By Reverend Sondrea L. Tolbert
NASHVILLE, TN— In Nashville we celebrate the women of the Bible. We focused on Esther and her unique role as one of the only women to serve as a biblical hero and the only woman for whom a Bible book is named. Esther was just a young orphaned girl, but
through her courage and faith, she succeeded in eliminating the evil Haman and saved the Jewish people.
Through Esther’s example, we learned what it means to be a strong, obedient, and faithful servant of God. When it was time for us to step out in faith in our own life, we had Esther and other biblical women to guide us and serve as powerful sources of encouragement.
March 8, the world will mark International Women’s Day, recognizing the contributions of women to our world. How appropriate that this day will fall in the Hebrew month of Adar, the same month that highlight’s Esther’s heroism. History is filled with great women who, like Esther, courageously changed the world for the better.
As we celebrate women’s month , we are particularly grateful for women of faith, both past and present. From biblical women to the women in our community, our lives and our characters which have been profoundly enriched by extraordinary women of God. Join us in acknowledging a great woman of faith – may you know her, raise her up and appreciate her always!
Rev. Sondrea L. Tolbert, J.D., M.Div. serves as the Assistant Pastor at the historic Fairfield Missionary Baptist Church. At Fairfield, Pastor Sonne, as she is affectionately called, provides oversight to ministry development, teaches in the Christian education ministry, manages the social media presence, and is the founder of Sisterhood R.O.C.K.S. (Radically Obedient Christian-Women Kingdom Surrendered) Women’s Ministry.
She is a former director of the National Consortium of Black Women in Ministry Nashville, where she led the chapter in serving the community through ministry initiatives such as breast cancer awareness, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS and Pink Sunday Nashville as the visionary.
She is a Judicial Law Clerk in Metro Government, and Assistant Professor at Tennessee State University, Experienced as Special Referee in Davidson County Juvenile Court presiding over dependent/neglect and truancy cases. She has provided training to Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers and legal assistance to parents and children involved in dependent/neglect, truancy, adoption, criminal, and divorce cases as well as legal assistance to small business owners.
She further equips the body of Christ as a freelance writer for Abingdon Press and also published a devotional book titled On the Bright Side Morning Joy.
