Michelle Ferrigno Warren is an author and president of Virago Strategies, which provides strategic direction and project management community support. Today, Michelle shares her journey from a fundamentalist church to leading as a social activist. She shares what it was like to realize her success in ministry was limited by her gender, how she and her husband were led to found an important ministry in Denver, and how she learned about the systems that silently oppress in our society. Plus, she shares about her latest b0ok, Join the Resistance: Step Into the Good Work of Kingdom Justice. Michelle’s story reminds us that proximity always develops our empathy.
Listen to Michelle’s story in your favorite podcast player now.
Stories Michelle shared:
- Working in community development and advocacy
- Growing up in an Italian family with Roman Catholic roots
- Landing in a fundamentalist Bible church as a child
- Learning to love and study Scripture
- How her neighborhood made her aware of diversity
- Realizing that she had a ceiling because she was a woman
- Moving out to Colorado in high school and noticing cultural differences
- Getting married and moving to Dallas while living in a diverse community
- Teaching in middle school and what she learned there
- Meditating on the prophets one summer
- Working at Open Door Ministries
- Having a son who was very sick resulting in a step back from ministry
- Going back for her masters degree
- Realizing that there are systems that oppress some in our society
Great quotes from Michelle:
I was taught to love God, love my neighbors, and be a good Pharisee.
Most of my early adult life was alarmed discovery.
When you’re living in community, love is reciprocal.
Injustice does not just happen and does not just repair itself.
Resources we mentioned:
- Michelle’s website
- Join the Resistance, Step Into the Good Work of Kingdom Justice by Michelle Ferrigno Warren
- The Power of Proximity: Moving Beyond Awareness to Action by Michelle Ferrigno Warren
- Open Door Ministries
- Christian Community Development Association
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