Women’s Auxiliary allows women to don new ‘hats’

Women have to wear many hats for various occasions, said Terri Stovall at the Women’s Auxiliary tea, April 13, at Southwestern Seminary. Stovall, dean of women’s programs, explained that women sometimes have to wear construction hats to build up their children’s lives. At other times, they have to put on a fireman’s hat to extinguish emergency fires. On this special day, however, those participating in the Dressed for Service program—both those giving to the program and those receiving from it—could don hats as daughters of the King in service for His ministry.

Established in 2005 by First Lady of Southwestern Dorothy Patterson, the Dressed for Service program provides select women outfits that are suitable for committee interviews, graduation and church services. Sponsored by Southwestern’s Women’s Auxiliary, this spring 48 recipients—graduating female Southwestern students or wives of graduating male students from the Fort Worth and Houston campuses—were paired with Women’s Auxiliary mentors who took them shopping for fully accessorized ensembles. In addition to new wardrobes, recipients also benefited from the godly advice and relationship offered by their mentors.

During the luncheon, 17 of the 48 Dressed for Service recipients showed off their new looks in the Spring Style Show. When participants paused at the end of the runway, the voices of husbands and friends who had made recordings for the show expressed gratitude to Women’s Auxiliary for the generous gift. Members of Women’s Auxiliary also enjoyed fellowship and spiritual encouragement over tastefully decorated tables and tea, scones and sandwiches.

After the show, Keynote Speaker Carmen Howell exhorted the ladies to always rejoice in the Lord in the face of both trials and triumphs. Howell, daughter of Paige and Dorothy Patterson and wife of Mark Howell, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Daytona, Fla., emphasized that feasting on the Word of God is the only way women can serve joyfully for Christ.

“If you are not reading God’s Word everyday, you will never know who you are or who God wants you to be, and you will never know what God wants you to do,” she said. “I want to challenge you that counting all joy will never come until you read God’s Word and realize the blessings that are yours.”

Howell also expressed gratitude for the Dressed for Service program, explaining that such gifts touch the hearts of those in ministry. “The ministry that you have when you give to these people who are studying for ministry is incredible,” she said. “Ministry is tough, and [these women] are going to be attacked. … A wardrobe means a lot. Please continue this ministry—it is an incredible blessing, more than you know.”