage, and the fire of women standing tall and speaking boldly.

We recognize that women are not mere stewards of their households but essential builders of a just and righteous nation:

They are bearers of moral memory.

They are warriors of sacred resistance.

They are healers in the broken places of our society.

They are the Eve’s of every age — mothers of all living movements.

Home, Church, and Nation: The Sacred Impact of Women: A house built without the heart of a woman is a house without rhythm.

A church built without the voice of a woman is a church without its full prophecy.

A nation built without the leadership of women is a nation gasping for air.

At New Unity, we stand unashamedly on the truth that when women rise, communities heal. When women preach, justice sings. When women stand tall, the very walls of oppression tremble.

The Eve of Scripture and the daughters of today carry the seeds of restoration, innovation, and transformation. In their wombs are nations. In their prayers are victories. In their songs are revolutions.

And we dare not forget: Every liberation movement, every revival, every great rising has always had daughters of Zion at its core — whether the world acknowledged them or not. Here, we do.

May 2025: A Sacred Invitation:

Each Sunday this May, we will gather under a sacred summons:

Minister Catherine Giles reminds us that standing in our anointing is not optional — it is our mandate.

Lady, Rev. Wanda Golden declares that the womb still speaks life, destiny, and divine calling.

Minister Zazenza Smith proclaims that no matter the storm, still she rises.

Lady Sharrie Patterson assures us that our final name is not defeat, but Victory.

As we wear white and purple — the colors of purity, power, and royalty — we are bearing visible witness to the invisible strength God has woven into the daughters of Zion.

This is more than a celebration.

This is a sacred uprising.

This is a declaration that we are still building the nation heaven spoke into existence — and we cannot, and will not, build it without the power of our women.

A Closing Charge:

Readers, far and near, this May, let us honor the Eves among us. Let us bless the wombs that birth vision. Let us protect the voices that prophesy hope. Let us walk alongside the daughters of Zion who refuse to shrink in a world desperate for their rise.

For as it is written: "God is within her, she shall not fall; God will help her at break of day." (Psalm 46:5)

She preaches.

She rises.

We rise with her.

#ShePreachesSheRises #NewUnityNation #DaughtersOfZionStandingTall #SacredSisterhood