20th Anniversary of Event Celebrating Women
The Wise Women Awards (WWA) is considered Britain’s premier awards for Christian women.
Every March, on the day before Mothering Sunday, women gather to see who will receive an award at this inspirational event. Previous award winners read like a who’s who of women in Britain’s Black Christian community.
Apostle Marjorie Esomowei, who co-pastors Triumphant Church International alongside her husband Pastor Clem Esomowei, is the brainchild behind WWA and on March 29, this nationally known event celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Keep The Faith spoke to Apostle Marjorie about the Awards to discover its impact on women, her plans for WWA’s future, and her personal goals for 2024.
KEEP THE FAITH: What inspired you to start the Wise Women Awards 20 years ago, and what impact did you want it to have?
APOSTLE MARJORIE ESOMOWEI (AME): The vision for the Wise Women Awards came to me as a very young believer. I heard God clearly say: “Go and celebrate My daughters.” The voice of God is always my main inspiration in all my life assignments.
If I must be honest, when we held the first Awards in 2004 at a school hall in Islington, we never knew it would have such an impact. My heart was to celebrate Christian women, who are going against the odds to shine the light of the Gospel in their various communities.
A few weeks ago, when I took time to go through photos from 2004 to date, I was overwhelmed by what I saw. I looked back at all the faces, had a flashback of the many years of the Awards, and I could only kneel down to say: “Thank You, Lord.”
KTF: How has the Wise Women Awards evolved over the past two decades, and what are some of the foremost memories you recall from the event over the years?
AME: We started from our ‘Jerusalem’ (Triumphant Church International), where most of the attendees were from my local church and women from other churches were awarded. We built up from there, growing from strength to strength each year. I remember that first year, we only awarded one person.
Over the years, our award criteria keep improving, and each year God gives wisdom for finetuning the criteria, so the right winners are selected.
In 2013, the Awards launched out from UK to Nigeria, where it’s now on the way to its 10th Wise Women Awards. In the next decade, we hope to see the Wise Women Awards being held in other African countries.
KTF: How has Keep The Faith magazine helped you and WWA in its journey of hosting the Awards?
AME: I have always believed that women’s ministries should prayerfully collaborate with other women’s ministries and other organisations. Like Mary and Elizabeth, the right collaborations cause your ‘baby’ to leap.
When we collaborated with Keep The Faith magazine in 2011, it improved our brand to the extent that we are now a widely accepted inter-denominational organisation. We can humbly say that the date for the Wise Women Awards is now a must-attend date in the UK Christian calendar. Thank you, Keep The Faith magazine.
KTF: Looking back, how has founding the Wise Women Awards influenced or shaped your personal journey as a leader in ministry?
AME: I feel immensely grateful to serve the Christian community through the Wise Women Awards forum. Knowing that I have such an assignment every year makes me push towards my self-development as a Christian leader. I draw closer to the Lord, spending time to pray for award winners, and asking that the award is the least of things they would ever achieve in their life’s journey.
KTF: Can you share some examples of how receiving a Wise Women Award has impacted the lives or ministries of past recipients?
AME: I know, from the joy I see on women’s faces, that they greatly value receiving a Wise Women Award for their work and service for the Lord. I don’t know whether receiving an award has impact people’s ministries, but I have watched the ministries and/or careers of some WWA recipients have continued to grow and expand. For example, the 2011 winner of the Woman of the Year Award, Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, is now the Bishop of Dover; Karen Gibson, recipient of the Woman in Music Award in 2011 is now known throughout the world after performing at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle; and Sharon Thompson, winner of the Women in Politics Award in 2022, who is now Deputy Leader of Birmingham Council.
KTF: What do you think the Church can or should do to further empower women and amplify their voices in leadership and service?
AME: Training. Empathy. Being less judgemental on women who have suffered abuse, divorce, and older, single women. Life happens to us all in different ways, and we must learn to be kind to women in different crises.
KTF: As the Wise Women Awards celebrates its 20th anniversary, what is your vision for the next 20 years?
AME: I see the baton being passed on to a younger woman as CEO, a visionary who is able to take it to a higher level than myself. I envision it being hosted in North and South America, Asia, and in other parts of Africa.
KTF: What advice or encouragement would you give to Christian women aspiring to make a significant impact in the Church and society?
AME: Take life step by step, be faithful, be consistent. ‘Your work shall be rewarded’ (Jeremiah 31:16).
KTF: What can people expect from this year’s Wise Women Awards?
PME: It will be a celebration of God’s faithfulness and thanksgiving for how far God has brought us.
KTF: What should we expect from you in 2025?
PME: This year is my year of books. I am putting down the things God has help me to know, understand and experience in books. This January, I will be releasing two books –Renunciation, and Winning Your Transferred Battles, and many more in the year 2025 and beyond.
Visit www.wisewomenawards.org for more information.
