Phoebe appears once in Paul’s letter to the Romans (16:1), where she is referred to as both a deacon in the church at Cenchreae, near Corinth, and a benefactor of Paul and others.

The fact that Paul commends her to the Roman church at the end of the letter suggests the possibility that she was the messenger, which would speak highly of Paul’s trust in her. There may even have been more to her mission, as Paul commands the Christians in Rome to help her in whatever she needs.

It is unknown what other impact she had in the early church, but she is an example of the many early workers who supported Paul in the spreading of the Gospel, often personally carrying that message across the Empire. We may often think that Paul did it all himself, or at least with the help of only a few of the more prominent individuals such as Luke. But the brief mention of Phoebe gives us an example of the many women and men whose calling was to work faithfully in the background to ensure that the Gospel would spread throughout the world.

Excerpted directly from “Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2022,” p. 388-389.