In this episode of We Are Vineyard, Jay talks with Melanie Forsythe-Lee about her family’s introduction to the Holy Spirit through her dad’s miraculous healing and their experience of church planting without much support. Melanie shares about coming to the US for her husband’s ministry job and finding out that their new church didn’t believe in female pastors, the personal growth she developed through this experience and the dramatic changes God made in her senior pastor through her faithfulness. Finally, Melanie talks about navigating the world and ministry after her husband died and all the insecurities that came as a single, female pastor, and how the things that made her feel like a liability turned out to be her most significant asset.
Melanie is the leader of the Women’s Association for Vineyard USA, giving voice, encouragement and support to women throughout the movement.
Melanie was born and raised in the post-Christian landscape of Australia. Her parents were church planters, and it was in that context that her love of local church was cultivated. Her passion for Jesus and people led her and her now late husband to start a youth ministry that saw hundreds of teens come to Christ, as well as leading the 24/7 prayer base in Australia.
They moved to Ohio in 2003 to work as Youth Pastors, and in 2009 they were sent out to plant LIFE Vineyard Church. Thirteen years later, LIFE has grown into a vibrant faith community, a sheltering tree in the heart of Columbus. This community also extends to Cambodia and India, where, through a partnership with Asia’s Hope, LIFE supports two family-style orphan care homes for at-risk children. Visiting the children in India each year is one of the deep loves of Melanie’s life and ministry.
Melanie has been a Pastor’s daughter, Pastor’s wife, a co-lead Pastor, and now solo lead Pastor. This unique perspective has developed a passion to see women empowered and released into their callings at every level of ministry leadership and she is excited about serving the women of the Vineyard in her new role.
Melanie is married to Andrew and is the proud mother of three incredible teenagers. In her free time you’ll find her growing her own vegetables in her rather large garden, baking in her kitchen, or listening to live music.
Show notes:
Join us for VUSA’s 2023 National Conference “Making All Things New”
https://conference.vineyardusa.org/
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