Farewelling our 2023 ADM Fellows

As we warmly welcome our 2024 ADM Fellows in the ADM space, it is also time for our 2023 Fellows to pack their bags and say farewell. Their Fellowships have come to an end, and they’re leaving their office space to make room for our 2024 Fellows. Or are they? Read below for a reflection from all our 2023 Fellows on their time at ADM and we ask them ‘what’s next?’.

Zoe Earnshaw

ADM: What has been the highlight of your ADM Fellowship?

ZE: Three highlights: first was actually launching my YouTube channel Real Life Bible in November (please subscribe). It was surreal and super fun to see it come to life and was lovely when people began to comment to say they'd found a video helpful.

Second has definitely been becoming friends with my lovely fellow Fellows. It's been such a huge blessing to sit next to such interesting, funny, talented, godly women. I've loved being able to bounce ideas off, test jokes on, chat randomly to, debate theology with and work alongside them all, hour after hour. YouTube content creation is a long, lonely slog so ADM has been a total game-changer for me.

A third highlight has been going to bed a few times recently and waking up the next morning to find one of my videos has gone mini-viral with a few thousand views! This week it was a Youtube short that got 2,500 views, it trails a longer video I made on how to find our identity in God when we've lost our sense of self.

ADM: What is next for you?

ZE: I'm really thankful to God for the progress already made (23,000 views on all platforms since November which is fab, starting from scratch) but there's a lot of work still to be done to reach my goal (God willing) of 100,000 subscribers and 5 million views in 5 years. What's next for me is more of the same really. I'll be 'videographer in residence' at ADM, so, under the continued auspices of ADM I'll be continuing my YouTube work, and also doing some photography and video stuff for the organisation.

For YouTube I have a monthly production schedule where I research, write, film and then edit a batch of 3 videos on the same topic- and then produce a bunch of YouTube shorts at the end of the month (supposedly!) 80% of that time is spent editing. I'm finding it tricky to get everything done to the timescale required for YouTube growth...

ADM: How can ADM supporters be praying for you?

ZE: I’m still struggling to speed up my production process to meet the gruelling YouTube posting schedule- prayer very much appreciated for wisdom and efficiency. I'm also trying to raise funding to hire a video editor to speed up my workflow (and avoid nervous breakdown), so please pray for various meetings with funding organisations that I'm having at the moment.

Please pray for insight (and effective market research) to work out which topics to make videos about. I really really need to make videos that people find interesting and helpful. I'm primarily wanting to answer questions and make content that encourages Christian women to stand firm and be joyful, especially those who feel isolated, confused or just plain exhausted with the pressures of modern life: any suggestions for topics very much appreciated - please email me ideas or feedback at zoe@reallifebible.com

Donna Toulmin

ADM: What has been the biggest highlight of your ADM Fellowship?

DT: Honestly I can't choose one! So I've narrowed it down to three:

Firstly, the people! The other Fellows, ADM staff, and friends of ADM that I met through various Greenhouse programs. I have been deeply encouraged by those I have met and through them I stumbled upon so many resources, books, and ideas that have helped refine and improve my project.

Secondly, my jaunt with two other Fellows to a conference where I was able to meet with many book editors and get invaluable feedback from them.

Thirdly, simply the knowledge that ADM believes that my project is important enough to stand behind it, and to support it in tangible ways. That has been so meaningful for me.

ADM: What is next for you?

DT: Unfortunately, in my year as an ADM Fellow, the earth's environmental problems have not gone away. So my book is still very relevant. I'm hopeful that churches can increasingly offer hope to an anxious generation through environmental ministries, I will showcase some examples of that in my book.

God willing, I'll be submitting a couple of chapters to an editor in the next couple of months. If they accept it for publication, I'll complete the book under their guidance. That will be in a part-time fashion though, I'll spend most of my time doing my other job, which is translation work.

I also plan to keep in touch with anyone interested in thinking through how environmental action can be part of evangelism and discipleship, I'm on Facebook (Donna Toulmin - Author) and Substack. More info at donnatoulmin.com

ADM: How can ADM supporters be praying for you?

DT: For me please pray for stamina to finish this book in 2024. Also please pray that whatever opportunities I get to engage with people on this topic will be done faithfully and well. For the people who hear me speak or read the words I write, please pray that they would be encouraged by the plan that God has for his earth, and would be encouraged to continue to witness to others about this amazing hope we have.

Dr Ruth Sutcliffe

ADM: What has been the biggest highlight of your ADM Fellowship?

RS: Having the time and space provided to do some serious work in the company of smart, godly women. The atmosphere is so supportive and encouraging.

ADM: What is next for you?

RS: Three things to get published and some more teaching overseas. My thesis is about to be published by T&T Clark, and also a chapter for the Cambridge Companion to Early Christian Theology. I worked on these earlier in the year. Meanwhile the book that constitutes my main project is drafted, so I'll continue to work on that over the next year or so. I wrote a course on study skills which is being used in two overseas Bible Colleges. God willing, this year I'll be teaching church history at Shiloh International Theological Seminary in Ethiopia and back at Phnom Penh Bible School in September.

ADM: How can ADM supporters be praying for you?

RS: For patience, resilience and to keep the momentum going as I tackle these projects and hope to bring glory to God through them. Especially with the big change back to regular work and life in Townsville.

Louisa Raggatt

ADM: What has been the biggest highlight of your ADM Fellowship?

LR: The biggest highlight has been the wonderful cohort of women I have had the privilege of sharing this experience with (Louisa is pictured with fellow ADM Fellow Rachel Ciano). I had no idea what the past year would entail but it had not occurred to me that I would form such beautiful and lasting friendships. I have been inspired, encouraged and filled with laughter as we have pursued our projects alongside each other. Their desire to serve God and use the gifts He has given them to bring the love of Jesus to the world has been a joy to witness; they have challenged and exhorted me to love and serve Him more just by being who they are. I will be forever grateful to ADM for the gift of this year.

ADM: What's next for you?

LR: I am now working at ADM in The Greenhouse as the Community Engagement Manager so I will continue working on my project part time, alongside this role. I remember early in my Fellowship walking through the doors to the office thinking how amazing it would be to work here at ADM and use the gifts God has grown in me over the past decade to serve the church. For that to be what I am now doing feels like such a generous gift from the Lord.

ADM: How can ADM supporters be praying for you?

LR: Please pray that I can manage my time well and keep pursuing my project – I am very excited about the work I am doing at ADM and will need to be deliberate in carving out time and headspace to complete writing the book I have been working on. I had some promising meetings in America last November with prospective publishers, so if it is God’s will that this book be published then I am praying that I will be able to keep moving towards that goal this year.

Rachel Ciano

ADM: What has been the biggest highlight of your ADM Fellowship?

RC: I went to San Antonio, Texas in November for the Evangelical Theological Society conference, and two of the other Fellows came with me (Donna and Louisa)! My paper got accepted early in the year so I kept talking about it, and part of attending is an opportunity to meet with book publishers and pitch ideas. That was perfect for Donna and Louisa working on their books, so we all went to Texas. It was the best week.

But there have been so many other highlights too - I did things I hate doing with the encouragement of the other Fellows, like launching my author website, and I did things I don’t normally have time to do, like judging the Christianity Today Book of the Year awards in the history and biography section. And I launched my new book 10 Dead Gals You Should Know!

When I found out I had been accepted as an ADM Fellow I felt such joy, but I didn't even realise how good it would be when I got here. It's been even more joyous than I thought. It's just been the best year.

ADM: What’s next for you?

RC: I will be working as the Dean of Academic Development for Mary Andrews College. It’s a big picture role covering academic programming, lecturer development, subject development, compliance and more. I believe Mary Andrews College has something really beautiful and precious and important to offer women and I am excited to help more women to access quality theological education.

I’ll also be continuing to work on my history research and teaching.

ADM: How can ADM supporters be praying for you?

RC: I think it's going to be a year of great change for me. And change can be daunting, but change can be hopeful. I'm particularly looking forward to my time at Mary Andrews College. I want to be able to contribute to God's kingdom using the gifts and skills He's given me. So please pray that I would be wise as I negotiate those changes and rely on Him and care for all those around me.