Esther Burrage says a huge thank you to The Connexion and the Cheshunt Foundation for the money she received to enable her to take part in the Kyria Collab course: 

This time last year, my mother told me about an old friend of hers who is the CEO of a ministry called the Kyria Network. Aimed at supporting and teaching women in Christian leadership roles, the network spans across the UK, from Glasgow to Holy Island, from Northern Ireland to Devon, and aims to CHAMPION, EMPOWER and RELEASE women leaders into spheres of leadership. I said, “That’s nice, Mum,” and walked quickly away before she could sign me up for something else.

But then I went away on a week of volunteering as a leader at a holiday camp in Gloucester, run by CPAS (Christian Pastoral Aid Society). There, I supported the young people, aged 11-14, through the week to help give them a great holiday, and I also supported Pastor Steve with the thirty-minute bible focus that he gave at the end of each long day.

That week was easily one of the most stressful and exhausting weeks of my life, not helped by the bout of food-poisoning I got at the end of it. But through my recovery, I realised how much I had actually enjoyed – and been good at – being a leader. Some of the young people were genuinely curious to know more about what Pastor Steve was talking about, and I had been able to give them answers and lead them to a better understanding about God’s love. I realised that I wanted to learn more about being that sort of leader, one who doesn’t push or preach, but who is there with the skills and knowledge to guide the young people in their new journey for insight.

This time, when my mother reminded me about the Kyria Network, she told me about an annual, online course that they run called Collab, where about fifteen young, female leaders are supported in their journey to learn more and create connections with other like-minded women. I decided that I would apply and see what I could learn, and the Cheshunt Foundation helped cover the cost so that when I was accepted, I could say yes!

Each month, we met up on zoom: fifteen women leaders in Christian ministry of some sort, with our two amazing organisers, Amy and Odele, and a different key-note speaker for every session. We covered topics such as being prepared with what to share at the front of a room, navigating the obstacles for women in church leadership, what Jesus said about women leading in the Bible, and how we could enable other leaders to reach their full potential, and we sought after ours. The sessions held a ton of discussions in the dreaded zoom break-out rooms, testimonies and giving each other advice, and general teaching, learning and friendship.

The year culminated with a face-to-face meeting in London at King’s Cross Baptist Church on the 30th of August. We arrived slowly, some coming from the airport the night before or off 6am train journeys. But when we were all together in the hall, it was like we all already knew each other and were fast friends! It was the most wonderful atmosphere of friendship, encouragement and celebration. We had a session of worship, each stood up to talk about our leadership journeys through the year, Amy and Odele commissioned us to go out into the world with our new support network and knowledge, and we all came away with a slice of cake leftover from lunch.

When I stood up and shared my leadership journey, I spoke about that holiday camp I did last year and how it made me realise that I was interested in being a leader. I was then able to share about my experience doing it again this past summer, this time in charge of leading those Bible sessions at the end of each exhausting day. The response from the young people had been amazing, with our question box overflowing and the engagement levels through the roof! The overall leaders of the camp asked if I would consider attending their annual conference to become an overall leader myself after only two years of taking part, and I said yes!

I am so thankful for the Cheshunt Foundation for enabling me to be a part of the Kyria Collab this past year, and for setting me up with this new network of fellow women leaders. And if you know any young women who you think should be involved, send them over to the website to find out more about the next Collab: https://kyrianetwork.com/.

Esther Burrage