Black Women’s Voices #RiseAndReign👑
A Community-Based Learning Collaborative
It’s a pleasure to introduce you to Black Women’s Voices (BWV). We sit at the center of a movement that helps women to live life to the fullest on their own terms.
Our Purpose is to build a community where Women strengthen churches, improve lives and transform the world.
Our Vision is to empower and inspire Black women towards Revolutionary change.
Our Journey is to be aware, love ourselves and others and serve God.
I encourage you to regularly read our blog and follow me on social media as we share information and insight to help you achieve your goals, whatever they may be.
The all too familiar, “Do not talk; do not tell” culture is cultivated by Black women’s silence and the Bible as a weapon to ensure that the silence continues.
Carol J. Adams and Marie Fortune explain, “Womanist ethicists and theologians recognize that Black women are oppressed in at least three areas: racism, sexism, and classism and conclude that there are inextricable links between these oppressions and abuse.”25 In many churches all over the world, there is controversy concerning the role and the status of women, and sexism is the determining factor. It is duly noted that sexism is discrimination against people based on gender.”26 In this sense, sexism is not only about bias, but it is about power and control, resulting in horrifying consequences that contribute to the destruction of Black women’s mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health.
In 1973 at the tender age of 8, Florine came to visit and join Faith Deliverance Church under the Pastoral of Sara Donaldson-McNairy. In 1979 she accepted Christ as her Lord and personal Savior. She was a member there until 1986 when she relocated to Killeen, TX where she served under the Pastoral of Bishop Darryl Shaw of Rivers of Living Water Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Florine has always had a desire to serve in the church in any capacity and at any level needed. By the time she was 16yrs old she was teaching various Sunday school classes, ushering, singing in the choir, and volunteering at the church daycare.
In 1995, Florine served as Co-Founder and Co-Pastor of City of Judah Fellowship Church for 17yrs where she employed her gifts and talents as Sr. Church Administrator, director of women’s ministries, youth director, praise and worship leader as well as, Sunday school director and teacher. She then moved on to further her education and other vision inspired dreams and goals.
In 2000, Florine was inspired by the Holy Spirit to bring to knowledge, the real beauty of a woman. The real beauty of a woman is not what is fashioned on the outer man, but that which she allows the Lord to develop on the inside of her very being.
The real beauty of a woman is in knowing who she is, whose she is and why she is. God had woman in mind from the very beginning fore he said in Gen 1:26 “let us make man in Our image…and let them rule… “The Beauty Within Ministries” teaches women the importance of developing, building and perfecting the totality of the gift called “Woman”.
Florine returned to complete her education in 2016 and would receive her Associates degree in Human Serves and in 2021 receive her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work.
She currently serves as the Senior Intercessor for a local group of prayer warriors in the city of Rochester, serves as the Director of Women’s Ministry at New Horizon Ministries, Administrator for a local support group called Believe I’ll Testify, Volunteers as a Compassion Care Manager at Restoration Rochester as well as gifts her time to other organizations as needed.
Florine is married to Sylvester Thomas Jr. They are the parents of 5 adult children and 2 grandchildren. In 2018 they became foster parents and are loving the journey they are on.
