
When She Leads
We desire to equip, encourage and connect women in ministry.
Speakers
Ruth Chou Simons is a Wall Street Journal bestselling and award-winning author of several books and Bible studies, including GraceLaced, Beholding and Becoming, and When Strivings Cease. She is an artist, entrepreneur, podcaster, and speaker, using each of these platforms to spiritually sow the Word of God into people’s hearts. Through her online shoppe at GraceLaced.com and her social media community, Simons shares her journey of God’s grace intersecting daily life with word and art. Ruth and her husband, Troy, are grateful parents to six boys—their greatest adventure.

Brenda Leavenworth is an author and speaker based in Temecula, California. Her passion is
to help women grow in their knowledge and understanding of Scripture as they pursue
Christian maturity. She enjoys traveling the globe to share God’s Word and has written
several in-depth Bible studies, including her 2016 release of Proverbs 31 study, Far
Above Rubies. Brenda holds a master’s degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in
Christian Leadership from Calvary Chapel University and has joined their staff as an
adjunct professor. As the host of When She Leads podcast, Brenda actively and
passionately discusses the complexities and realities of leading ministry as a woman.
Married to Ted Leavenworth, who serves as the Senior Pastor of Reliance Church,
together they share three adult children and ten grandchildren. Brenda currently serves
and loves her community as the Director of Women’s Ministry at her home church.
to help women grow in their knowledge and understanding of Scripture as they pursue
Christian maturity. She enjoys traveling the globe to share God’s Word and has written
several in-depth Bible studies, including her 2016 release of Proverbs 31 study, Far
Above Rubies. Brenda holds a master’s degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in
Christian Leadership from Calvary Chapel University and has joined their staff as an
adjunct professor. As the host of When She Leads podcast, Brenda actively and
passionately discusses the complexities and realities of leading ministry as a woman.
Married to Ted Leavenworth, who serves as the Senior Pastor of Reliance Church,
together they share three adult children and ten grandchildren. Brenda currently serves
and loves her community as the Director of Women’s Ministry at her home church.

Christy Duff is a pastor’s wife at The Garden Fellowship, where her husband, Jason, is the pastor. She and Jason have been married for 22 years and they have 3 beautiful children- 20 year old Haley, 18 year old Jonathan, and 16 year old Aleah. She has a passion for women to grow in the Lord through His Word, and is blessed to be able to travel and speak to encourage them to do just that!
Annie Harley serves as Director of Calvary Women at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale. She is passionate about women discovering their purpose and being mobilized towards world-change. She attended Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe in Vajta, Hungary and Azusa Pacific University, where she studied Christian Ministries. Originally born in Southern California, she loves traveling and experiencing the impact of the local church globally. She hosts leadership courses, activates women towards serving the community locally and globally, and building meaningful relationships through groups. She leads a team of women who host a bi-annual event, The Gathering, which is designed for girls of all generations to gather together to grow and go!

Grace is a Bible teacher and ministry leader in Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas has been home for the last ten years, with nine of those years having been spent planting and establishing Paradise Calvary Chapel with her husband and lead pastor, Timothy Warholic. Prior to moving to Las Vegas, Grace and Timothy spent ten years in Eastern Europe, with the large part of that time church planting in Croatia. Grace and Timothy also have five children, ranging from eight years old to sixteen. Grace is passionate about studying, understanding and teaching scripture; she is currently finishing her last year of studies to obtain her Master’s in Advanced Biblical Leadership at Western Seminary, and hopes to continue with an emphasis on original languages and ancient Near Eastern culture. Grace leads the women’s and children’s ministries at Paradise Calvary, she also helps with counseling, discipleship and leadership development. The last five years she has enjoyed teaching 9th grade Old Testament Survey and Worldview at a private Christian school where her children also attend. Besides enjoying the normal day to day family life, Grace loves traveling with her husband (especially to encourage friends and missionaries), coffee and reading.

Kelly Bell has been married to Brian, Senior Pastor of Calvary Murrieta, for 39 years. They have two children and five grandchildren. Kelly is the Director of Women’s Ministry and has a passion to see women grow in their faith and become doers of the Word. She is a teacher, a writer, and the author of a Bible Study series called “Reasons to Rejoice.” Kelly oversees their Justice Ministry and has a passion to “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, ensuring justice for those being crushed.” (Proverbs 31:8-9). She volunteers with various other community organizations such as ICA, Rebirth Homes, and the Murrieta Food Pantry. Kelly loves to run, cycle, hike, read, eat, play with her grandkids, travel, go to the beach, and find ways to share Jesus with her world!

Rosemary lives in Longmont, Colorado, where she serves as the leader of the Women’s Ministry at White Fields Community Church. Her husband, Nick, serves as Lead Pastor. They have four wonderful children; each having a unique testimony of God’s grace in their lives. Growing up in Oceanside, California, Rosemary is a first-generation American, which made life an adventure and caused her to grow in appreciation for the USA. She came to know the Lord at the end of high school, and started attending Calvary Chapel in Vista, California, where she had the privilege of serving the Lord as a youth group leader. She then spent 14 years serving as a missionary in Hungary, church planting with Calvary Chapel. Rosemary enjoys hiking, running, cooking, traveling, gardening, teaching the Bible, and most of all: spending time with family.

Sonia Trujillo is the senior pastor’s wife at Calvary Chapel South Los Angeles. She and her husband have been doing ministry in the inner-city for over twenty years. They have been married for twenty nine years and have three grown children and three grandchildren. They have a desire to share the hope of God with everyone, including those whose lives have been impacted by a life of gangs, drugs, crimes and incarceration.

Meka Buffington serves with her husband, Bill Buffington, the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Inglewood. They have been married for over 25 years, have four young-adult children, and one grandchild. Their older son was diagnosed with autism as a toddler. Providing biblical support and encouragement to families touched by special needs is a ministry that is close to her heart. Meka holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Education Leadership. She is the Director of Women’s Ministry and leads the Children’s Ministry. Meka has a passion for teaching God’s word, discipling women to grow in their relationship with Christ, writing Bible curriculum for children, and training servants/leaders to plant the seed of God’s word in the heart of young ones.

Krista and her family recently served as missionaries in the Amazonian region of Brazil in Belem, Para for 4 years. She and her husband Kyle have been married for 20 years. They planted Calvary Chapel Belem where Kyle is the pastor and Krista serves as the women’s ministry leader and leads the Proverbs 24:11 ministry, a ministry dedicated to individuals involved in human trafficking and prostitution.