meet Courtney Silberman
Courtney Silberman experienced God’s magnificent gift of salvation through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ at the age of thirty. Growing up, she attended church with her family, but was never taught how to receive God’s salvation through Jesus Christ or how to walk daily as a Christian through a personal relationship with Jesus. As a result of her weak faith, she stopped going to church for almost ten years. After being married for two years and settling with her husband in their home in the Richmond, Virginia area, Courtney felt the need to attend church again. Expecting their first child, she felt that her experience as a new mom meant she needed to re-establish her Christian religion and seek a church home.
She began attending a non-denominational evangelical church. This was the first church she attended where a personal relationship with Jesus Christ was emphasized rather than being a member of a religious organization. God was planting the seeds of truth in her heart while He allowed some challenging and painful circumstances into her life at the same time.
After their second child was born, Courtney began to struggle with the pressures of maintaining a demanding career in sales while caring for a toddler and a baby. The catalyst occurred immediately after she turned thirty when both her children experienced typical childhood sicknesses that lasted through the same months she was expected to travel for her job. She began to wonder if the lucrative salary she earned was worth all the frustrations and guilt she was feeling having to leave her small (and often sick) children at home. It was at this point in her life when she sought God for His guidance over her job situation. Through His guidance and direction, she left her sales career to be a stay-at-home mom. It was the first time she prayed and asked God to lead her in the direction He wanted, rather than asking Him to give her what she wanted. At that time she experienced God’s salvation and forgiveness of all her sins, receiving the gift and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and a burning desire to read and understand the truths of the Bible.
Through the opportunities of staying at home to care for her family, Courtney began spending her free time studying the Bible. She discovered how exciting it is to study God’s Word. After a year of being a stay-at-home-mom and realizing she wanted to go deeper in her understanding of theology, God provided the opportunity for her to attend seminary online at Liberty University where she earned a master’s degree in Theological Studies.
For over ten years, Courtney has been the founder of Encouraging Women for Christ, a ministry that is dedicated to teaching the Bible to anyone who wants to learn more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. She has a passion for sharing the love of God to others and to provide encouragement through the truths of the Bible. God has invited her to lead many women's and girls' Bible study groups, write books, and to share about God's love at other local churches' women's events. She lives in the Richmond, Virginia area with her husband and two children.