WHO WE ARE
We believe in the unique strength,
beauty, and wisdom of women in ministry.
OUR TEAM
Mary Lou McDowell
Harvest E-Free
Mary Lou is your first point of contact for any questions regarding women in ministry leadership. Mary Lou joined the EFCA Central Team in 2023. She spent her career at Principal Financial Group working with retirement plans in client relationship management. She previously served as the EFCA Resound District Mobilizer from 2009 – 2013 (in EFCA Central and the National Team) and was the Women’s Ministry Director at Christ Community Church in Ames, IA from 2018 to Spring 2020. Her interests include British mysteries, music, and long lunches with friends. She and her husband are big Cyclone fans. She loves Jesus and is both amazed and grateful that she has been called to be a disciple maker as well as a mentor and coach for women with Iowa State Navigators and the Prepared program.
Kayla Biegler
Cornerstone EFC
Kayla is married to Michael Biegler and is the mother of their three children. Kayla's spiritual walk has been particularly impacted by discipleship in many forms. Her parents, Sunday school teachers, youth pastor, and many wise women in the Church over the years have had a concerted impact in her walk with Christ. She regularly disciples young women in her church through one on one meetings as well as teaching women's Bible study. Kayla uses the Simeon Trust resource for Bible study preparation and enjoys going to the annual workshop to grow in her understanding and teaching of God's Word.
Faith Block
Wellspring Family Church
Faith began to fall in love with Jesus while reading her parents’ Bible as a teenager. She is married to Jeff Block (the discipleship pastor at Wellspring) and is the mother of one son, John.Faith has helped to arrange the annual pastor’s wives retreats for the Missouri and Kansas EFCA women and is on the women’s ministry team and teaching team at Wellspring. She has a heartfor women and for soul care; and feels that God has gifted her to infuse women with living hope, to remind them of beauty, and to awaken their hearts with the wildness of their Beloved. Faith enjoys tending her flowers, paddle boarding, hammocking, studying, and cooking. She currently works as a psych nurse in St. Louis.
Judie Colyer
Ankeny Free Church
Judie has been in women’s ministry for over 20 years with an emphasis on evangelism. The "Homes of Light” evangelistic tool came about through their church’s women’s ministry and has been used to lead many to Jesus. Judie delights in showing women how to know the Lord, helping them walk with Jesus, and watching their “ah-hah” moments as the Word speaks to them. She has four sons and daughters in law and 11 grandchildren. Her husband, John, was a pastor and is now with the Lord. In her spare time, you’ll find Judie gardening, putting on tea parties, and hosting people in her bed and breakfast.
Samantha Frykholm
Harvest E-Free
Samantha's trajectory of life changed by God's work through the disciple-making ministry of CRU so that she joined their staff upon college graduation. She thought she would serve with them for decades, but her life took another turn when the Lord moved her to take her heart for & training in disciple-making into the church. As a result, she was led to Trinity Evangelical Divinity school where she met her husband on his path to be a pastor. They have served together since, with the nearly seven years at Harvest E Free in Story City, Iowa, where they love raising their two teen age daughters. Samantha is credentialed by the EFCA and serves on both the District Board of Ministerial Standing and national EFCA Leaders Network.
Coco Janzen
Stonebridge Church
Coco Janzen serves as the Women's Ministry Coordinator at Stonebridge Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master's degree in teaching from Drake University. She is a student in the EFCA Prepared Cohort and also enjoys participating in and helping to lead Simeon Trust workshops. She is particularly passionate about helping women grow in their love for God's Word. Her heart for missions has led her to serve as a missionary with YWAM in England and Turkey, and she has participated in short term mission trips to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and across the United States. Coco travels the country speaking to hospitals and companies about stress and burnout, with a focus on creating a culture of wellness. She has the absolute joy of homeschooling her four boys and co-owns a CrossFit gym with her husband, Andy.
Laura Rife
EFC of Oelwein
Laura began trusting Christ on a mission’s trip during her college years. Her ministry passion involves providing comfort, encouragement, and guidance to women through the teaching of God’s Word as well as developing leaders and equipping women in discovering and using their spiritual gifts. Laura has a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. She has taught Spanish, led Womens Bible Studies, ministered to women in jail and served on short-term missions from Peru to Israel. In 2020, she became credentialed with the EFCA. She enjoys tennis/pickle ball, short bicycle trips, and camping with her husband, Troy, who is the pastor of the EFCA church in Oelwein.
Laura Santiamagro
Grace Evangelical Free Church
Laura has served as Director of Children's Ministry since 2022. She loves what she does and has a special place in her heart for students with special needs. She received her training for ministry at Moody Bible Institute earning her BA in Children's Ministry.
In 2022, Mike Shields invited Katie McCoy, Director of Women's Ministry for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, to share about her ministry. And while there had been some discussion about reviving Central District women’s ministry, Covid interrupted further planning. Hearing Katie once again put this on Mary Lou McDowell’s heart. It had been several years since she had left her position on the national RESOUND team and she could sense God wanting to move Women in Ministry forward again. This was of special importance as she learned about the new Prepared equipping program for EFCA women.
So while Mary Lou was thinking “small”, like a webpage with information, God was moving much faster and much bigger! He brought together an informal team of Women’s Ministry leaders from Iowa as volunteers focused on developing a workshop for the 2023 district conference. Then, He laid on the hearts of Mike Shields and the EFCA Central Board of Directors the need for a staff member to focus on Women in Ministry equipping and leadership. This moved very quickly! And while our team was thinking that this move would be a few years away, the board decided to add the position immediately. Mary Lou had originally been the catalyst for getting this initiative moving, but God called her to the official position of Director of Women in Ministry Leadership beginning March 1.
We are just getting started! While we are primarily focused on Women’s Ministry in 2023, we expect to expand beyond Women’s Ministry to women who are in ministry leadership roles of teaching, evangelism, shepherding, and serving. This can include women’s ministry, children’s ministry, youth ministry, worship, and administrative roles. Women are called to fulfill the mission of Jesus Christ and His call to them as His disciples. Our goal is to reach women in all seasons of life as well as all parts of the EFCACentral District – Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, and South Dakota.
We honor the EFCA’s positions regarding women and ordination, which is reserved for men. And we support the mission of the EFCA and EFCACentral - to glorify God by multiplying transformational churches among all people.