Reel Urban News Exclusive
By Michael G. Reel
“First Ladies are an essential part of ministry, and it is nice for us to actually have a time to fellowship and to truly get to know one another so we can uplift each other and continue keeping each other in prayer.”
Making history once again, the Progressive National Baptist Convention returned to Los Angeles after three decades, convening its Mid‑Winter Board Meeting in the City of Angels.
Amid this historic gathering, a group of First Ladies, women married to pastors within the Progressive National Baptist Convention, came together for a soulful evening of dinner, fellowship, and conversation. It was the kind of intimate setting that only women who carry the unique mantle of “First Lady” can fully understand.
Vennie Mac’s M & M Soul Food Restaurant in Carson, California proved to be the ideal location, welcoming First Ladies who traveled from as far east as Washington, D.C., Nevada, and several states between there and Southern California.
First Ladies Gloria Lewis, wife of Rev. Dr. Prentiss Lewis of Greater Starlight Missionary Baptist Church, and Bridget Small, wife of Rev. Dr. Ryan B. Small of Greater New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church and President of the Progressive Baptist State Convention of California, spoke exclusively with Reel Urban News about the significance of this gathering and the deep sense of sisterhood it fostered.
“Oh, it is definitely significant,” shared First Lady Lewis, the newly appointed president of the Ministers’ Wives Unit. “First Ladies are an essential part of ministry, and it is nice for us to actually have a time to fellowship and to truly get to know one another so we can uplift each other and continue keeping each other in prayer.”
According to both Lewis and Small, the First Ladies Dinner was the vision of Rev. Dr. Ryan B. Small.
“This was a brainchild of Pastor Small,” Lewis explained. “Our Ministers’ Wives Unit is newly formed, and he wanted to do something meaningful. Dr. Small said that First Ladies often get overlooked, and he wanted to do something different, something that truly involved the Convention’s First Ladies.”
When asked whether an evening of fellowship helps ease some of the challenges pastors’ wives often face, First Lady Small offered a candid and heartfelt response.
“Yes, it kind of breaks down the walls of it being just the woman on the first pew,” she said. “We get to actually see each other, hear each other talk, find common ground, and create a safe space for all the ministers’ wives to fellowship.”
First Lady Lewis echoed the sentiment, acknowledging the weight of the role and the realities that come with it.
“We all have different challenges in our ministries,” she stated. “And this group gives us an opportunity to come together, to talk with like‑minded women, and maybe help resolve some of those challenges.”
As the conversation drew to a close, we advanced to a deeper question – what it means to stand on the frontline not only in ministry, but as Black women carrying the weight of community, culture, and calling of ministry.
“So I believe that we are the mothers of this world,” First Lady Small reflected with conviction. “We are here to nurture and uplift. It is not about personal gain, but about the gain of our culture. And we are at the forefront. I believe that if we are united together, that unity shows the world what is possible. We can do it in church. However, we’re trying to show the world what we do.”
Her words, grounded in lived experience, serve as a reminder that First Ladies are not simply present; they are pillars, culture‑bearers, and prayerful architects of strength within the Black church globally.
Finally, we asked both First Ladies about their hopes moving forward.
“I hope that we can all be on one accord, as Christ said,” expressed First Lady Lewis. “We can become one, as He and the Father are one.”
“And for me, I hope gatherings like this evening break down the walls,” added First Lady Small. “We are real people; we are not just a picture or a person standing next to our husband. First Ladies are real people as well.”
