Created For Community

As you may or may not know, we moved to the “country” 2 years ago. Now I can be at a mall in twenty minutes, so it is not really the country, but it certainly feels that way. One of the benefits of being in the country is that we are allowed to have chickens. Two years ago, we started with 16 chicks that were only two days old when we got them. We tenderly and lovingly cared for them until they were old enough to free range. Contrary to what one may think, chickens have quite a personality and we came to think of our chickens as pets. A few other critters that also come with being in the country are foxes, racoons, possums, hawks and assorted other predators. Unfortunately, over the last two years, we lost all but three of our chickens to one kind of predator or another, but mostly to hawks. This past summer, we moved our three chickens to our orchard. The orchard has an 8-foot fence surrounding it with a section of it covered on the top. We thought that this would be a much safer place for them – however, shortly after we moved them into this ‘safer’ area, I went to take care of them one Saturday and found two of our three chickens had been killed. A racoon had dug under the fence. I cried every time I went to take care of our one lone hen, Pepper. One may think that I was imagining things, but I could tell that she was sad. She was used to living in community and now she was all alone. It broke my heart every time I walked away and saw her standing there. Since that time, we have added ten new chickens, as well as three Nigerian dwarf goats - so Pepper has plenty of community now. 

We were never meant to do life alone. God set it up from the beginning that we would live in community with one another. You can see it in nature. Fish swim in schools, cows roam in herds, wolves travel in packs, chickens live in flocks, ants work together in teams. I think God approves of TEAMS.  

Reid Hoffman, the co-founder and chairman of LinkedIn, sums it up well: “No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.” Steve Jobs, the late founder and CEO of one of the most competitive and powerful companies ever built, said, “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” During training, Navy SEALs sometimes link arms when they do pushups to promote going through stress together, rather than in isolation. The SEALs also have a great saying: “Individuals play the game, but teams beat the odds.”

Five years ago, a few women who were leaders in the St. Louis area, expressed the desire and need for connection with other Christian executive female business leaders. After much searching for several months for a group, Rooted Sisters was formed to meet this need. Co-founded by Cindy Erickson and me, this group has grown organically over the past five years from three to over one-hundred women. It is a testament to the fact that women need women and are longing to belong to a community of other faith-based leaders who can encourage and earnestly admonish one another to impact our world for the Kingdom. We have since launched an annual Christian Businesswomen’s Breakfast that has brought together over 450 women (and men) of faith for a powerful morning of connection, worship and inspiration. Stay tuned for more information on our third annual event which will take place on October 15, 2020.  

No matter who you are, you need a community or tribe. You need people in your life who you can link arms with. You need people who will cry with you in the struggle and rejoice with you in the victory. I love this community of women so very much. They are my sisters, my mentors, my accountability partners, my fellow sojourners and my partners in Kingdom building. If you don’t have a community or tribe and are longing for one, come join us. We will welcome you with open arms. 

The Mission:

The Rooted Sisters’ mission is to provide a safe place for women who are leaders in the marketplace to connect with one another and also grow in a closer, more intimate, relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. 

The Vision:

Women in leadership have a unique opportunity for influence. The vision of the Rooted Sisters is that as women become more rooted and grounded in Christ, they will bear much fruit in their homes, organizations and communities - all for the glory of God.