Stories Behind the Stole

It’s so exciting to enter into a relationship with Diakonos Solutions! You’ll appreciate the following words from their founder and Executive Director, Rev. Susan Rose.

Stories Behind the Stole

I am grateful to Jenny for allowing me to share with the Carrot Top Studio followers the “Stories Behind the Stoles” initiative through my non-profit, Diakonos Solutions. Founded in 2021, Diakonos Solutions serves women in ministry leadership through mentoring, spiritual direction, scholarships… and stoles!

I have been wearing hand-crafted stoles created by women artisans since I became ordained as a Presbyterian Church (USA) minister. Although I have several “mass produced” stoles, my favorites are the hand-crafted ones. They are personally meaningful to me. I can tell you the “where, when, and why” with each stole. They are the stoles that congregants connect to visually. When I was talking with a soon-to-be-ordained woman in ministry, I realized three things:

-       Understanding the importance of stoles visually and symbolically in ministry;

-       Most of my stoles have a story behind them;

-       Developing a seasonal stole collection is expensive for newly ordained women.

That is how Diakonos Solutions birthed the idea of “Stories Behind the Stoles” (SBtS). What if pastors were willing to donate gently used stoles they no longer wear to Diakonos Solutions so we could share them with newly ordained female pastors? Quite literally, the mantel of leadership would be transferred to the newest generation of ordained women leaders in the church.

Presentation of a stole!

Now, as Diakonos Solutions collaborates with Carrot Top Studio, we are working together to offer 4 stoles for $600, with a donation from each purchase going towards the Diakonos Solutions scholarship fund. Program details will be announced early this summer..

A pastor in Minnesota is the recipient of a needed stole for the season of Easter.

If you know of a woman who is newly ordained and in their first five years of ministry who would like to receive a stole through Stories Behind the Stole. please lead them to this form.

Questions?

Email Susan