INSIDE COVENANT | DeLane Taylor

We sit down with DeLane Taylor to talk about the real work of women’s ministry and why genuine friendships are often the bridge to deeper faith. Delane shares her story of church, calling, grief, and growth, and we walk through how God uses community to help women stay anchored to Christ. 

• The faith shift that came through tragedy and a deeper hunger for God’s Word 
• Favorite women’s ministry moments, especially when women open up and support each other 
• Hospitality as a gift and the challenge of teaching with accountability 
• Hopes for the future as new women look for relationships and encouragement 
• Jeremiah 29:11 as an anchor through military life and major moves 

Covenant Church Houma

Transcript

Keeping Jesus Front And Center

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Main Thing Podcast with Pastor Steve, equipping you to respond and thrive in the world we live in today. Keep the main thing the main thing has been a saying that Pastor Steve has told for decades. It means no matter what is happening around us, Jesus is what we need to have front and center in our lives. There couldn't be a more powerful reminder for us to recall in today's divisive and dark culture. From foundational truths and scripture to the hot topics of today's culture, allow this podcast to inspire and motivate you on your faith journey.

SPEAKER_03 0:33

Welcome back to the Main Thing Podcast. As you might have noticed the past few uh weeks, as you're as you're listening to us, we've gone in a little bit different direction. We're giving Pastor Steve a couple of months off from recording, and we are talking with a bunch of our ministers and talking about some of our ministries here at Cuminant. And so today we have Delane Taylor, who is our director of women's ministries or our women's minister here. So, Delane, welcome.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Good morning.

SPEAKER_03 1:00

Thank you so much for being on.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_03 1:02

You have told me with great excitement how much you wanted to do this.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Absolutely. This is gonna be fun. My first podcast.

SPEAKER_03 1:10

It is gonna be fun. You you always have your first podcast. Well, tell me what do you do here at Covenant?

SPEAKER_01 1:17

I am the women's ministry leader. So basically, I um help women if they need assistance with some of their stuff, or I plan the um functions, the break brunches and the special events that we have, the dinners or um virtual events where we watch different conferences and just try to pour into the ladies and teach them a little bit about God and create those relationships along the way.

SPEAKER_03 1:45

All right. Well, I know you guys have been all over the place in your life. How did you end up here at Covenant or slash First Baptist Church back in the day? How'd you end up here?

Finding A Church That Feels Like Home

SPEAKER_01 1:56

Well, back in the day when Billy was stationed in Homa, he we we came here. Um we were just visiting. It was the first church we visited. And so I'll seeing that we have time, I'll share a little quick story. I I grew up in North Carolina. My grandfather and family members were pastors, and as a child, you saw pastors in suit and ties.

SPEAKER_02 2:19

Right.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

And that Sunday morning we came and visited, and I remember sitting in the pew and I said to myself, that man ain't wearing no suit and tie. And listen, no sooner than I thought that in my mind, Pastor Steve said, Some of y'all are out there sitting thinking I'm supposed to be in a suit and tie. And I went, Okay, God, this is where I need to be.

SPEAKER_03 2:39

So no, he can read my mind.

SPEAKER_01 2:42

It was it was just that instant. So and I knew that you had um, when I was in Alaska, I did the I cooked dinner every Wednesday night for the for the members. And so I knew you had that mission ministry as well. And I came and showed up and they let me in the kitchen for a little while and it was home.

SPEAKER_03 3:01

It's so funny you say that about the coat and tie because so I came in 2002, and when when Kelly and I came to interview uh for the position, because I came as a children's minister all those years ago. Uh the the we came in on the weekend, and of course we were gonna be there for the uh Sunday service, and I walk in in coat and tie because I knew that that's what you did, right? And I look around, I'm like, I'm the only one in coat and tie. And this is just from where I came from, I'd never seen real real set of drums uh on the stage, and I thought, oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

Yeah, I can relate.

SPEAKER_03 3:33

And so so I felt pretty comfortable right from the beginning. So yeah, that's funny about that coat and tie thing.

Small Groups And Real Friendships

SPEAKER_01 3:39

Yes, yeah. We were worried coming to a large church at first, but but we found family and friends in the small groups. It really is when you're in a larger church to find groups that you can um be held accountable with and build the true authentic friendships.

SPEAKER_03 3:58

Tell me a little about that. Like tell me about the group you were part of and and how that kind of helped grow you guys.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

That was the infamous Fellowship of Friends. Fellowship of Friends. Fellowship of Friends back in the day.

SPEAKER_03 4:09

Give your Fridays to Jesus is what I remember.

SPEAKER_01 4:11

That's right. We had Friday Nights for Jesus, and we came together every Friday night at someone's house, and we had fellowship and you know, we pray together and we'd have games and just fun and just created those bonds that really, from my point of view, being in the military and we did travel so much, it it was hard to find people that you felt authentically loved. And I've said this before, this was the best four years of our life when we were here before. Because of that, you know, we might not we think of South Louisiana as it's hot, yes, but um, it truly is the people who made it special for us. We we felt, you know, I I cried when I came and I cried when I left. So you know, six description, huh? Yes, yes, of all the places, yep.

Coming Back To Houma For Family

SPEAKER_03 5:00

You know, I find that interesting. We have had a lot of uh Coast Guard families at this church over the years, and uh they always tell me that for a lot of people, they can't leave Homa fast enough to get to their next station. We've also had some that have stayed, and you guys came back, you know? Yes, and so if you don't mind my asking, how did that happen? Why'd y'all decide to come back to Homa?

SPEAKER_01 5:23

Well, uh um our son is here, he married a Cajun girl. That's a that's a big reason. That is a big reason, right there. Um, we have two grandsons that are here, um, and we just felt it was the right time. Our our older grandson now used to say, I'm tired of doing Skype, people. I want to, I want you here. And it just tucks at your heartstrings, you know. When we'd come visit at Christmas and it was just, you know, there were times when we thought, okay, it's time to come back, but it wasn't God's time, and yeah. And then when COVID hit, um, we just felt it was the right time.

SPEAKER_03 5:58

That's when you guys I years blur together now. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:01

When COVID hit, um, Billy at the time he had finished his seminary stuff at Liberty University, and he was a construction manager for Habitat for Humanity in Lynchburg, Virginia.

SPEAKER_02 6:12

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

And when COVID hit, that meant all of his workers was, you know. So we just felt, you know, it was time and we were able to spend a couple of months visiting family and camping on the way here.

Saying Yes To Leading Women

SPEAKER_03 6:26

Well, how'd how'd you go from being here, you're moving back, being involved in the church to being on staff as our women's ministry?

SPEAKER_01 6:34

I've I've always wanted to serve God. I'm I'm very blessed in that I don't there's there's not a time where I didn't know God or Jesus. As I said, my grandfather was a pastor, so you know, even as a little kid, I I I knew God. And um I'm not saying I walked with him every day like I was supposed to, but uh just when I came back, I wanted to serve somewhere. And when we first come back, I was here for a little bit and then Billy went to First Baptist Church of Raceland. But when we came back, um, I just wanted to serve. And it happened to be at the time where Tina was wanting to do more of the um mental health um things where she's the counselor. And and you know, I just said, you know, I sure hope there's somebody that can step up and do it. And God clearly said, Well, what's wrong with you? You're not working. So, you know, I prayed about it for gosh, it was probably six or eight weeks really before I came and and Tina and I talked several times about it, and I just felt it was the right time.

Tragedy That Deepened Her Faith

SPEAKER_03 7:33

Well, let's let's backtrack a little bit. Tell me how how did you come to faith in Christ? I know you you had uh grandfathers. I did.

SPEAKER_01 7:41

I was I was blessed that I I grew up um with my grandfather and my uncle and a lot of family members. But um, when I was young, I was baptized, but I don't feel like you know, when you're really young and you're baptized, sometimes you don't recall what the steps were that led up to that. So later in life, I I um was rebaptized with my family, and there was a family tragedy, and I remember very well, you know, you can be a Christian and not read and study and do the things you're supposed to do. But we had a family tragedy, and I just remember saying what now? Um we we had a family member who took his life, and it was it was one of those things where you're like, okay, what does this mean? Because you know, we're always taught the the worst of it. And I just remember feeling that um just just the draw to God's word and wanting to to read and understand and maybe answer questions. And through that, I I did find that you know there are some questions that not going to be answered here on earth, you know, and and we have to accept that by faith.

SPEAKER_02 8:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

But you still keep moving and you still keep believing in God and you you keep reading and you keep learning and you keep studying his word and just the promises that he gives you and the comfort and you know, all the things.

SPEAKER_03 9:04

How old were you when that happened?

SPEAKER_01 9:06

I was probably 25, maybe. Okay. I mean, I was serving before that in a church in South Carolina, did some teaching of the youth and um teaching iwanas and stuff like that, but I don't think the thirst really came until unfortunately the tragedy happened. And then it was the thirst, the wanting to know for yourself. You know, it's okay to say, okay, what does Brent think, or what do you think about this? But it was it wasn't until then where I thought, okay, what does God say about this? And that was that was truly a I call them spiritual markers. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:42

You know, on the on the last podcast, uh Sean and I were talking about when you grow up in church all your life, it it's a it's different than when you come to Christ later in life. And and a lot of times you ha you have to be okay with a process, I think. You know? Because we we we generally, if you grow up in church all your life, you probably accept Christ at a young age, probably baptize at a young age.

SPEAKER_02 10:06

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 10:07

But then there's that process, and we're we're talking about how there comes a point where you have to ask yourself the question, do I really believe what I say I believe? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 10:16

Absolutely. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 10:18

And then when that happens, if you're willing to deeply explore that answer, that's when your faith I think becomes real.

SPEAKER_01 10:25

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 10:26

Yeah. And unfortunately, I mean you had a very hard uh event that caused you.

SPEAKER_01 10:31

Yeah, but there's been many more good things, you know, many more good things. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 10:37

Well, what speaking of good things, what what are some of your favorite moments from women's ministry?

SPEAKER_01 10:41

What are some of the the the best stories you see of changed lives or uh I just and I enjoy seeing the women come together and create those relationships within Christ. Um we have widows in our church who need some support, and I'm thankful that I've been able to walk alongside of some of those and um just to see them sometimes when they're a young Christian or or not, I don't want to say a mature Christian, but when they're just coming to the Lord as an adult, there are some things, especially in South Louisiana, that are much different. Um so you have to kind of lead and guide them and when you finally see it click in their eyes or okay, I understand now, um, it it um it just makes you feel good that you're doing something for the for the the further in the kingdom of God and bringing that person to to know how God is and his word and his love.

SPEAKER_03 11:40

Yeah, and and you know when you're in ministry, um I mean what you're really doing is you're saying, I'm gonna serve these people and I'm gonna serve alongside these people.

SPEAKER_02 11:50

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 11:50

You know what what what's your favorite part of women's ministry, your favorite way to serve? What'd you say?

SPEAKER_01 11:58

I one of my gifts is hospitality. So I I can I can throw a breakfast, I can throw a brunch, I can throw a party. Uh I really have to be mindful on as far as um I can do events really well. Uh because I love it, I enjoy that part. Um so that's that's the things that I enjoy. The things are kind of harder for me, or finding out, okay, Lord, what is it that you want me to teach these ladies or tell the ladies, or really that's just knowing what God wants you to do and being mindful that God is watching you and you've got to be accountable for that.

SPEAKER_03 12:34

It's so funny you say that because I've I've found over the years when you're in ministry, you're either an events person or you're a uh you know, study slash uh preparation person. And that doesn't mean if you do events well, you can't that's right lead, or if you uh, you know, do Bible studies, you can't do events well. It just seems like we're we're bent to one of those others that's that's a little easier. Yes. You know, you know where we were going with Covenant, right? We're about to have Thibodeau Campus. Um we we've been growing, God's been blessing. And um what about you personally? What are you most excited about for the future for Covenant?

SPEAKER_01 13:13

Well, I I've seen and I I've said this several times, I'm seeing a lot of new faces. I've seen a lot of new faces at my brunches, and that's telling me that that the ladies are hungering for connections and relationships and and hope hopefully God, and that's where we're pointing them to. Um so I just hope to see more ladies come alongside and be a part of the ministry. Um I I feel that sometimes ladies, we get so caught up in our house and our kids, and there's this and there's that, and just to take a few hours a month to say, okay, this is the few hours that I'm gonna spend with my my friends and my women in Christ just to have a break and to enjoy and and hear God's word.

Hope And Growth At Covenant

SPEAKER_03 14:01

Yeah, absolutely. All right. So I'm gonna come to a point in the podcast where I'm gonna ask you some quick questions. Okay, and you cannot say yes or no. Yes, you have to elaborate. You ready?

SPEAKER_01 14:11

I'm ready.

SPEAKER_03 14:11

You have no idea what's coming.

SPEAKER_01 14:13

You're right. I don't.

SPEAKER_03 14:15

But but you'll know the answers. All right, here we go. Okay. First one favorite movie.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

I'm a I'm a good rom-com girl.

SPEAKER_03 14:21

All right.

SPEAKER_01 14:22

You know, you've uh the older ones, you've got male, sleepless in Seattle kind of girl.

SPEAKER_03 14:26

All right. Does Billy watch rom coms with you? Is he a good husband?

SPEAKER_01 14:30

He is a very good husband, and and yes, he has watched many Christmas romances, I'll say.

SPEAKER_03 14:36

See, that look, if that's one thing I can tell husbands, watch Hallmark movies with your wife. I mean, that's that is that is being a good servant leader.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

He is, he is very good at that.

SPEAKER_03 14:48

All right. Next question favorite TV show?

SPEAKER_01 14:50

The voice, probably.

SPEAKER_03 14:52

The voice.

SPEAKER_01 14:52

I'm a musical, I love music, and so I like that it's fun and exciting to see people how they grow.

SPEAKER_03 15:00

All right. Favorite restaurant.

SPEAKER_01 15:03

Um, well, favorite restaurant. That's that's a little hard, but I'll say um we do a lot like Cajun Critters, we do that a lot and different ones in the area. Politz has great fried shrimp.

SPEAKER_03 15:16

There you go. Fried mushrooms. We'll we'll we'll ask Politz for a uh we'll send them an invoice for the average.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

That's right, that's right.

SPEAKER_03 15:22

So that brings up a question. What what do you remember first, your first true Cajun food experience when you guys got here?

SPEAKER_01 15:30

Oh, definitely the bold crawfish part. You know, we had such an an I guess underestimated thoughts of this whole Mardi Gras season, and and it was definitely a learning experience, but uh definitely the crawfish boils. You know, they have low country bowls in South Carolina where pretty much they do the same thing, just not quite to the extent that the Cajuns do. But it was fun. My dad absolutely loved it.

Quick Questions And Cajun Life

SPEAKER_03 15:57

Oh man, I I remember our our first crawfish bowl. It was cold the night we went over to some friend's house, and so they're gonna do it inside, and they're lining the the table with newspaper, and I'm like, what in the world are these people doing? I mean, it can't be that messy. And they walk out and just whoosh, and we're like, okay, it's a different uh it's a different world here.

SPEAKER_02 16:18

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:19

Yeah, absolutely. So that brings up the next question. Favorite Cajun dish.

SPEAKER_01 16:23

I like bold shrimp. All right. To me, the crawfish, sorry, but it's a little bit of meat for a lot of works, but the shrimp is a little bit better.

SPEAKER_03 16:32

I can never get full of crawfish because I'm burning more calories to over here. I like the shrimp. All right. I like the bold shrimp. All right. Next one. Favorite place to vacation.

SPEAKER_01 16:41

Oh goodness. Well, I I love to camp and we love the outdoors. And so I loved going to Curl Lake in North Carolina. Some people call it Bugs Island, depends on where you're from, but uh that was where we went, and every year we had about a hundred of us that went at the same time, and it was just relaxing and great and wonderful. And we just went from campsite to campsite eating different foods and sharing magazines and swimming and skiing and was that on the lake?

SPEAKER_03 17:12

Or did you have the campsites were on the lake?

SPEAKER_01 17:14

Yes, they were on the lake.

SPEAKER_03 17:15

Oh wow, that's the best, ain't it?

SPEAKER_01 17:17

There's a second best. I know Pastor Steve might say it's the first, but um Lake Martin.

SPEAKER_03 17:22

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 17:23

We go there now once a year. We meet with some family in the middle and enjoy a week there or 10 days.

SPEAKER_03 17:29

This would have been before your time, but four or five years ago, uh, we planned our staff retreat and I found a place uh on Lake of the Ozarks. Oh, nice in Missouri, and I was so I was so proud of myself for finding this place, you know. And I had this picture of the staff, us going out on the boats and swimming and all that. As we I promise you, as we crossed the the state line into Missouri, it started raining and it did not stop until we left. So we had a good time, but man, we I had such big plans and they just never happened.

SPEAKER_01 18:02

We we understand that sometimes the rain comes when you're camping.

SPEAKER_03 18:05

Oh, yeah. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 18:06

Kids love it, adults not so much.

SPEAKER_03 18:08

Oh no, no, no, no, no. All right, next question favorite thing to do in New Orleans?

SPEAKER_01 18:14

You know, unfortunately, I don't go to New Orleans a lot.

SPEAKER_03 18:17

All right.

SPEAKER_01 18:17

I've we've done a couple of shows, we've done a couple of places to eat there. Um I spend most of my time, unfortunately, here and you know, if I do go, most of the time it's to go to a quilt shop. There was some quilt shops in New Orleans, and now we have to go across the causeway to a meet.

SPEAKER_03 18:36

When you say quilt shop, yeah, no. We we grew up going to Gatlinburg. And there were quilt shops in Gatlinburg. Absolutely. 12-year-old Brent just could not stand the thought of going to a quilt shop. I I understand. I might have gotten in trouble a few times with my dad for my antics in the quilt.

Doing Ministry God’s Way

SPEAKER_01 18:53

Yes. Well, and quilts, you know, it's hot here, so people don't really think about quilts, but that now that's that would that be maybe your favorite hobby? It's quilting or yes, I do enjoy that. I can't say that I get to sew every day, but most weeks I get to sew a little bit, and it's just uh a time that is it's just fun. I I've tried I like to create things. Um I've recently started at a friend's house doing some painting, acrylic paints, and that's been fun. So yeah, just the creative side of me.

SPEAKER_03 19:25

Well well let's let's come back a little more a little more spiritual here. How's God working in your life personally right now?

SPEAKER_01 19:33

Right now, I it it really is wanting to do the right things to help the women. You know, we have so many struggles. One one of the I'm not gonna say worst brunches, but it was for me because I couldn't get the computer to work. And I was a little disappointed. But God had other plans, and that brunch was probably the best because a lot of the ladies started standing up and sharing things, and it really told me how much that we do need to share those struggles because then other women can learn from them or you know, go to each other and say, you know, I'm having that same problem. Um, let's get through this together. And that really is where I want to make sure that I'm doing it God's way, not Delane's way. Because you know, when we get human, we can the flesh can come out and it's not correct. But I really want to make sure that I do it God's way, the way it's supposed to be.

unknown 20:29

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 20:30

The way the Bible says to do it.

Jeremiah 29:11 Through Big Moves

SPEAKER_03 20:31

Imagine that, huh?

SPEAKER_01 20:32

Yes, imagine that.

SPEAKER_03 20:33

Well, let's end here. What what is a verse that is particularly meaningful to you and why?

SPEAKER_01 20:39

Really, Jeremiah 29, 11. And I know that sometimes we use that out of context, but for a young military wife, every four years, you you you have this time that you have to pretty much give your life over to another human being and saying, okay, where are you going to send us next? Where are we going to serve our country next? And for us, it was definitely a time of prayer. Um, I remember when we were looking at having to leave North Carolina, you know, my prayer was, okay, God tells me that He has a plan for me and it's not going to harm me and it's to give me a hope and a future. And if you read the next couple of verses, it says, Come to me and pray to me and you'll find me there. So that that verse really got me through um some times where when look, when we went to move to Alaska, we watched all of our belongings leave our driveway on a semi-truck and not even having a house, knowing where we were going to be at in Alaska. I mean, we were going across the country. Um, so that was a time, another spiritual marker where I'm like, okay, God's in control of this because I don't have it because there went all my stuff.

SPEAKER_03 21:46

That was definitely you can really identify with Abraham when God said, Go to a land I will show you.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

Absolutely. Absolutely. God's sense of humor, quick another little story. Like the year before He sent us to Alaska. Mm-hmm. Um, my husband calls and says, Hey, the Coast Guard has called and they want to know if we want to go to the American Samoan Islands. Like, where's that at? Like a thousand miles on the other side of Hawaii. And I said, I I I can't go there. You know, and so um God saved me from that, I guess, and he sent me to Alaska, but it was it was a good experience. We enjoyed our time there, and then again, God's sense of humor sent us to Homa, Louisiana.

SPEAKER_03 22:27

So y'all came to Homa from Alaska.

SPEAKER_01 22:29

From Alaska. Yes. He thought I'm I said tropical. I guess he thought I meant hot.

SPEAKER_03 22:35

So we we got the Yeah, we're still here.

SPEAKER_01 22:37

So yes.

unknown 22:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:39

So you had you guys had to pack up the big jackets, huh? Y'all didn't?

SPEAKER_01 22:42

Yes. Yes, I was thankful. I still have a one or two of them, but you know, you don't need them here.

Encouragement For Christian Women

SPEAKER_03 22:48

Well d Delane, if if uh uh a woman was watching or listening to this podcast, what what would you tell her as far as faith and and and growth in your life, not not just as a Christian, but as a as a Christian woman?

SPEAKER_01 23:03

When you come to know God and you study his word, you realize, you know, how do I get through the day or how do I get through this? And I really think that the more faith that you have, and the more that you lean on God and his promises in the Bible, you know, there's stories we can relate to in the Bible that are just as good today as they were in biblical times, and we can learn that, and that can help us through our struggles, you know, and when you come to the women's group, and there are ladies who have been through probably similar things, and you can all we can all learn something from one another, and um, you may know something about the Bible that I don't and can help me with something, and that really is where the relationships come from is when you when you put yourself out there to learn more about God's word, but also how it applies to your life is really the thing that I hope that ladies come to know. I mean, there's so many ladies in our church, you know, there's there's the young mothers and there's the older ladies, there's the widows, there's singles. But the one thing that we do have in common is that we are here in this church for a reason, and that is Christ. That's how I want them to feel. I want them to feel comfortable coming to those events, even if they are by themselves and it's the first time coming, they're gonna know somebody. Right, yeah, somebody's gonna reach out.

SPEAKER_03 24:25

All right. Delaney I appreciate it. You have completed your first podcast and you can now say, you can walk another street and say, I'm a podcast.

SPEAKER_01 24:33

I'm a podcast now. Not only do I listen to some, but I've been on one. There you go. That's exciting.

SPEAKER_03 24:38

I appreciate it so much. Thanks for your time.

SPEAKER_01 24:39

Thank you, Brent.

SPEAKER_03 24:40

Guys, thanks for listening today. We hope to see you again next time, and uh God bless you guys.