About Us

Our Mission: To empower, encourage, assist, admonish, and uplift women.

Who We Are

Above the Call Ministries is a 501(c)3 organization that strives to nurture abused and hurting women to a place of wholeness by creating a safe, confidential place where they can release their life’s greatest challenges and lessons, forgive themselves and their enemies and heal through the cross to live a fulfilled life. Whether a woman has suffered domestic or sexual abuse, broken relationships or the loss of a loved one, our ministry provides encouragement and motivation to complete the call of God in their life.

Our goal is to support women spiritually, mentally and physically, so that they can reach their fullest potential. Above the Call’s objectives are to:

  • Provide information in a spiritual platform for women to share their life experiences so that they can reach a place of releasing, forgiving, healing, renewal, and restoration.
  • Provide counseling and mentoring by anointed and experienced women of God.
  • Help abused and hurting women build confidence by living God-like lives for themselves and their families.
  • Provide temporary housing for abused women seeking safety and shelter

Leadership

Founder / Group Leader

Pastor Mavis Castillo

Pastor Mavis Castillo, founder of Above the Call Ministries, is a mother of 4. She surrendered to the Lord at the age of 16 and is no stranger to heartache, pain, depression, rape, abuse, suicide, homelessness and years of searching for her purpose in life. After her third failed suicide attempt, she found her calling to help women of all races and ethnicities. God spoke into her life that He would build a platform for her to share all of her life struggles, trials, failures, triumphs and victories to bring release, forgiveness and healing to women globally.

Being a former pastor’s wife, Mavis wanted to create a confidential atmosphere where God’s presence and love could be felt. God’s presence can lubricate the broken areas of our lives through transparent and authentic conversations while building bridges of relationship through missions and outreach with women. Mavis believes In tearing down the walls and removing the masks through discipleship and raising up the leader that lies in each woman. She is a pastor, minister of the gospel, motivational speaker, leadership developer and mentor. She has made it her mission to create safe havens and small group communities where women can escape and grab hold of their true value and purpose in life. Mavis says, “I want women to know that they are women of purpose, women with value and God has need of them in their generation.”

Mavis lives in Maryland with her children and grandkids.

Group Leader

Luz del Carmen Feliz Peña

Born in the community of Cristobal in 1977. Her parents: Maris Peña and Agustin Feliz Vargas. She currently serves as a teacher and pastor in that community, is the mother of 4 children, 3 boys and 1 female and currently married to Mr. Alexander Matos Caraballo.

Group Leader

Lisa Laboard

She is a woman of God who is a wife and a mother. Her name is the definition of who she is and who she is to continue to be. Lisa means Oath of God/Devoted to God. She is a solemn promise assigned to God. As a child she served in the church as a Stewardess Board. The primary function of this ministry was to serve the Pastor. This was also the assignment of her great-grandmother, grandmother, aunt, and sister.

Now as an adult, she serves others in her role as a Registered Nurse and a servant leader in Above the Call Ministry. She continues to operate in her gift of encouragement and comfort to those He as assigned to her.

Group Leader

Jonnie Ross

Born and raised in South Carolina, married with 3 children, 1 son and 2 daughters. She is now a Grandma and moved to Baltimore in 2003. Received the Lord Jesus Christ at the age of 33. She is in love with Jesus Christ and is thankful to know God wants to use her for his kingdom.

Some of her life stories: She was violated at age 6; at age 12 she tried to overdose with pills as she just didn’t have any love for herself. While looking for love in all the wrong places, she got pregnant at 15. She was feeling embarrassed and ashamed as you can see, God still loved her even though she didn’t know Jesus, and she didn’t love herself.

Blessed to know now God loves her, Jesus healed her heart. He is now trusting in her to lead counsel & be a friend to the lost and brokenhearted. He wants her to show the love of Christ to her sisters, young and older. Yes, God can and will use you no matter what you have done and if you didn’t grow up in church, he can still use you do his work. God only looks at your heart.

She is healed, she has been delivered and she has been set FREE! To GOD be the Glory! God loves her and YOU!

Group Leader

Precious White-Walker

Precious White-Walker is a servant of Above the Call Ministries and is married with one daughter. She gave her life to Christ at a young age, she decided to rededicate her life back to Christ at the age of 22. Ever since then she’s had a hunger to fulfill the call of God in her life. Through so many childhood challenges she has finally found a way to live her life with purpose through this ministry. Precious is dedicated to managing our social media websites, she also enjoys writing poetry to inspire other women. With all of her many gifts and talents she has chosen to use them all to glory of God.

Group Leader

Linda Miles

When I was a child I was abused physically, emotionally, sexually, and mentally. I was angry, violent, insecure and had trust issues. But at age 11 I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. But as the years went on I was operating in fear, rejection, and abandonment, and they became my comfort zone. I was living in a false identity. But God was right there through it all. The spirit of brokenness and desperation led me to surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Now I have joy and peace in my life. Now my pain has become my purpose, for all to see what God has done in my life, I am now serving Above The Call Ministries in administrative services.

Group Leader

Minister LaTanya K. Turner

LaTanya K. Turner is a happily married Ordained Minister with over 12 years of experience. This gifted encourager is the proud mother of two and two bonus adult children. LaTanya is outgoing and a dedicated friend to all. LaTanya truly embodies the scripture John 15:13. LaTanya is very passionate about her faith and love for seeing others set free and delivered according to Isaiah 61:1.

When not serving you can find her curled up with hot cup of cocoa with (marshmallows of course) in Baltimore County, Maryland where she has lived for more than 30 years.

Group Leader

Nina Parson

My name is Nina Parson and I was born in Baltimore, MD. I am married with two daughters and seven grandchildren. I am an Administrative Secretary at Good Samaritan Hospital. I was brought up in church as a kid, not really knowing God, and as a teenager I left home at 16 and my life began spiraling downhill. I was looking for love in all the wrong places and things, trying to fill a void in my heart from feeling rejected, abandoned, and having low self-esteem. Then finally I cried out to God for help. In 1996 I surrendered and gave my life to the Lord and was baptized. I was introduced to Above The Call Ministry in 2016. That’s when God began to walk me down the road of healing my soul which is my mind, will, and my emotions and finally now I am able to start seeing that the things I went through were part of a bigger plan for God to use to help others to be healed, delivered and set free for the glory of God.

Group Leader

Blessing Makinu

Blessing Makinu was born under the name of Makinutewa Cécile Benita on November 24, 1998 in Mbanza-Ngungu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Born in a family of 3 daughters, singer and worshiper, baptized on February 18, 2014 in Kinshasa. Graduated in English and African Culture at ISP Mbanza-Ngungu in 2021. She’s a teacher of English at N’Sona Nkulu College in Mbanza-Ngungu. in 2022, she became the leader of Above the Call Ministry in the Congo.

Group Leader

Afadzi Philomina

Afadzi Philomina is my name. I am a graduate of University of Ghana. I am married with a daughter. I am a pastor at Calvary Glory Chapel where I function as the administrative secretary and the deputy children’s pastor. I strongly believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I also believe strongly in the Great Commission, that just as we have been saved, we should let others know Christ and the freedom with blessings He offers those who surrender to him willingly and fully.

Group Leader

María de los Remedio Ruiz Terrero

Hola mí nombre es María de los Remedio Ruiz Terrero, nací en barahona el 9 de septiembre del año 1993, soy hija de la señora María de los santos terrero y José Mercedes ruiz batista, crecí bajo una familia humilde, la cual me enseñaron cada valor que tiene la vida.

Mi madre María, gracias a Dios me inscribió a la escuela, pude llegar a terminar el bachillerato, el cual me dio las fuerzas para continuar mis estudios en la universidad (uasd), el cual ya estoy en la resta final.

Durante todo este trayecto de mi vida a los 14 años conocí lo más bello que puede tener un ser humano y es conocer a Jesús, a los 14 años acepte a Jesús como mi salvador y asta el día de hoy le sirvo, Jesús ácido lo mejor que a llegado a mi vida, en sus caminos e podido encontrar la felicidad completa, me dio un esposo el cual su nombre es Marcos Matos Cuevas, llevamos 5 años casados , tenemos dos hijos, el primer niño se llama David y el segundo Maykel, mi familia es después de Dios lo más importante que tiene mi vida, amo mis hijos y amo a mi Dios.

Actualmente trabajo en el centro de desarrollo íntegra pan de vida, compasión, el cual trabajo con niños de diferentes edades, amo trabajar con niños ya que allí puedo hablarles del amor de Jesús y enseñarles a los niños que sólo en Jesús está la salvación y está la vida eterna.

Amo hacer la obra de Dios, amo hablarle a la gente del amor de Dios, me gusta mucho cantar, soy una persona alegre y humilde , amo compartir y hablar de la grandeza de Dios y de como me a guiado todos estos años.
Esta biografía sólo es un poco de una pequeña parte de mi vida.

Group Leader

María Reyna Peña Guerrero

Mi nombre es María Reyna Peña Guerrero nací el 17 de Diciembre del 1996, actualmente tengo 26 años, vivo con mis padres, Reyna Guerrero y Raddys Peña en la comunidad de Cristóbal, es un pueblo que pertenece a Republica Dominicana.

Desde que tengo 17 años he estado participando en trabajos comunitarios, como ¨Crecer Contenta¨ que trataba de enseñar a adolescentes a cuidarse y a esperar cada etapa de su desarrollo sin adelantarse a ninguna, entre otras cosas, me gusta poder ser útil y ayudar a personas que lo necesiten, en esta ocasión estoy ayudando con el proyecto Mujeres Guerrera coordinado por Mavis Castillo, el proyecto consiste en ayudar a mujeres más vulnerables.

Con gran entusiasmo y ahínco colaboro con este proyecto para que no solo las mujeres de mi comunidad puedan ser beneficiadas, si no las de todo mundo, ya que es grande la necesidad que hay en cada una de ellas, y es algo tan hermoso poder ver un rostro feliz, es la mayor recompensa que se puede recibir de este ministerio, por lo cual estoy agradecida ser colaboradora de este ministerio.

Contact Us

Contact Pastor Mavis Castillo at 443‑529‑4911 or mavis@abovethecallministries.org or use the form below to send us a message, ask a question, or submit a prayer request.
Contact Us