About us
We are a group of women called to finish the work given to us by God. That includes finishing the work God started in us. We are led by Rev. Lou. We don’t compete, compare or complain with other women. Instead, we collaborate, complement and celebrate each other. We individually and collectively are striving to be our best versions of “Her.” We call ourselves FinisHers!
Our Leader
Rev. Lou Etta Burkins is a native of Memphis, Tennessee, where she was reared in the Orange Mound community. She is the youngest of seven. She attended Memphis City Schools graduating Salutatorian of Melrose High School in 1983. She attended the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy in Andover, Massachusetts in the summer of 1982. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, earning both a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and the MBA. She is also an honors graduate of Memphis Theological Seminary earning both the Master of Arts in Religion and the Master of Divinity degrees. She is a first-generation college graduate.
Lou Etta is a retired Project Manager and former Global Strategic Planning Advisor for FedEx Express in Memphis, Tennessee. In this capacity she provided project management support for executive level strategic planning and system form planning for key corporate and IT-related initiatives for the Global Network Planning and Engineering department. Prior to her tenure at FedEx Express, LouEtta worked ten years as a manufacturing and project engineer in the chemical industry for several Fortune 500 companies including 3M, Monsanto and Dow Chemical in the states of Louisiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Alabama.
Rev. Lou founded Sisters in the Lord Ministry in 2000 and served as Executive Director until 2012. Sisters in the Lord (SITL) was a three-fold ministry seeking to minister to needs of hurting women. Brunch-N-the Word, Sister to Sister, and Yo Go Sista! were the three venues of ministry for Sisters in the Lord Ministry. She was truly elated about the opportunity to minister to women who have a heart for God, just like her! She is re-launching, re-tooling and re-branding that ministry to “Finish the Work” Ministry in 2021.
Rev. Lou served as Chaplain for the Shelby County TN Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and now serves on the board for Mending Vessels Ministry, and volunteers with the Midsouth Literacy Foundation and REACH Memphis.
She loves to travel internationally, cook, entertain her family and friends and is an avid reader in her spare time. She also just recently took up the game of golf and gardening.
Our Story
All was going well but then a shifting in her spirit occurred during the COVID-19 global pandemic. She hit a roadblock and stepped back from many of her ministerial duties as she dealt with her own anxieties, fear and even a low-grade depression. She often agonized over her future, her mortality and the calling that she had on her life. During this season, her prayer life grew as she spent hours in her newly created War Room. In those moments, she heard the voice of God say: “Finish the Work; your vocational calling as an engineer needs to be wrapped up and I need you focused on full-time ministry!” Despite months of denial, fear, and apprehension, her faith over them all has led her to to where she is today. Welcome to the re-branding, re-naming and re-launching of Sisters in the Lord Ministry. Rev. Lou is introducing Finish the Work Ministry with a renewed sense of purpose to finish strong and finish the work that God had called her to do. Rev. Lou believes that in this season she will lead many more women into manifesting and becoming all that God has called them to be. Will you join us on this journey?
Our ministry re-launched out of a cry from our Founder, Rev. Lou Etta Burkins to “Finish the Work” that God had called her to do. Rev. Lou has always had a heart to give back to women and children. After accepting her call to preach in 1999, she left the corporate world, began her seminary training and launched Sisters in the Lord Ministry. From 1999-2003, through Sisters in the Lord, she focused on ministering to over 200 women who were struggling with everyday life issues, just as she had done. Her following was global and her impact was great as many lives were changed. In 2003, she was led in another direction and commissioned by her Pastor to re-tool Children’s Church at her local church. This was part of her parish practicum for receiving her Master of Divinity degree. So from 2003-2009, she led a team of over 20 volunteers who led Children’s Church at 0800 and 1100 worship services each Sunday morning at the historic New Sardis Baptist Church in Memphis, TN. Through that ministry over 50 young souls were saved. To God be the glory! She later sensed a need to rest and took a sabbatical for two years. She resumed church and volunteer ministry in 2011 until the present, serving in various roles such as Christian Education Director, Intercessory Prayer Ministry Lead, Children’s Pastor, Singles Ministry Director, Trustee, Adult Tutor, High School Mentor and Sorority Chaplain.
FinisHers 