Narrative Summary
Interview with Rene Ward by Joe Stonecypher
For the Religious Lives of Ozarks Women Archive Project, I chose a woman from the
town where I live—Mrs. Rene Ward. She and I had the good pleasure to meet when my family
and I first moved to the Ozarks. My mother and Rene had taken a great liking to each other and
Rene’s husband works with my dad for the city.
Rene was born in Tennessee in the 1960s. After many years of moving around, she and
her husband settled down in the southern area of Missouri. She has been working as a teacher in
schools around the area for many years and just recently retired; however, she still substitutes if
the school is in need. She has two daughters and also two dogs and a cat that makes an
appearance on the interview recording.
Rene lived in many places across Missouri and Kansas. She attended college at
Pittsburgh State University. Finally after getting her Bachelor of Science in Elementary
Education, she finally returned to southern Missouri and settled down to teach and substitute at
schools all around the area.
Rene was raised as a Southern Baptist and she remains one to this day. She discussed
how her upbringing was very influential to her path through Christianity, as well as the role that
her parents played in teaching her the path to follow toward the ways of God. Her father had a
gift of speaking, and even though he was never a minister, she told of how he would often fill the
role of the interim pastor and would give sermons if he needed to do so. Rene said that she had a
strong foundation in the church and was very devoted to the youth group of her church and the
traveling choir group that she participated in. She expressed how her involvement in both of
these groups served as the source of her friendships and social life through her teens and high
school days.
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She has intermittently attended both a Baptist church as well as a Methodist church. She
says there were periods of time when she maintained consistent attendance, as well as other
times when she did not go at all. Rene discussed how one of the reasons for this is that the
Baptist church they were a part of was constantly changing ministers and that was a source of
inconsistency which was difficult for them to deal with.
Rene also shared one of the most important aspects about her spirituality with me—the
role and the impact of contemporary Christian music in her life. She testified that music plays as
big of a part in her life as the Bible, and she describes how certain pieces of music and specific
songs have kept her going through difficult times. These songs constantly remind her of God’s
presence, that he works in mysterious ways, that he loves us, and that through him all things are
possible. Rene also briefly discussed Facebook and how she would often post song lyrics or
verses as her status on the site. She sees it as a way to share her belief and spread the love of God
to anyone who would listen, but she also confesses that Facebook can be a dangerous thing, so it
must be used with caution.
Rene expressed a satisfaction with the place she is at in her spiritual life, and she has no
regrets in any of the choices or paths she has taken. She also addressed her views on women in
places of power in the church. She believes that women have a role to play, but that men are the
ones who have a true calling to ministry. She also talked about her experiences as a teacher, how
she kept God in the classroom without crossing any lines, and the fact that she believes that God
must be present in education.
Finally, Rene covered how she views God, including the imagery and role that she places
upon the divine. She feels that God is omnipotent, and she holds firm to the traditional beliefs
surrounding the Second Coming of Christ—she doesn’t know when he will return, but she
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believes that the prophesies within the New Testament book of Revelations are being fulfilled
right now.
This interview experience was enjoyable, and I found it extremely interesting; yet, I was
nervous for some reason. It was difficult for me to get through, and I found myself going blank
and stammering through questions. Rene was great to work with, and I loved hearing her stories,
her religious beliefs, and her views on certain issues. I found her testimony concerning the role
of women in places of religious authority very interesting. She was not completely orthodox in
her view of women as ministers; however, she holds true to the traditional belief that women
have roles and callings of their own and that men are the ones who are truly called to be
ministers and hold positions of authority in the church. I was really touched when hearing about
how she feels such a strong connection with music, how song lyrics play a role in her life, and
how she is able to feel her closeness with God through music. Rene held to her traditional
Southern Baptist views, but she was flexible enough that I wouldn’t consider her a hardcore
conservative. The interview was short, but I felt that I covered all of the bases that I wanted to; I
believe that I was able to end without the interview becoming stagnant. Rene and I had fun, and I
really enjoyed getting to learn more about her.
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Fall 2010
Religious Lives of Ozarks Women