1951 – 2025
The Lydia Project was the inspiration of our founder, Sheila Johnson. For many years, she dreamed of creating a sewing ministry rooted in community and inspired by the biblical teachings of Lydia.
In 2017, that dream became reality. During a meeting with a clergy member, she was unexpectedly asked to lead a sewing group at the church. What makes this moment so special is that she had never shared this dream with anyone. Yet there it was — the very vision she had carried in her heart — placed gently into her hands.
It was not coincidence. It was divine alignment.
It was Sheila — believing, visualizing, and trusting that when you show up in faith, beautiful things unfold.
Since its beginning, The Lydia Project has graduated more than 120 women, each one a testament to Sheila’s vision. In 2025, that vision expanded beyond our community and became an international ministry.
Today, we are traveling to Belize, sharing the message that when women lift one another up, lives change — and that is the kind of change the world is longing for.
Sheila Johnson’s legacy lives on in the countless women whose lives have been changed through The Lydia Project. We were blessed to call her our leader, and we carry her vision forward with grateful hearts — missing her every day, but inspired always by the light she left behind.
The Lydia Project 