Women in Youth Ministry originated as a Facebook group, which launched in early 2014. For the last six years, we’ve been a community for a growing group of women who have found a safe place to share their joys and struggles.
As we have grown in community together, we’ve been encouraged by the number of resources out there for women, but have noticed that they’re not always widely known. This site serves as both a resource and a voice for women in youth ministry.
Heather Lea Kenison: Madame President
Heather is a Student Pastor at a large United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, IN. Heather is a wife and a one-eyed cat mom, whose hobbies include a passion for the St. Louis Cardinals and Youtube beauty gurus.
Heather founded Women in Youth Ministry in 2014 as a response to seeing women struggle to find community and their voices. Heather has been featured on several podcasts, blogs, magazines, and has contributed to projects for Grow and the UMC.
You can find her on social media: @heatherlea17 or you can email her: heather@womeninyouthministry.com
Chelsea Peddecord: Chief of Staff
Chelsea Peddecord is a Texas native, serving at Highland Park United Methodist Church as a Youth Pastor. After graduating from Oklahoma State with her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with an emphasis on Social Services, she finished her Masters of Theological Studies in May 2019 at SMU Perkins with a focus on Congregational Care and Old Testament Studies. Please ask her anything about Broadway, the Dallas Mavs, the Dallas cowboys, or her pets Wesley and Bullet. Oh! She will be commissioned as a Provisional Deacon in The United Methodist Church in June 2020! Woohoo!
As Chief of Staff, Chelsea is Heather’s right-hand woman, who focuses much of her energy on producing resources, running social media, and finding partners for WYM.