2022
ANNUAL
REPORT
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
- Colossians 2:6-7
A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dear Friend,
Church planting is an exciting opportunity to co-create with God, grow in faith, and see lives transformed. At the same time, limited resources, relational conflict and burnout can be overwhelming for the men and women who are kingdom partners in this work. Thanks to friends like you, Parakaleo helps women remain grounded in the gospel so that they feel resilient, renewed, and less alone during church planting.
In 2022, our rallying cry was “clarity for change.” Our world has shifted significantly in the past few years. To maximize our future effectiveness, we evaluated our ministry model and gathered feedback from our program participants. In collaboration with board members and leaders, we developed:
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A three-year strategic plan and action map
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A brand language document with updated wording for our vision, mission, and approach
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Design specifications detailing the Parakaleo learning experience
With the help of these guiding documents, we began redesigning our curriculum to address the needs of women today.
Meanwhile, our ministry movement leaders continued to serve women in their local context, often in partnership with church planting networks. Many of them worked cooperatively across denominations, countries and even continents. We provided them with materials, training, and consultation to help them grow their systems of support.
The following pages celebrate what your prayers and generosity accomplished last year.
We pray that these stories will stir you to rejoice in God's faithfulness and remind you of the invitation to rest in the gospel yourself.
With Gratitude,
DENINE BLEVINS
executive director
2022 Annual Report
MISSION & VISION
Vision
To see women and men follow Christ to grow churches that bear lasting fruit.
We believe that brothers and sisters in Christ are kingdom partners in church planting. The health and resilience of both require support during this challenging season of ministry.
Mission
To build gospel-based resilience and help women feel less alone in church planting.
We provide learning experiences and supportive communities to help women apply the gospel during a hectic and lonely season of ministry.
Our Approach
Our Impact
I feel refreshed and my heart has been transformed through applying the gospel in my current circumstances.
I feel supported and known in my Parakaleo group because they're in the same season as I am as church planters.
OUR TEAM
Parakaleo Leadership Community
In partnership with church planting networks and denominations around the world, we identify, recruit and train leaders to serve women in their own context and culture. We support them through the Parakaleo Leadership Community (PLC) where they receive fellowship and resources.
Staff
Our central office provides the infrastructure Parakaleo needs to accomplish our mission. We cultivate church planting partnerships, develop and support leaders, and offer virtual programming to women who lack access to a local Parakaleo movement.
STAFF
Denine Blevins
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Smita Donthamsetty
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Angie Woodall
OPERATIONS MANAGER
2022 Board
Margaret Thompson, Board Chair
Jessica Hong, Treasurer
Reyn Cabinte, Secretary
Shauna Froelich
Jessica Rice
Chris Torchia
2022 HQ Program Impact
Gospel Learning Experiences
WOMEN
51
“Leadership well-being is vital for church plant sustainability. There’s no way that network leaders can build a healthy ecosystem on their own. Parakaleo is a key partner in this.”
- –Clint Wilcke, Church Planting Network Leader
GLOBAL GROWTH
We partner with church planting networks and denominations around the world to raise up women to lead movements of Parakaleo in their own context, culture, and language.
STORIES OF IMPACT BY REGION
ASIA PACIFIC
When Dar Brubaker (Malaysia), Utako Grateley (Japan), and Wendy Mugridge (Australia) began participating in Parakaleo, they had no idea that they would one day work collaboratively to serve women across Asia Pacific. When the pandemic hit, they joined forces to offer programs to women in their region, including learning experiences, monthly groups, and “Zoom Cafes” to equip and encourage new leaders. They soon fell into roles that fit their complementary gifts and temperaments, which strengthened their collaborative approach.
In 2023, Dar will move back to the United States, requiring her to reduce her role on the team. Her apprentice Gabrielle Tee will continue her work in Malaysia, in partnership with Gospel City Network. We’re so thankful for God’s faithfulness through Dar, Utako, and Wendy these past three years, and we look forward to watching God continue to work in this region..
Also in Asia Pacific:
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Parakaleo leader Maggie Iverson launched a member care program to support 30 missionaries through a new partnership with Mission to the World!
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Two unnamed leaders in a closed country continued to provide virtual learning and support and even trained new leaders, despite political persecution.
Dar Brubaker (Malaysia)
Wendy Mugridge (Australia)
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Utako Grateley (Japan)
“Church planting had become about my effort and not good news. The gospel had become something I preached to others but not to my own heart. Parakaleo opened my eyes to the depths of the gospel and reawakened my compassion for others. It enabled me to embrace the role God has for me.”
– Utako Grateley, Parakaleo Leader (Japan)
2022 Asia Pacific Program Offerings
LATIN AMERICA
Silvana never imagined she would be a pastor’s wife. Her participation in Parakaleo helped ground her in the gospel, enabling her to support her husband and minister to others. In 2019, both she and her husband Carlos were diagnosed with cancer. Months of great pain, uncertainty and discouragement were accompanied by God’s care, direction, and, eventually, healing. In 2020, they launched Redeemed Church and shares the hope of the gospel with cancer patients and their families. Today, Silvana serves as the Parakaleo catalyst for Ecuador where she helps other women preach the gospel to themselves. Though her health challenges remain, she draws strength from God’s grace and her community of Parakaleo sisters across Latin America.
Catalyst Ruth Garza coordinates the work of Parakaleo Latin America, in partnership with City to City. In 2022, she and her team trained 16 leaders across eight Latin American countries.
“This is how you want every woman to feel; accompanied, loved and valued, first of all by God and by the community that is created through Parakaleo.”
-Program Participant (Chile)
2022 Latin America Program Offerings
Gospel Learning Experiences
86 WOMEN
UNITED STATES
When women experience Parakaleo for themselves, they can’t help but share it with others. Here are two examples of the multiplying effect of gospel renewal.
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Trainers Ashley Bennett and Luchrysta Caswell work collaboratively to support women through the Renew Polk Church Planting Network in Central Florida. In 2022, they mobilized five new leaders to launch supportive monthly groups in their area. They also welcomed four leaders from other parts of the country to serve as apprentices.
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After participating in Parakaleo, Melissa Lien and Leslie Kita (Los Angeles) wanted to ensure that women at their church plant received the same gospel-rooted support. With consultation from Parakaleo leader Olivia Jackson, they began facilitating monthly gatherings. Now they’re praying about how to bring the experience more broadly to women in their network.
“Parakaleo has been a real blessing for Renew Polk. They have done a great job of creating spaces of safety, friendship, fun and training that our church plants and partner churches really need. We are grateful for their contribution to the overall vision of gospel fluency in our church planting efforts.”
–Lyle Caswell, Director of Renew Polk Church Planting Network
2021 U.S. Program Offerings
2022 United States Program Offerings
Gospel Learning Experiences
31 WOMEN
Alongside Groups
91 WOMEN
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
Why We Give
“Parakaleo was a lifeline for my sister-in-law during a demanding season of church planting. It provided her with a safe community and practical ways to apply the gospel. Now she leads a group for other women, and continues to receive as she gives back. Glenn and I have seen the effects of the past few years on ministry leaders and their families. We give to Parakaleo so that more women feel supported, empowered and renewed in the gospel.”
–Carter Breazeale
FINANCIALS
Organizations & Churches:
$100,857.30
MISC:
$15.36
Individuals:
$188,065.19
Program:
$13,568.42
Income:
TOTAL: $302,506.27
The good you do through powering our mission through programs and resource development.
The good you do through sustaining our mission through operations
$100,366.51
$220,834.81
Expense:
TOTAL: $321,201.32
Assets and Liabilities
LOOKING AHEAD
As co-heirs (Romans 8:14-17) and co-laborers (Romans 16:3), women are vital partners in kingdom ministry, including church planting. When church planting movements recognize the value of co-laboring, it creates a collaborative impact. What a testimony to God’s reconciling power when his sons and daughters work together to build his church!
Pilot New Learning Experiences
We’re testing our redesigned curriculum in four cohorts representing women located in ten countries. Their feedback will help us refine our materials so that we meet the changing needs of diverse women in church planting in today’s world.
Add Alongside Groups
Parakaleo Alongside Groups meet locally and virtually to offer support and encouragement in the church planting journey. Facilited by a trained leader, they help normalize the confusing and often painful experiences of ministry, inviting women to entrust their lives to Jesus and each other.
Grow Our Partnership Program
Applying what we’ve learned from network partnerships that have developed organically, we’re designing a process by which church planting movements can adapt Parakaleo for their own context, culture, and budget. In 2023, we aim to add four new partnerships, with the goal of raising up leaders that will continue providing care to women in their networks with Parakaleo’s support.