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Meet the New Co-Directors of the Head Covering Movement

Jeremy Gardiner, founder of the Head Covering Movement, recently announced that he’s stepping down as Director. In his leadership transition statement, he introduced us – Jessica Roldan and David Phillips – as the new Co-Directors.

We are extremely appreciative to Jeremy for starting the Movement and leading it for all these years. We’re also grateful to him for choosing us to continue leading HCM and for organizing a smooth handoff. His courage in promoting a return to this neglected biblical teaching, against the flow of popular culture, has encouraged, inspired, and challenged us all. And we happily support him in his educational and ministry endeavors.

We are also very grateful to all who have served and are serving alongside us on the HCM Team. Thank you so much for your work – you’re all a vital part of this Movement!

Behind the scenes for the past few months, we have already been working in our new roles. Now we would like to introduce ourselves more fully and share our vision for the future of the Head Covering Movement!

JESSICA: A BIT ABOUT ME

Some of you may have previously “met” me through my YouTube channel Truth at Home, or blog The Heavenly Hearth. In that case, you already know me as an ordinary homeschool mom who talks about head covering and modesty, and shares tips on caring for a large family in a small home on a single income, along with other topics related to biblical womanhood.

I’ve lived in Arizona my whole life and met my husband, Antonio, here nearly twenty years ago after he relocated from Mexico. Now we have nine children and a much greater appreciation for the patience our parents had to employ while raising their own!

I’m fond of long, unhurried walks – especially in Fall while sipping on a steaming mug of flavored coffee – and corresponding with friends I’ve gotten to know through my blog and channel.

JESSICA & HEAD COVERING

Growing up, I heard the cultural argument used to brush aside the practice of head covering. Even as a teen, I didn’t think that explanation made sense, but I went along with it anyway because that seemed the thing to do.

As an adult, I re-engaged with the passage after reading what one lady wrote in her blog about wearing a head covering as a non-denominational Christian. I was intrigued! Several weeks of study later, I felt convinced enough to begin.

That was in the Fall of 2012. It’s now been ten years of head covering alone in our non-denominational church (which is a great church in so many ways), and I feel just as convinced as ever about the relevance of head covering for today – even more so, in fact.

JESSICA & THE HEAD COVERING MOVEMENT

After covering for about one year, I discovered the Head Covering Movement website. Not only was it a huge help to me in continuing my studies, but it was also an invaluable source of encouragement and support.

In 2015, I began helping HCM as one of the Prayer Coordinators. For several years, we published a prayer list every Monday containing personal prayer requests related to head covering and biblical roles.

More recently, I’ve been serving as Testimony Coordinator for HCM. This is a role I’ve enjoyed greatly since it allows me to interact with other head covering women as they share their stories of how they came to believe in head covering. They inspire me just as much as they say the Head Covering Movement has inspired them!

In addition to coordinating testimonies, I’ve also written several articles for the HCM site.

Since accepting my new position as Co-Director, I now put together the monthly newsletter, update the website, continue to coordinate testimonies and write articles, and work together with David in managing the HCM Team, editing articles, and working on strategy for the future.

DAVID: A BIT ABOUT ME

Hello! Thanks for taking the time to get to know us. I grew up in New England and have lived in the Midwest for over 20 years. I’m married to my wife Christina, and we have three young children. We are members of an excellent, Bible-teaching church (for those wondering, the vast majority of ladies do not cover) where we participate in a small group, serve in various capacities, and grow in the Lord. I’ve served in full-time Christian ministry since 2006, and enjoy the outdoors, technology, and writing.

DAVID & HEAD COVERING

It’s easy to picture the Apostle Paul teaching us in Scripture about the Gospel, Christian relationships, and the glory of God. But head covering – and in the New Testament?

I remember how odd these instructions seemed when I first read them in my Bible. Like many Christians today, I was not very familiar with this passage and felt personally unconnected to the practice Paul was describing. While I believed that God’s Word is authoritative in directing Christians how to live, I wasn’t sure how to respond to this direction.

Since the use of head coverings is not a foundational part of Christianity, for a long time I left the passage alone until I could take a closer look at it. In the meantime, I tentatively concluded that the use of head coverings was probably just an ancient cultural practice that God was reinforcing for the church in Corinth. However, if using a head covering was still intended by the Lord for Christian women today, I figured that a lady’s long hair probably qualified as an adequate “cover.”

I eventually devoted some more time to studying this topic. Since the Lord calls the husband to love and lead his wife (Ephesians 5:23), I felt that a small part of fulfilling my role was to gain some clarity about God’s teaching in this passage. I also happened to know a few ladies who wore head coverings in response to this passage, and my interest was further piqued when I realized that Christian men often follow Paul’s instruction to uncover their heads when they pray.

This subject challenged me to study Scripture carefully, learn more about Christian history, look into First-Century culture, read from a very wide variety of Bible teachers and theologians, and consider the relevant Scriptural passages in their original languages. Of course, the primary reason believers should devote time to studying Scripture is to be able to learn from God, grow in their relationship with Him, and obediently follow His direction.

Towards that end, I’ve invested time researching Christian head covering and serving HCM because there is an overall imbalance to correct. Compared to the other biblical symbols & practices, head covering hasn’t received a fair level of attention. There’s been a comparative lack of scholarship within Christian literature, with a similar lack of follow-through in Christian society.

DAVID & THE HEAD COVERING MOVEMENT

While compiling quotes about head covering from Christians throughout history, I connected with Jeremy Gardiner shortly before the Head Covering Movement website first went live. Since then, we’ve spent many hours collaborating on research, re-discovering the history and theology behind a largely forgotten Christian practice.

I’ve enjoyed serving HCM as Senior Editor, lead moderator in the Facebook Group, and writing a few articles. I’ve also published two books about head covering, one of which has been translated into Portuguese and published for use in Brazil, Portugal, and parts of Africa. These books, as well as some additional study material, are available on my small website: CoveredGlory.com.

As a Co-Director now, I oversee our social media, write articles, oversee our editors, reply to emails that people send to HCM, and work together with Jessica in planning and managing HCM.

HISTORY AND VISION

The history of the Head Covering Movement can be condensed into three parts…

  1. Initial launch, growth, and publication of most of the current resources on the website.

  2. The creation of the Head Covering Community Group on Facebook, where thousands have gathered to provide mutual encouragement and edification.

  3. The recent leadership transition from Jeremy to Jessica and David.

As this transition unfolds, we are already excited about the HCM social media growth over the last few months, the resumption of a regular posting schedule for our website articles, and our new Team members.

While grateful for the forward momentum, it’s also worth taking a moment to step back and review the greater vision.

THE CORE MISSION IS STILL NEEDED

In our world today, there is so much gender and role confusion! The head covering symbol visually reminds us of the basic, fundamental truth about our gender and roles our authentic biological selves, our undeniable gender reality (as opposed to a false gender identity based on fantasy). The head covering symbolizes a principle about how men and women were meant to function within the created order, and that principle (if we choose to apply it) can help provide stability in a culture painfully confused and chaotically directionless.

A lot has already been covered on the HCM site related to the topic of head covering. We’d like to enrich those resources with additional research and practical tips. There is also room for expanding our studies about God’s design of male and female roles. Focusing on these practical issues is the logical next step in the progression of HCM; the basic theology has been laid down fairly extensively, so the next focus is application of that theology.

Head covering is far from the most important thing in Scripture, but the message and values it represents are critical in our changing culture. We encourage you to review our published Purpose Statement.

There is an urgent need to clearly and compassionately share with our culture what biblical manhood and womanhood mean, and the practice of head covering can help us do that.

SEND US YOUR THOUGHTS

What topics would you like to see addressed? The Head Covering Movement is intentionally focused on its niche: issues related specifically to head covering. However, topics connected to biblical manhood and womanhood also fall within our mission.

To serve the Movement better, we are looking to add:

  • An FAQ to the website
  • A boutique
  • An expanded range of testimonies (including pastors, head covering companies, and husbands)

We are also hoping to eventually reinstate:

  • The regular re-posting of head covering sermons
  • A monthly roundup of head covering content from around the web
  • Video Q&As
  • Head covering videos with practical tips

And remember: this is a Movement! Movements are made up of more than just one person – or even two. They may begin small but can build momentum as more people catch the vision. 

So as much as the current HCM Team is doing right now (all of which is very valuable and greatly appreciated!), there is more we would be able to offer with a greater number of volunteers. So we want to ask:

Is there a way you can add your voice, your talents, and your passion to this Movement? We invite you to find out by visiting our Join the HCM Team page.   

LET’S STAY CONNECTED

Did something above spark your curiosity? Do you have ideas about where HCM should go? Do you want to join the Team? Connect with us at www.headcoveringmovement.com/contact. Or share your thoughts by writing us directly at [email protected].

Finally, to make sure you don’t miss anything we’d like to encourage you to sign up for the monthly HCM Newsletter (as there’s no guarantee that social media algorithms will show you the newest HCM posts). We send this newsletter out at the end of every month with a recap of what was published in the previous 30 days, and direct links to all the posts.

As we continue to move forward with the exciting vision we have for the Head Covering Movement, we feel privileged to be able to come together with our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world to shine a much-needed light on the Bible’s teaching about head covering and biblical roles.

Thank you so much for joining us!

Jessica Roldan and

David Phillips

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