Covering Testimony: Danica Churchill
Name: Danica Churchill | Age: 32 | Location: Alberta, Canada | Date started covering: 2012
1) Introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi! My name is Danica Churchill, and I am 32 years old. By God’s grace, I became a Christian in November of 2007. I have been married to a wonderful Christian man for almost nine years now, and we have four sweet children together.
2) Where do you attend church? Tell us a little bit about it. Do others practice head covering there?
I attend The Shelter Reformed Presbyterian Church and have been a dedicated member since 2010. The denomination of my church is the RPCNA (Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America). Though head covering is not widely practiced, it is still held to by individuals within some local church bodies. In my church, there are seven other families who practice head covering besides us.
3) What led you to start covering?
When I became a Christian, I was mainly occupied with discovering the basic tenets of the faith, so I didn’t really start looking at head covering until 2012. That year, there was a family that began attending our church who came in with the wife and daughters wearing head coverings. Internally, I immediately scoffed at it, thinking that it was some kind of archaic, strange thing to be doing. After several weeks, my husband was approached by the husband of that family and the topic of head covering came up in their discussion. After we both did some thorough reading and studying of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, we were both convinced that head covering is in fact a command for the New Testament church worldwide.
Among the resources we consulted were two sermon series named Headcoverings in Public Worship by Brian Schwertley that he preached in 2003 and 2006, and a paper written by him as well. We listened to sermons both for and against the practice. Interestingly, the main thing that convinced us was a rival paper produced by Greg Price who claimed that head covering was merely a cultural practice. After observing the weak arguments and inconsistent hermeneutic used to defend his position, we were more convinced than ever that this was certainly not a cultural practice. The biblical practice of head covering for women and uncovering the head for men defies culture and is not a command that we have the liberty to disregard.
4) When do you use your covering?
After wrestling with the Scriptural text, praying to God about it, and seeking counsel from our pastor and other people in the church, we began practicing head covering during public worship. We considered the arguments that people had for women covering full time; however, we saw overwhelming evidence that this practice was within the context of corporate worship only.
5) What kind of reaction did you get from family and friends who knew about your decision to wear a head covering? How did you respond?
Both my husband’s family and mine are not Christian, so the practice of head covering was unfamiliar to them. Our friends and others in the church also did not understand our decision to practice head covering, but my husband and I were determined to obey what we saw God commanding the church to do through the apostle Paul. Thankfully, there was no animosity exhibited towards us by anyone inside or outside the church.
I did feel a bit awkward wearing one for the first time during worship, but my conscience was now informed, and I was bound by what I knew was commanded for me in regards to my decorum in public worship. The matter certainly sparked debate within our local congregation, but it was good and God used it to bring about change in people’s minds regarding the practice. My husband wrote a short paper on the topic, which went through the passage in 1 Cor. 11 verse by verse, and submitted it to our pastor. He became convinced as well, and the next Sunday we saw his wife donning a head covering! Subsequently, several more families began studying the Scripture, and now there are currently eight families, including us, who have embraced the practice in our small congregation.
6) What counsel can you give to women that do not cover out of fear?
I would suggest that they seek God’s will for them in Scripture alone, fearing and loving Him, and not worry about what men or women think. “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10 ESV).
7) Are there any head covering tips you have found useful which you would like to share with other ladies?
One tip I would like to offer other women who practice head covering would be to find something that is functional, which covers the hair and is not distracting to yourself or others. After all, worship is about God and we want His glory to be on display during all parts of the church service.
8) What kind of covering(s) do you use? Where did you get them?
I use a variety of coverings such as infinity scarves, pashmina scarves, a type of veil (pictured), and a regular thin scarf that I tie up if the weather is hot. I got some of my head coverings from Walmart and some others online from a Jewish head covering site, among other places.
9) How did you hear about the Head Covering Movement?
My husband is friends with Jeremy, the founder of the Head Covering Movement. We got involved with the HCM site when it launched and we are thankful for him and the team who are working towards unity among Christians regarding this lost practice.
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