Welcome to Heartlands, the quarterly e-publication for EmpowHer, a network of Tasmanian women growing and encouraging each other in their God-given potential.
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Like many of the Karen and Chin Baptists in Tasmania, navigating childhood in a displacement camp is difficult. It is a place where every aspect of your world is uncertain. From the food you eat to the education you have access to.
Separated from her parents at an early age, Neang lives in a displacement camp in Myanmar with her extended family. As the oldest child, she regularly cares for her younger cousins, but she receives little attention from other adults at home.
An adventurous life (via Tassie!) brings Tracy Valentine to place of leadership for Baptist women in Queensland and even more broadly, across the Pacific. We interviewed her to get to know her a bit before she joins us at the Day of Abundance.
A Life of Moving and Meeting
I was born in Ballarat, Victoria which is a beautiful city known for its grand history, lovely gardens, and plenty of drizzly, cold weather. While I have very fond memories of Ballarat, we moved to King Island when I was quite young, and that’s where I spent my primary school years.
Growing up on windy, rugged, beautiful King Island was a wonderful adventure, and I absolutely loved it. So I’m almost a Tasmanian!
I’ve moved around a lot throughout my life to around thirty different houses over the years. Growing up we lived in Ballarat, King Island, Castlemaine and Bendigo. After I married my husband Glenn, we’ve lived in Canberra, Ballarat, England and now Brisbane. Each place has shaped me in different ways, and I’ve been incredibly blessed by the people I’ve met along the journey.
I love living in Queensland, especially the winters! After growing up in cooler climates, Queensland winters are hard to beat. I also love the beautiful weather, the outdoor lifestyle, and the fact that our family is now settled there. I am not a massive fan of the humidity, but it definitely feels like home.
Clockwise from top left: Tracy with husband, Glen; with other global Presidents at Baptist World Alliance meetings in July 2026; Tracy and Glen with their family; with some of the QB women pastors; Tracy Valentine; with Jenny Baxter and the ABM Women in LeadershipDelegated Body.
Growing in Faith
I was incredibly blessed to grow up in a Christian family, so I’ve never known a day when I didn’t know that God loved me and created me. That’s a gift I never take for granted.
As a teenager, my faith became my own. When I was thirteen, I distinctly remember sensing God drawing me to Himself, and I decided to be baptised. Remarkably, the rest of my family were baptised on the same Sunday as well.
Faith has remained central to my life. There have certainly been seasons when I’ve felt distant from God, but looking back I can see that I was the one who drifted. He never did. His faithfulness has been one of the greatest constants of my life.
Ministry, Leadership and Creativity
A lot of my life revolves around walking alongside women in ministry and leadership and I genuinely love that. Whether it’s supporting women pastors across Queensland or working with the incredible women who lead Baptist Women’s ministries across the Pacific, it’s a privilege to encourage and champion others.
When I need to slow down, I crochet. It quiets my busy mind and gives me a creative outlet that I find incredibly relaxing. While I’m an extravert at heart, I am also a bit of a Nana. I love to crochet with a pot of tea beside me and watch a period drama. My other great love is musical theatre, so it is quite a treat to go out and experience a musical.
My Baptist Life
I’ve been a Baptist pastor for around twenty years, serving in a variety of ministry roles, mostly focusing on families ministry.
My full-time work currently is with Carinity, the care arm of Queensland Baptists, where I oversee chaplaincy across aged care, seniors’ services and disability services. This also involves me working alongside churches to find ways of partnering together to care for the older generation.
For the past five years I’ve served as the Regional Minister for Women Pastors with Queensland Baptists, supporting and advocating for women in ministry and women generally across our state.
Just over a year ago, I began serving as President of Baptist Women of the Pacific, where I work alongside an amazing executive team to support women and women’s ministries across the nine Pacific countries. This has been an unexpected and humbling opportunity.
What Inspires Me
Without question, what excites me most is seeing the extraordinary ways God works in and through his women in a huge variety of contexts. Across Queensland and throughout the Pacific, I meet women serving faithfully, often quietly and sacrificially.
Watching God use their gifts to build His Kingdom is deeply inspiring, and it’s a privilege to encourage and support them.
Challenges and Prayer Needs
Like many people, one of my biggest challenges is simply balancing everything well. There are seasons when I feel overstretched.
As I am regularly involved in advocating for women in a variety of circumstances, I require wisdom, grace and discernment. I’d really value prayer for wisdom, humility, and the ability to always respond with Christ’s love with the boldness that is sometimes needed. *
I’m also incredibly grateful that whenever I’ve felt stretched, God has faithfully brought wonderful people alongside me to help carry the load.
God’s Abundance
What inspires me most about God’s abundance is incredible faithfulness. We can so easily forget how consistently God has cared for us in the past. He is our loving Father who delights to provide what we truly need.
The greatest abundance I’ve experienced is the peace that comes from continually handing my fears and anxieties over to God. I certainly don’t do that perfectly, but every time I remember to surrender them again, God faithfully meets me with peace.
Have I felt a lack? Absolutely. But when I look honestly, it hasn’t been a lack in God’s provision. Instead, it has been a lapse in my remembering God’s faithfulness. I need to remind myself daily that I don’t have to carry every burden. I can entrust them to God, who has never failed me.
The Best Advice I’ve Ever Received
Tracy’s best advice ever received
One of the most helpful things anyone ever said to me was: “It’s not all about you.”
At first that sounds a little confronting, but it’s actually incredibly freeing.
It’s easy to overthink situations, wonder what people think of us, or become consumed by our own worries. But when we deliberately focus on encouraging others, championing others and serving others, we become much healthier people.
I think that’s some of the best advice I’ve ever received. It has helped me live with greater freedom, greater joy, and a much healthier perspective.
Tracy Valentine Regional Minister, Women Pastors Queensland Baptists President, Baptist Women of the Pacific
* Please also pray for Tracy as she prepares to speak at the Day of Abundance.
