Episode

13

I Started an Anabaptist Magazine

March 28, 2018

I Started an Anabaptist Magazine

On this week’s episode, Rachel Schrock shares the vision for Daughters of Promise, an Anabaptist magazine for women. Listen as Rae explores the magazine’s history and shares her testimony of how God can use grief and brokenness for His glory and the encouragement of others.

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The following is taken from an interview with Rachel Schrock conducted by Reagan Schrock.

Daughters of Promise began in 2010. That was a really tough year for me personally. I was going through a lot of upheaval and tremendous loss in my life. I went to Sharon Mennonite Bible Institute for a term which helped me find healing for some of the things I was struggling with. It was not only a time of breaking, but also a time of going deeper with God. During that time I started talking with other women, began to hear their stories, and realized that we shared common struggles—that we had all been touched by pain. Many times our pain was centered around similar things such as relationships and identity. The women I met had questions about who they were and how they fit into the world. I began to really pray about how God wanted to use my story and the things I had learned to encourage other women. That was the heart behind why I began reaching out to women through the magazine.

Names have always been important to me, and the name “Daughters of Promise” just clicked. Initially it started out as an email newsletter to some of my friends from church and Bible school. But surprisingly, over the next year, the list of subscribers grew tremendously. Through a long series of events, my small team and I decided to make to make it a magazine format which was then published online digitally. Over time more women joined our team and in 2014 we began printing hard copies. Currently our staff numbers 26 women, including all of the writers, artists, and editors. Daughters of Promise (DOP) has gone through a lot of changes. It is now produced quarterly and, at 112 pages, each issue resembles a book more so than a regular magazine.

Despite the changes, our vision has remained the same. We want to encourage other women towards finding freedom and wholeness through an understanding of who we are in Christ. Outside of a relationship with Him, we are broken, lost, and destitute. I think that women from conservative Anabaptist communities in particular have often struggled to know how to find their voice and to share with others. DOP provides a platform for women to share about the things that God has led them through personally, which then encourages other women who have had similar experiences. Readers will often say of an article they read in DOP, “I really connected with that.” We strive to feature content that is relevant to our Anabaptist culture and yet is relatable to a broad range of women. We don’t necessarily want to just offer answers, but to encourage readers to think about what is presented. Freedom in Christ often comes when we wrestle through the things we are experiencing, rather than simply being spoon fed answers.

Since turning DOP into a quarterly magazine, the response has been phenomenal. The magazine features more content such as stories, art, and the inclusion of interactive elements such as tear-out artwork, journaling space, and coloring pages. We have had the privilege of featuring some wonderful writers, including at least one article written by a man in each issue. Daughters of Promise is available online at Daughters of Promise. We are also on Facebook and Instagram (@daughtersofpromise). DOP is a ministry, and our desire is to share with Anabaptist women that they can live in freedom through Christ.

 

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Episode Guest Info

Rachel Schrock

“Rae” is Founder and Chief Editor of Daughters of Promise Magazine. With a strong cup of coffee in hand, she loves exploring new and out of the way places, heartfelt talks with a friend, and doing anything creative and handmade. She lives in Virginia where she enjoys a quiet home in the country surrounded by fields and woods.

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Episode Host

Reagan Schrock

Reagan is a member of Wellspring Mennonite Church and lives with his wife Patricia in southeast Tennessee. Reagan, along with Jaran, started Anabaptist Perspectives in 2017, and serves in leadership in the organization, in addition to being deeply involved in overseas missions work.

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