Sisters in Spirit Brings Women Together in Cookeville

Building Sisterhood Through Faith

In the heart of the Upper Cumberland, one transformative experience has grown into a ministry bringing women together through faith, friendship, and community.

Sisters in Spirit, more commonly known as S.I.S., was founded in September 2024 after founder Kendreah Ford experienced what she describes as a life-changing moment during a serious illness.

“S.I.S. was created out of obedience and a testimony,” Ford said. “I was really sick with an incurable disease, a sickness that only happens to about 2% of women. During that journey, I flatlined in the back of an ambulance.”

While unconscious in the ICU, Ford had a vivid dream about S.I.S., an organization that would bring women of God together through unity, healing, and purpose.

“When I was in the ICU unconscious, the Lord gave me a dream about S.I.S.,” Ford said. “Once I woke up, I knew I had to start a women’s Bible group.”

Ford felt called to turn that dream into reality and began laying the foundation for what would become a growing movement. Just a few months after S.I.S. began, she says her own story took another remarkable turn.

“I had a miracle happen in my life,” Ford said. “The Lord completely healed me. Everything was gone, like it was never there.”

That experience remains at the heart of the ministry and the message Ford hopes to share with every woman who walks through its doors.

“S.I.S. isn’t just a group of Godly women. It’s a place of hope,” she said. “Little did I know that it would become what it is today when I first started S.I.S.”

In less than two years, S.I.S. has welcomed more than 2,000 women and celebrated the baptism of 32 women who chose to publicly declare their faith. The ministry provides a welcoming, judgment-free environment where women can build friendships, strengthen their relationship with God, and find encouragement through a Christ-centered community.

“The main goal is to reach women and let them know they aren’t alone in the different seasons of life,” Ford said. “We want them to learn to lean on other women who are also struggling in life while growing in their own personal walk with the Lord.”

Open to women ages 13 and older, S.I.S. brings together teenagers, young adults, and older women to share experiences and grow in their faith. This intergenerational connection allows mentorship and sisterhood to flourish among women in different stages of life.

The group meets every other Tuesday in Cookeville for fellowship, games, worship, and biblical teaching. Each gathering gives women an opportunity to step away from daily pressures and find renewal through faith and community.

As S.I.S. continues to grow, the ministry is preparing to expand its outreach, including plans for its first women’s retreat.

“Our vision for the future is to continue reaching women from all walks of life throughout the Upper Cumberland, whether they are struggling in their marriage, just graduated and learning how to navigate life, or simply need a good, Godly community to talk to and be prayed for,” Ford said.

At its core, Ford hopes S.I.S. will remain a place where women can arrive exactly as they are and know they have a community ready to welcome them.

“S.I.S. allows women to come as they are, no matter where they have come from or what they have done,” Ford said. “It’s a place where all sisters belong.”

Written by Isabella Carmichael
Edited by Andrew Buckner
Photography by Jennifer Clark

For more information on upcoming Bible studies and how to get involved with S.I.S, visit their Facebook group.