Name: Anna Clagett
Title: Fellowship Women’s Director
Description of Role:
To help women follow Jesus by inviting them to study and respond to God’s Word in the context of relationships.
Start date: May, 2007
Where were you and what were you doing prior to your time at Fellowship?
Born and raised in Colorado, but spent the previous 16 years in Little Rock, AR on staff with FamilyLife, a division of Cru.
Family:
Husband of 28 years: Tom
Children: Josiah (24), Rachel (22), Sarah (21), Caleb (18), and Samuel (16) (family photo above)
Education:
- BS in Business Administration (Marketing and International Business emphases) from the University of Colorado
- MACL in process from Dallas Theological Seminary
Any hobbies? Cooking, sewing, crafting, snow skiing, and exercising (weights and cardio).
Favorite books: During the summer, I love reading novels. Some of my favorites are Safely Home, The Hiding Place, Unbroken, and Pearl in the Sand.
Favorite movies: I’ve always been a sucker for a good chick flick. I especially love ones with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
Favorite childhood memory: Building snow caves and tunnels in the German Alps at Christmas with my siblings.
Interesting piece of trivia: When I was 16, I was the lead in our high school musical, The Boyfriend. The role of my father was played by a handsome senior named Tom Clagett. We struck up a friendship back stage, and began dating. The rest is history. Oh, and did I mention that we grew up in Loveland, CO? It would make a good romantic comedy, don’t you think? (photo of our cast below)
Nickname: My parents called me by my middle name, Lori, and still do.
What do you like most about Nashville? More than anything else, I love the people here. God has blessed us with fabulous friends!
What is the greatest challenge you face in your role with Fellowship’s Women’s Ministry?
Our biggest challenge is in overcoming the typical “women’s ministry” stereotype in the minds of women. We are NOT a quilting club for old ladies, or a social club for stay-at-home moms, though we do love beautiful quilts and appreciate the needs of worn out mommies. We are not all about self-serving fluff and frills, but about a pursuit of truth and the real substance of life, which is relevant to women of every season.
How do you walk into that challenge?
We are committed to help the women of Fellowship Bible Church and this community grow deep in their relationship with Christ. We believe that women are up to the challenge of studying and applying God’s Word, understanding theological truths, and impacting this generation in their families, neighborhoods, workplaces, and world. We believe the church is the place to be real, and a place where it’s safe to wrestle with the deeper questions of life.
You’ve spent so many years in ministry, including your time on staff with FamilyLife. What’s been one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned through all of your ministry experience?
A young woman from the inner city came to my door last week selling magazines. She asked me what advice I might give her about how she could be where I am now when she gets to be my age (hmmm. I guess I’m really getting old!). I told her that the choices she makes in her 20’s and 30’s will set her path for where she will be in her 40’s and 50’s. I used to think that I had plenty of time to get serious about things later, when I had more time. But what I’ve discovered, is that I never feel like I “have more time,” no matter what season I’m in. What I pursue is a reflection of my priorities. I make the time for what is the most important to me, but if I keep waiting for “more time” to know God more deeply, have enriching friendships, do ministry in a foreign culture, or whatever – that time will never come.
