Our Story

Many girls in our community felt overlooked, disconnected and uninvolved in their church. Many reached out to the leadership for hopes in creating a college women's ministry department, unfortunately, the answer was "no". There were several reasons why: not enough volunteers, not enough time for preparation and not enough recourses. Those who longed for a women's department felt frustrated and disappointed. They wanted to serve God beyond just tithes and offerings. They wanted to be impactful and to create more meaningful relationships with other women.

Meanwhile, Katrina McCain had just married and moved to Greensboro, only 4 weeks prior. She had begun a private devotion study on her own: Lord I Want to Know You, by Kay Arthur. It was on an ordinary Monday morning when Ashley Blanton stopped by her house and noticed the study that she was engaged in. The next day, Ashley returned to join in on the day's new devotion lesson, explaining that she chose to come back because she'd never done an in-depth Bible study before and she felt that this was the missing piece in her relationship with Christ. The next week, Ashley brought Jessica Gray with her. Kourtney Smith followed soon after and before long, there were 9 girls coming to Bible study, pouring over God's word in the McCain living room!

Now, 4 years later, there are 16 Pearls, from various cities. The girls come from Greensboro, Charlotte, Cornelius, Fayetteville, High Point, Burlington, Winston Salem and two special Pearls who skype in from Chicago and Hawaii! We each are a part of various churches in our communities, but we believe in the importance of creating opportunities to gather outside of the 4 walls. The relationships that have unfolded have matured into intimate friendships, accountability partners, prayer warriors and loving encouragements towards one another. Our hope is that more women join us because our heart's desire is to be impactful for God's kingdom. We want to show God's love through diversity and share the Good News of Jesus with the world around us and we desire to be lights that shine, wherever we go!
Living for Jesus can be so difficult when you're alone. But together, we are stronger, through the Holy Spirit who leads and guides us. This isn't about church or being good girls. We truly have a desire for more of Jesus! Pearls of Hope has been in effect since June, 2013. Our beginnings are simple and at first, seemed undirected, but God has had His hands in the plans, all along.