WHO WE ARE
We believe in the unique strength,
beauty, and wisdom of women in ministry.
OUR TEAM
OUR STORY
The EFCA Central Women in Ministry Leadership Equipping Team exists to be a resource for women leading in our district churches. This includes supporting these leaders as they grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ: reproducing disciples, growing as leaders, and developing their spiritual gifts. It means training and development of current and future leaders through workshops, coaching, and encouragement in utilizing resources developed by the EFCA - Prepared, Pathways, and Gateway.
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 EFCA Central District – Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, and South Dakota.
While we have primarily focused on Women’s Ministry since 2022, the ministry is expanding to women who are leading other women in the areas of children’s ministry, youth ministry, worship, discipleship, communication, and administration.
We encourage women to pursue credentialing with the EFCA including the Certificate of Christian Ministry, available to both men and women. But we honor the EFCA’s position regarding ordination, which is reserved for men.
MaryLou 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 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.
Emma Harms
Westview Church
Emma Harms is a pastor’s wife and mother to six children. The EFCA runs deep in her blood: her dad grew up in an E-Free church in MO, her parents served with ReachGlobal in France, where Emma spent the first 13 years of her life as a missionary kid, and her dad has pastored two EFCA churches in MO from 2000-present. Emma married an EFCA-ordained pastor, Jason, and they have served in churches in SC, MO and FL. They currently reside in a 100-year old parsonage in Northwest IA. Emma received her BA in Christian Education and Bible and her MA in Bible Teaching from Columbia International University. She is passionate about theology, hospitality, discipleship and motherhood. In this season of life, she currently finds great joy in leading the Women's Ministry at her church (Westview Church in Albert City, IA), discipling a small group of ladies, and teaching a women's theology class. But most of all she finds joy in coming alongside her husband in ministry and homeschooling their children, with a cup of strong, black coffee in hand!