The Celebrating Women in Ministry
Painting Series by Liz DeBraber
please click on each painting for more detailed information.

About the Artist
Liz DeBraber

Liz grew up in the Reformed Church of America. Her father was an RCA minister, and she spent many hours in church, usually drawing on a bulletin. She graduated from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, with a degree in art and has shown her artwork in several west Michigan settings.

Beginning in 1999, Liz envisioned ten paintings depicting the different roles of women in church leadership: preaching, communion, baptism, children's ministry, spiritual guidance, justice, Sabbath, chaplaincy, wisdom and music. She took photos of women she knew who represented each of these ministries making the project a way to honor the women who are doing God's work in the church. When Liz is done painting each person's portrait, she then embroiders words and other embellishments onto the canvas. This mix of painting (typically represented by men) and embroidery (known as women's art) is a way for Liz to combine two of her loves and to visually represent a balance of male and female. There is little historical record of these two mediums being combined, just as there is little art representing women in ministry.

In July of 2004, the last two paintings were added to the display for the RCA Women's Triennial Conference. Liz lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her husband Andy, her daughter Anna and son Ezra.