HISTORY

OUR HISTORY

In the beginning, there were two or three women preachers who comprised this sisterhood of clergywomen. During their early years from 1997 to 2003, others joined or acknowledged their call to preach. Many of the newer clergy women were seminary students, some were on the threshold of attending seminary, and others had either graduated or were ready to graduate from seminary. What the sisters had most in common was their journey as women called in Christian ministry to preach, to teach, and to lead. These were women who had the commonality of being called by God in contexts where women clergy were not “fully” affirmed.

This sisterhood of clergy women began at First Mount Zion Baptist Church, Dumfries VA, under the pastoral leadership of the late Rev. Augustus T. Gaskins. Under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Dr. Luke Torian, they experienced exponential growth in numbers and opportunities for ordination. Most became “ordained” clergywomen with increased opportunities to serve the community and the potential to “Pastor”. While some referred to them as “Girl Preachers” or “Sacred Sisters”, others often referred to them as “the DOTS”. These First Mount Zion clergy sisters (“DOTS”) shared goals of excellence in Christian living, preaching, preparation, and service, all with expectations and dreams of “no limits” on or to their calling by God.

The nickname “DOTS,” an abbreviation for “Daughters of Thunder,” surfaced in 1998, when this sisterhood of clergy women was introduced to Dr. Bettye Collier-Thomas’s book “Daughters of Thunder: Black Women Preachers and Their Sermons, 1850-1979.

Collier-Thomas highlighted the life and contributions of Black women preachers regarded as the “founding mothers of the African American Church”. Original sermons by such courageous women preachers as (Jarena Lee, Zilpha Elaw, and Julia A.J. Foote) illustrated how their journey to fulfill their call by God to preach the Gospel was met with fear, racism, and sexism. Through candid discussions, the “DOTS” soon recognized that while they were in the late 20th century, they also faced some of the same opposition to their call in Christian ministry. Sixteen years after these conversations, these 21st Century clergy sisters formally organized the DOTS (Daughters of Thunder) as a Limited Liability Company.

In 2014, DOTS became an official organization. A logo, created by Reverend Deloris Brown, was modified by Reverend Josephine Cherry and sole copyright ownership was obtained through the legal services of Reverend Aisha Clarke Johnson, Esq. Additionally, DOTS would no longer be an entity of First Mount Zion Baptist Church, but rather its own Limited Liability Company.

In February 2015, interested clergy sisters joined attended a visionary retreat gathering of the newly formed DOTS of Thunder, LLC. Those who said yes to the vision met and established a Board of Directors. Founding members included, then, Rev. Deloris Brown, Rev. Glenda Brown, Rev. Josephine Cherry, Rev. Dr. Tracey Holley, Rev. Sandra K. James, Rev. Helen Parker, Rev. Dr. Stephanie Prophet, Rev. Dr. Angela Sims, and Rev. Carolyn Taylor. Others expressed interest in joining as situations allowed, and opportunities opened for general membership.

Honorary DOTS posthumously included were Reverend Brenda Matthews, famously known as “Mama Brenda”, “a poet pregnant with purpose”, and Reverend Betty Brown Dupree remembered for her proclamation of the Seven Last Words, “Tetelestai”, it is finished!

In March 2015, a new and proposed 501(C)3 organization, Where DOTS Connect was Incorporated, officially becoming Where DOTS Connect, Incorporated and managed under the umbrella of DOTS of Thunder, LLC.

Our history continues with the Inaugural Membership Intake in 2021, adding 6 new DOTS to Where DOTS Connect, Inc: Rev’s. Cynthia Ball, Marlene Johnson, Kathy Russell, Tarra Taylor, Kara Franklin-Taylor, and Sharon Wallace. Thus, “Girl Preachers” will come united by a call, all are “Sacred Sisters” connected to never fall. We are United. Sacred. Connected. and called. We are Legacy. We are Daughters of Thunder, DOTS of Thunder, and DOTS. Today, Daughters of Thunder, LLC and Where DOTS Connect, Inc. are mentors on a mission to affect positive change globally by equipping, encouraging, and uplifting, with resources, presence, and prayer to celebrate God’s ordained purpose and call for our lives. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. GOD IS DOING A GREAT WORK. THIS IS A MOMENT IN OUR HISTORY. THANKS BE UNTO GOD.