FY2024
ANNUAL
REPORT
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
- Colossians 2:6-7
A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dear Friend,
At Parakaleo, we believe church planting is one of the most powerful ways to spread the gospel. However, it's not without challenges—nearly one in three new churches is likely to close within the first four years. Successful church planting requires more than just a lead planter; it takes a committed team. Your generosity empowers us to support the women on these teams, equipping them to build gospel-centered resilience as they serve and share their faith with others.
I'm thrilled to share the incredible impact we've achieved together over the past 18 months.* Thanks to your support, we were able to:
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Pilot and launch our new learning experience, Journey to Resilience
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Deliver approximately 2,000 hours of gospel-based support
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Equip and connect 43 leaders across 11 countries and 4 continents
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Establish 3 new Parakaleo communities within partner organizations
You helped make this possible!
Your support is instrumental in helping us strengthen women in church planting worldwide. I hope that you’ll be encouraged by each story of resilience, which shows the impact of your generosity.
Together, we’re ensuring that women complete their season of church planting with a deeper love for Jesus and a renewed commitment to making his church more beautiful.
With gratitude,
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DENINE BLEVINS
Executive Director
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*In 2023, Parakaleo changed its fiscal year from January to December to July to June. This report will cover the 18-month period from January 2023 to June 2024.
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VISION, MISSION, & VALUES
Vision
To see women and men follow Christ to grow churches that bear lasting fruit.
Mission
To build gospel-based resilience and help women feel less alone in church planting.
Our Approach
As we live in light of Jesus’s finished and continuing work, the gospel transforms our sense of security, identity and mission.
Gospel Application
Cultivate Genuine Community
We come alongside each other through challenges and celebrations unique to the church planting journey.
Partner
With Women
We believe that it’s God’s design for men and women to co-labor together in church planting.
Embrace Diversity
We seek to become a diverse, global community where women experience belonging.
OUR TEAM
Parakaleo Leadership Community
In partnership with church planting networks and denominations around the world, we identify, recruit and train leaders to serve women in their own context and culture. We support them through the Parakaleo Leadership Community (PLC) where they receive fellowship and resources.
Staff
Our central office provides the infrastructure Parakaleo needs to accomplish our mission. We cultivate church planting partnerships, develop and support leaders, and offer virtual programming to women who lack access to a local Parakaleo movement.
STAFF
Denine Blevins
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Smita Donthamsetty
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Angie Woodall
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Sarah Kemp
PROGRAM COORDINATOR
2023 Board
Chris Torchia, Reyn Cabinte (former member), Jessica Hong (Treasurer), Chris Zurbach, Shauna Froehlich (Secretary), Denine Blevins (Executive Director), Margaret Thompson (Chairperson), Chris McNerney, Jessica Rice
PROGRAMS
Learning Experiences
Modules that address common church-planting challenges.
Alongside Groups
Year-long peer groups that help women navigate specific issues.
Network Partnership
A process that guides church planting networks to support women on their teams.
The Impact We've Made Together
Often in collaboration with church planting networks, Parakaleo Leaders provide support women in their local context, both virtually and in person. Our staff (Central Operations) offers virtual programs in English, available to women anywhere in the world.
The Leaders You Helped Us Grow
Parakaleo multiplies its care capacity by equipping and mobilizing leaders to serve women in their own context, culture, and language, in partnership with church planting organizations.
The New Curriculum You Helped Us Develop
Piloting Programs
New Curriculum Launch and Virtual Support
In early 2023, we prioritized the work of testing our new Learning Experience called Journey to Resilience. We also offered virtual Alongside Groups for the first time so that women who lack access to an in-person Parakaleo community could be supported, too. Slowing down our regular operations allowed us to establish the infrastructure for these two programs, paving the way for future growth.
Exploring Identity
Who Am I?
Gaining Perspective
How do I cope?
Finding Community
Where do I go when I feel alone?
Navigating Roles
How do I choose what to do?
Malaysia
With Protestants making up 3-4% of the population, there’s a real need for the gospel in Malaysia, especially in Kuala Lumpur, one of the most overworked cities in the world. Many women juggle family, work, and church roles, often stretched thin and vulnerable to burnout. It’s crucial for them to find rest in the gospel and be regularly reminded of their identity in Christ.
Leader Gaby Tee creates safe spaces for women in ministry and church planting to refresh them in the gospel amid busyness as they serve others in the city.
In my weak and broken state, it was reassuring to learn alongside women who cared and accepted me without expectations. I learned new ways to apply the gospel to my broken heart.
– Anonymous
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I had found a safe place within a faith community where I could come as myself.
– Anonymous
ROOTED
Where Shoulders Can Drop
Church planting is hard. For women serving in a cultural context not their own, it can be even harder. In 2022, we repeatedly heard from African American participants about how hard it was for them to share openly about their loneliness and lack of belonging. In an effort to address this unique need, we began a community built just for them. We invited three women to walk through the entire Journey to Resilience curriculum together and provide feedback.
Two of them went on to become leaders who are equipped to lead groups in the future. The impact that a dedicated community can have is invaluable, and we are committed to expanding this support to reach even more women in diverse cultural contexts.
“Parakaleo is a space where our shoulders can drop, where women can experience authentic rest. I hope that the Lord will give me the opportunity to use Parakaleo to share the beauty of his story of grace in the now, as we wrestle in our waiting for the not yet.”
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– Patiences Teague
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Latin America
A Combined Calling​
Mirna Salazar and Tere Cruz serve wives in Mexico City. Most of them combine their call to church planting with their roles as mothers and also work as young professionals. In a city as large and complicated as Mexico City, constantly reminding themselves of the gospel both personally and in community has been very refreshing. Please pray for these women who are committed to their calling (but have little time to dedicate to themselves), for the churches that are being planted, and for the families of the planters.
Thank you for grounding and making the gospel practical, for the details that remind me of the Father's smile and the truth that Jesus plus nothing is everything.
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– ​ Program Participant, Parakaleo Latin America
United States
Restoring Hope through Online Connections​
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Marie Newell, serves as the Wives Coordinator at Great Commission Collective (GCC), a collective of pastors and elders aligned around multiplying leaders, planting churches, and strengthening one another. Marie integrates Parakaleo’s modules and groups to equip planter wives in US, Canada, and in seven countries around the world. Since much of Marie’s work involves using Zoom to connect with women, our gospel-centered, digital-first curriculum is a perfect fit! By partnering with Parakaleo, GCC provides care for over 60 women who are on the front lines ministry in their communities.
I can get overwhelmed with figuring out where my struggles are coming from. Parakaleo’s tools have helped me fight my sin and restore my thinking to be focused on the gospel and treasuring Christ. I am so thankful for Parakaleo!
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– ​ Katie Peterson, Church Planting Wife with GCC
Donor Testimony
Lauren Brown
Director of Community Formation & Spiritual Care
Central Presbyterian Church (New York, NY)
“I give to Parakaleo because it provided a lifeline to me during my first few years on church staff in NYC. As someone new to ministry, I knew the gospel, but Parakaleo expanded and enriched my understanding, helping me articulate it more effectively. The impact went beyond just an extraordinary curriculum; Parakaleo equipped me with the tools to view myself and others through the lens of grace. Being part of their coaching groups for three years has taught me how to listen, ask meaningful questions, and support other women in their journeys. By giving to Parakaleo, I am helping to ensure that other women in ministry have access to the same transformative support, encouragement, and community I received."​
FINANCIALS
2023 Income
TOTAL: $64,582.35
Organizations &
Churches:
$24,599.98
Program:
$5,085.26
MISC:
$2,904.21
Individuals
$53,885.80
2023 Expense
TOTAL: $145,177.50
$108,920.91
$36,256.58
The good you do through powering our mission through programs and resource development.
The good you do through sustaining our mission through operations
Reflects a 6-month fiscal year
2024 Income
TOTAL: $417,497.31
Program:
$9,800.51
Individuals:
$199,265.80
Organizations &
Churches:
$63,605.59
MISC:
$147,916.71
2024 Expense
TOTAL: $ 330,075.64
$233,135.06
$96,940.58
The good you do through powering our mission through programs and resource development.
The good you do through sustaining our mission through operations
Assets and Liabilities
LOOKING AHEAD
Our strategy for the coming year is designed to meet women where they are, demonstrate our impact, and expand our capacity.
Go
Go to where women gather (i.e. conferences, seminaries, church planting events), knowing that women are often too busy to take on additional commitments until they experience the impact.​
Show
Show the positive impact of gospel-based resilience on church planting sustainability by developing our Impact Strategy Model (ISM) and sharing participant stories.
Grow
Grow our giving community through consistent and personal engagement of donors.
Join us at our next Virtual Donor Event. Whether you’re a current donor or thinking about giving, we’d love to see you there.