Lauren Hooie is an Auburn University alumna with a degree in Journalism, and is in her final semester at Mercer’s McAfee School of Theology.

Auburn First Baptist has a long history of recognizing the calling of women, ordaining its first woman, Leland Cooper, as a deacon in 1974. Since 2007, Baptist Women in Ministry has invited Baptist churches to participate in the BWIM Month of Preaching by having a woman preach during the month of February. This annual event has been a deeply significant source of joy and discovery for many women and churches.