RevDoula

RevDoula revdoula is Stephanie Spitzer-Hanks. She teaches childbirth classes & provides postpartum doula support & holistic sleep coaching.

Stephanie is reverend and a doula. She provides skilled and experienced doula care, breastfeeding support, and childbirth education. Occasionally she blogs about birtheology at www.revdoula.com.

Two more women to add to the list of women leaders in the early church, and these two nearly got lost in translation: Ph...
06/01/2026

Two more women to add to the list of women leaders in the early church, and these two nearly got lost in translation: Phoebe and Junia. But the nerds/biblical scholars save us by not giving up on the text and ultimately giving these women their due!

This is number five in a six part series on women leaders in the Gospels and the early church.

Link to post: https://www.revdoula.com/blog/2026/6/1/phoebe-junia

Art: Junia, Serigraph, Remembering the Women: Works by Luba Lukova. Art ©️ Luba Lukova

This week's sermon added a bunch more names to the list of women leaders in the early church. They are usually only ment...
05/25/2026

This week's sermon added a bunch more names to the list of women leaders in the early church. They are usually only mentioned briefly in one or two verses, so I spent some time giving more insight into how house churches were founded and grew, sometimes under the leadership of women. And I managed to pronounce Euodia and Syntyche without getting tongue tied, which was a major win.

This is number four in a six part series on women leaders in the Gospels and the early church.

Link to post: https://www.revdoula.com/blog/2026/5/25/the-church-in-her-house

Art: painted walls from Lullingstone Roman Villa, 4th century AD, Lullingstone, Kent. Photo by Nick Thompson, https://flic.kr/p/DT5xoM

Prisca, often known by the nickname Priscilla, is always mentioned with her husband Aquila. BUT: 4 out of 6 times they a...
05/18/2026

Prisca, often known by the nickname Priscilla, is always mentioned with her husband Aquila. BUT: 4 out of 6 times they are mentioned in the Bible, Prisca is mentioned first. She was kind of a big deal.

This is number three in a six part series on women leaders in the Gospels and the early church.

Link to post: https://www.revdoula.com/blog/2026/5/18/priscilla-and-aquila

I bring you this early morning selfie, taken in truly awful lighting, as your reminder to schedule your mammogram if you...
05/13/2026

I bring you this early morning selfie, taken in truly awful lighting, as your reminder to schedule your mammogram if you are over 40. Or earlier if you are in a higher risk category! Take care of your gals, folks.

Lydia was the first European convert to the Way of Christ recorded in the Bible. She was a firecracker--a wealthy woman ...
05/11/2026

Lydia was the first European convert to the Way of Christ recorded in the Bible. She was a firecracker--a wealthy woman who traded in purple cloth who, when she heard Paul preach, insisted on being baptized then and there and hosting a church in her house.

This is number two in a six part series on women leaders in the Gospels and the early church.

Link to post: https://www.revdoula.com/blog/2026/5/11/lydia

Art by Marie Ellenrieder, Baptism of Lydia, 1861. https://freunde-der-nationalgalerie.de/blog/erwerbungen/marie-ellenrieder-2/

Mary Magdalene, Joanna, & Susanna were all disciples of Jesus who also financed his ministry. And did you know that Mary...
05/04/2026

Mary Magdalene, Joanna, & Susanna were all disciples of Jesus who also financed his ministry. And did you know that Mary Magdalene was the apostle to the apostles? She was kind of a big deal. Also, she was not sexually suspect in any way, though that myth persists.

This is the first in a six part series on women leaders in the Gospels & the early church.

Link to blog post: https://www.revdoula.com/blog/2026/5/4/mary-magdalene-joanna-susanna

Art by Lázaro A. Ceballos Fernandez, The Proclamation https://act.library.vanderbilt.edu/artworks/59863

Introducing some folks to Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education for Older Adults this afternoon. And getting a chance to a...
05/02/2026

Introducing some folks to Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education for Older Adults this afternoon. And getting a chance to admire this beautiful organ at the same time!

I've been doing a lot of preaching lately. I just started a new sermon series on women who were leaders in the Gospels a...
04/27/2026

I've been doing a lot of preaching lately. I just started a new sermon series on women who were leaders in the Gospels and in the early church. This sermon from a week ago was the inspiration for what is to come.

Did you ever wonder whether the other disciple on the road to Emmaus could have been a woman? If not, why not? Presuming that you ever gave those two disciples a thought! Which is a big presumption, I admit.

You can read it or watch the video from the service here: https://www.revdoula.com/blog/2026/4/27/the-other-disciple-on-the-road-to-emmaus

Art by Cara B. Hochhalter, On the Road to Emmaus https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=59269

I love to see a lactation room! I'm on the road with my kids today, traveling between Syracuse and Rochester, NY. They h...
02/20/2026

I love to see a lactation room! I'm on the road with my kids today, traveling between Syracuse and Rochester, NY. They have these at every stop on the Thruway. Thank you, State of New York!

A new chapter on the horizon, friends! I have been dreaming this dream for a few years now, and it is finally time. My u...
02/19/2026

A new chapter on the horizon, friends! I have been dreaming this dream for a few years now, and it is finally time. My ultimate goal is to become licensed as a therapist and focus on supporting new and expecting parents--you know, like I've been doing for the past 15 years, just in a different way. I'll still be doing childbirth education with The Birth Hour and volunteering with ICAN, but my doula days are behind me. *heavy sigh*

Thank you to Bryn Huntpalmer, Tonja Carpenter, and Kelsey Baas for vouching for me, and to Thomas Spitzer-Hanks aka Mr. Revdoula for believing in me.

Address

28 S Main St
Homer, NY
13077-1317

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when RevDoula posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to RevDoula:

Share