Interview: Rachel Brewster

We’re excited to introduce you to Rachel Brewster. She’s a Bostonian who had already been thinking about starting a group for professional, Christian women when she met Diane. Now, she and her friends are planning to start a 4word Boston group! But read on. We’ll let Rachel tell the rest of the story herself.

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4word: So tell us about yourself. How long have you been with Pricewaterhousecoopers?

Rachel: I came here to go to Boston College, where I majored in math and economics, and I’ve lived here ever since. I’m an actuary, so instead of going to graduate school, I take exams while I’m working. I only have one exam left, and then I’ll be finished. I work in risk management, and it does tend to be more of a male dominated profession. I’ve actually held a couple of different jobs in risk management, and I’ve only been with Pricewaterhousecoopers since last June.

4word: How did you meet Diane and hear about 4word?
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Rachel: We met at the Believers in Business conference. This was actually my second year to attend. Last year, I went with a friend who was finishing her MBA at Boston College. It was a very encouraging experience to hear from all these people who have had different experiences in corporate America but who all have felt very called to serve there.

I’ve always felt strongly called to corporate America. The people who work there need God just as badly as people who are living in poverty. They just don’t realize it as much because they have so many material things. So I guess I always felt this was an important place to be and a very challenging place to share your faith. It’s a balancing act.

I wasn’t going to go back this year because I was so slammed with work. But, as it turned out, I was down in New York for work that week, so I just stayed an extra day at the hotel. Diane spoke at the conference, but she didn’t say much about 4word. When I ran into her afWorkLove Prayterwards, I asked her more about it. She explained that it was mostly an online thing, but that there was one group in Portland. She told me to email her if I wanted to set up a Boston group, so I did! 

4word: And you mentioned in your email that you and two other friends felt God was calling you to start a Christian professional women’s group in Boston. Can you say a bit more about that? 

Rachel: I have been involved with Park Street Church since I graduated. I’d been talking with two of my girl friends from church, Tara and Jill, about starting a professional women’s group.

I told them as soon as I met with Diane. We all bought copies of Work, Love, Pray, and we’re reading through it now to try to get a vision for what the group could be. For the next couple of months, we’ll be trying to figure out how we can reach out to people and what the needs are of professional women in our city.

I know how much I got out of that conference, and I’d like to do something similar. I think hearing from businesswomen who are able to speak about their faith is so inspiring. And it’s helpful to hear from other women who are going through the same things you are.

4word: So, right now, what’s your vision for the group?

Rachel: I think it’s important to be open to where God is leading it. My dad was very involved with the Rotary Club, so right now I have a vision of it being like that group. We would have a monthly lunch so that women can to connect, meet and develop relationships from there. I think that, from there, smaller groups would organically form. I want to bring in speakers too to talk about things that matter to young professional women.

But all that being said, I want to be diligent about giving this to the Lord. I’m good at trying to plan things and relying on my idea, but I want to make sure this goes where God is leading it. That’s why I’m excited to read Work, Love, Pray with Tara and Jill so we can all bring our visions to it. Before I met Diane, Tara had explained to me her own idea of what this group could be, and then all of a sudden seeing that God had put this same vision on Diane’s heart – but in a different way – I think that’s very encouraging.

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So, ladies, we’re curious. Have any of you attended the Believers in Business Conference or another, similar one? What was that experience like? Let us know in the comments. And, by the way, if you’re reading this from Boston and you’d like to help start the 4word Boston group, Rachel said she’d love to hear from you! You can email her at rachel.brewster@gmail.com.