We asked six resilient leaders to share a story of resilience with us. We originally planned to include a “Story of Resilience” segment at the end of each episode. Not surprisingly, each story we recorded was incredible and inspiring! We wanted to make sure you didn’t miss these stories and feared you might if they were at the end of episodes. So, our six episode podcast now includes six additional bonus episodes! Each bonus episode features a leader’s answer to our invitation to “tell us a story of resilience.” Each leader shares a story that is powerful, poetic, and deeply personal. We are really grateful for their vulnerability and hope their stories will inspire you as they did us. 

In our first Bonus Episode, Martha Valencia shares the story of her congregation’s partnership with a church in Honduras and her friendship with their pastor who has faced significant challenges, including helping his already poverty-stricken congregation navigate two hurricanes and a pandemic. His example of resilient leadership has inspired and sustained Martha as she grieves the loss of her mother to Covid-19 while continuing to lead her congregation through these difficult times.

Martha Valencia 

Rev. Martha Valencia is the Senior Pastor of Elmwood-El Buen Samaritano UMC in Dallas, Texas.

QUOTES

• “What he started to do was visit members one by one on his bicycle and go outside of their homes and simply share a word of encouragement and love from outside their homes, from outside their door, outside their window.” -Martha Valencia [05:39]

TIMESTAMPS

• [00:00] Intro

RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS

• Elmwood-El Buen Samaritano UMC in Dallas

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Reservoirs of Resilience is inspired by the monograph written by Bishop Janice Huie. Read the full publication here.

This podcast is brought to you by TMF’s Leadership Ministry. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission. For more information and to support TMF’s Leadership Ministry, visit https://tmf-fdn.org/leadership-ministry.