Dr. Rendella Lucas Gayton*
2nd President
1957 - 1970
Upon the death of our founder, the mantle for leadership fell upon, Dr. Rendella Lucas Gayton, who served our organization as the second president from 1957 to 1970. She was a very capable leader, a hard worker and carried on the work of Dr. Elizabeth Coles Bouey in an excellent manner. As a woman of faith, wisdom, and intellect, she took the initial steps in developing a well-balanced Education Department. A hallmark of her administration was the liquidation of the mortgage of the property in Richmond. We are blessed to have this beloved woman of God, who walked with our founder, continue to play an active role in the International Association of Ministers’ Wives and Ministers’ Widows, Inc. She is indeed a role model to all who come in contact with her, she continues to enthusiastically work in the IIAMWMW, Inc. to keep the founder’s vision going.
Dr. Julia F. Keaton-McCormick*
3rd President
1970 - 1978
Dr. Julia Frances Keaton McCormick served as our third president from 1970 to 1978. She was a woman of valor and strength and dreamed, as our founder did, of a better place for keeping our records, a library for study and a facility for seminar, retreats, and classes were developed. With much prayer and foresight, she began the process of establishing a national headquarters facility in 1972. Knowing that our young people were striving for excellence and in need of assistance, she helped our youth by providing much-needed scholarships and financial assistance in the form of gifts, not loans. With her wisdom and foresight, the vision of our Founder continued.
Dr. Muriel Johnson Providence*
4th President
1978 - 1986
Dr. Muriel Lemon Johnson, now Dr. Muriel Johnson Providence, served as our fourth president from 1978 to 1986 and was also diligent in pursuing the dreams of our founder. As a hard-working, industrious and visionary leader, she located a spacious and elegant 15 room mansion at 609 South Davis Avenue, in Richmond, VA and led the organization in purchasing this building and liquidating the mortgage. This headquarters building was dedicated in November 1981. Under Dr. Muriel Johnson Providence ‘s leadership and vision, the organization became International and in June 1981, she held the first convention outside of the United States in Barbados, West Indies. After the convention, a chapter was organized in Trinidad. Dr. Providence initiated the Endowment Fund and established Regional Conferences as a means of introducing and taking the organization to the people. This concept has been instrumental in motivating many local and state members to attend the International conference.
5th President
1986 - 1994
Dr. Shirley Alexander Hart served as our fifth president from 1986 to 1994. Like our founder, she, too, was a woman of vision and charisma. The dreams of our founder continued as Dr. Hart established a Commemorative Scholarship Fund in honor of our founding President, Dr. Elizabeth Coles Bouey, and raised over $60,000 for this initiative. Dr. Hart sought toward focusing upon the needs of the entire clergy family, thus expanding the focus of the Husband’s Committee by obtaining knowledgeable individuals who addressed the issues such as health which confront our clergy. She also addressed the needs of the preachers’ kids by introducing the “PK” Seminars. Dr. Hart established the Continuing Education Program in conjunction with Virginia Union Graduate School of Theology which has allowed conference attendees to earn college credits. Dr. Hart inaugurated the Annual Education Retreat as well as a mid-winter conference held aboard a luxury liner.
6th President
1994 - 2002
Dr. Celeste Ashe Johnson served as our sixth president from 1994 to 2002. She was a woman of foresight, wisdom and quiet strength. Dr. Johnson developed and implemented “Six Standards of Excellence” and spent a lot of time, energy and effort on the infrastructure of our organization as she “Chartered the Course to Excellence in the Twenty-first Century.” She launched the “True Love Waits” Program with our PKs which promotes chastity and abstinence among teenagers. Dr. Johnson introduced “Project ’96” to refurbish our International Headquarters after major losses resulting from a break-in. She also focused on the needs of clergy-husbands by bringing them innovative and informative plenary sessions. Dr. Johnson was cited and honored by the Black Revolutionary War Patriots foundation for exceptional and outstanding service to the Foundation. Several new millennium projects were initiated by President Johnson, among them was the publication of the Minister’s Wife Devotional Bible. The C.A.Johnson/Wheeler Scholarship was awarded in Spring 2002 and will support one student for four years. Dr. Johnson envisioned and implemented the first Ministers’ Wives and Widows Conference on the continent of Africa, in Capetown, South Africa.
7th President
2002 - 2010
Dr. Janie Charles Holmes was elected the seventh president in 2002 and served to 2010. She came to this position well-equipped and prepared to lead the women of this great organization to an even higher level. President Holmes’ over-all theme has been: “Keeping The Vision Going: Reaching Out, Reclaiming, and Retaining”. The focus and emphasis during the first two years of her tenure has been on planning and implementing strategies which will increase, strengthen and diversify the organization’s membership base. One of her goals is to have a viable chapter in every city, state and nation to build BRIDGES that will connect the world to Jesus Christ. Dr. Holmes has also emphasized the importance of service, both at home and abroad. In one year, with the aid of the Holy Spirit and through the generous giving of the membership, President Holmes has raised a record $60,000 for the building of a bakery and training school in Haiti. She says, “To God Be The Glory, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be.”
8th President
2010 - 2018
Dr. Beverly Williams Glover is the eighth president of The International Association of Ministers’ Wives and Ministers’ Widows, Inc.
Dr. Glover, like the founder and the presidents before her, has a vision for our organization. She sought to address the needs of the ministers’ wife and minister’s widow through structured and extensive planned conferences, seminars, workshops and dynamic speakers. Dr. Glover believes wholeheartedly in IAMWMW and its ability to reach and transform the minister’s wife and minister’s widow’s life to be of greater service to others. She sought to focus on the entire clergy family emphasizing a stronger involvement on the preacher’s kids ( PK’s). She stood firm on the belief our organization’s growth must continue as envisioned by our founder and former presidents. For the commemoration of the seventy-fifth convention year, she launched, “Project 15” a capital campaign to upgrade our headquarters building. Additionally, the “Beloved Sister” award is given recognizing a minister’s wife or minister’s widow for her outstanding service, commitment and dedication to keeping the founder’s dream alive as she walks in the light of God’s love; praying, communicating, working and globally connecting.
9th President
2018 -
Dr. Margaret Brown Payton, "The Pearl" is following the legacy of our beloved sisterhood of dedicated and committed leadership. From our founder, Dr. Elizabeth Coles Bouey, and eight distinguished servants, our sisterhood has been enriched by the fellowship of ministers' wives and ministers' widows across these United States and abroad. Dr. Payton, "A Leader with a View and a Vision" will move this sisterhood forward to greater heights of fellowship, spiritual growth and service. She is passionate about the mission and purpose of the IAMWMW and believes through commitment, experience, leadership, responsibility, knowledge, direction and conceptualization, we will rise. We are "A Beloved Sisterhood: Lifting Others as We Rise in Faith, Love and Prayer."
* Deceased
Dr. Elizabeth Coles Bouey*
1st President and Founder
1941 - 1957
Our beloved sisterhood, now IAMWMW, was born at the Second Baptist Church, Richmond, Virginia. Her mother was Elizabeth Coles Bouey. For more than a year guided by the hand of God, Elizabeth Coles Bouey, the ministry wife to the Reverend Edward H. Bouey, talked to ministers’ wives about the need to organize a fellowship of clergy wives. After much prayer and planning, Mrs. Bouey issued a call to ministers’ wives and ministers’ 1941Our beloved sisterhood, IAMWMW, was born April 8, throughout the United States to come together for the purpose of establishing a fellowship of Christian ministers’ wives and ministers’ widows of various denominations, for the purpose of equipping ministry wives to be of greater service in Kingdom building. The first conference was held on April 8, 1941, and was formally organized as the National Association of Ministers’ Wives. Mrs. Bouey believed in the power of prayer and our logo became the triangle of FAITH, LOVE, and PRAYER.