Name: Kathy Bilderback
Home congregation: Evergreen Heights Mennonite Church, Boise, Idaho
Occupations: Chair of Mennonite Women USA board, Part-time administrative pastor at Evergreen, bookkeeper at Presbyterian church and own a bookkeeping business

1. What is your earliest memory of church?

I had to think deeply about this. Mostly it was Sunday school and vacation Bible school that were pretty formational as a little kid. I felt lots of love. It was fun. I really liked singing the songs. I remember standing around a great big table in the preschool room. The top came off and inside were toys galore. That was one of the big memories I have. Playing and interacting and having fun. We had great teachers growing up. My home congregation was a wonderful, nurturing congregation.

2. Do you have a favorite Scripture passage? What is it and why is it your favorite?

One that’s been with me for a number of years is from Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me o God and know my heart.” That’s been with me for a good many years as kind of a call. Every time I find myself in a predicament or find myself lost or confused, it pulls me into a quietness with God and helps me to find my center again.

Another passage that has been also working on my heart is from 2 Corinthians 5. Paul writes about his idea of the ministry of reconciliation. We are Christ’s ambassadors and called to peace. That’s been on my heart as well, mainly because we are in the midst of so much division. I keep realizing that the power that Christ has when we can come together in God and in Christ and accept one another’s differences.

3. What does a “normal” day look like for you?

I read that question to my husband and he laughed. I really don’t have a normal. My days are each different because of the different responsibilities I have. One thing that’s more normal is my sense of always wanting to listen to others. Taking time to listen and to learn with others and to be a person of encouragement.

I like working with my clients and meeting them at their level. I like my pastoral work that pulls me into the community. I often find that the pastor at the church where I’m a bookkeeper comes in and sits with me and starts talking. That’s what I enjoy doing: listening to others where they are at and then hopefully being an encouragement for someone.

4. Tell me a little bit about your current congregation. What makes you unique?

This congregation started 12 or 13 years ago. For the first 10 years of its life it did not have a paid pastor and it was very organically led. If someone felt the ability to lead, there was an allowance and a freedom to lead. There was an affirmation of a lot of leaders. It was the right mix of people and the right mix of grace and a sense of affirmation for each other that helped it work.

Two years ago they called me to serve as an administrative pastor, not focusing preaching and pastoral care. My role is more administrative. I help us to work on achieving our goals. We went through a process two years ago of redefining our mission statement and working with the Purposeful Plan for our congregation and out of that we developed goals to pursue. They called me out of the congregation to help work on those goals.

5. How did you get involved with Mennonite Women USA?

Carolyn Holderread Heggen was serving as the West Coast representative for Mennonite Women. She had invited me to help host a Sister Care event here. Her term was ending and she asked me to consider serving on the board as the new West Coast representative. I said yes. It was something that I had been praying about.

Women’s ministry is something that I have a great deal of interest in. As a woman pastor, I’ve had a number of different experiences where I will say something in a meeting and give an idea that gets overlooked and then a man comes along and says it and it’s a great idea. Those kinds of things. Sometimes women are looked over, they’re looked under, and they’re looked around, but not looked at. Women’s ministry and empowering women was something that I was really praying for and I was looking for ways to be able to share my gifts in a real way.

I served about a year and a half and then at one of our board meetings Ruth and Rhoda cornered me and invited me to think about being the board chair. I really didn’t think I was qualified for that. Initially I just wanted to say no, that’s not me. I spent a long time praying and discerning and came to the point of saying yes. It’s been a beautiful thing to serve on the board. There are very powerful models of excellent women, and I’ve learned to love and appreciate so many people. It’s a great organization. We do a lot of things with the little amount of money we have. It’s a joy to serve.

6. What do you think people should know about MW USA?

We continue to want women to know that if you’re in a Mennonite church, you’re part of MW USA. You don’t have to be in a sewing circle. We welcome sewing groups, but it’s much bigger than that. We want every Mennonite woman to know that you’re part of us. We want to encourage and empower and help resource women in their faith journey. We want to work with you and hold your stories and encourage and empower you. That’s very much what we do.

7. If you had to choose only one book to recommend to someone, what would it be and why?

Well, the Bible, continues to be my go to book. I can read a lot of other things, but it’s the Bible that holds the truth and that tells the story of God interacting with people, even in their brokenness and frailty. It’s a story of restoration and transformation.