Guidelines for Contributing Writers

1.  Ladies Ministries reserves the right to edit all materials submitted for publication. All materials printed become the property of Ladies Ministries, United Pentecostal Church International, and reserves all reprint rights. 
2. Contributions retained by Ladies Ministries will either be immediately scheduled for publication or held on file for future publication. We will contact you only if we plan to publish your content.
3. The following information must be included: 

• Name of writer
• Address of writer
• E-mail address of writer
• Number of words in manuscript (900 words or less)
• Current photo and brief bio of writer
• Letter of recommendation from the writer’s UPCI credentialed pastor if she (or her spouse) is not a credentialed UPCI minister.

4. Manuscripts should be submitted in upper/lower-case format, never all capital letters. 

5. Manuscripts should be approximately 600-900 words in length to meet our editorial needs. Please submit all manuscripts double-spaced with 1″ margins, preferably in Microsoft Word or Google Docs. 

6. Choose subjects relevant to Christian women—ages 16 and up. Subjects should reflect attributes and attitudes of the Christian woman in an encouraging, uplifting manner. Women are looking to read articles on subjects that are close to their hearts: dealing with real-life issues; testimonies of success, of miracles, of healing (physically and emotionally), and of provision when relying on God; and of biblical instruction for spiritual growth and day-to-day living. 

7. Holiday articles are welcome but need to be submitted six months in advance of the holiday. Emphasize the spiritual rather than the secular meanings of these holidays. Omit references to Christmas trees, Santa Claus, Easter bunnies, etc. 1

8. Here are a few writing hints to keep in mind: 

a. Use active verbs and modern language. 

b. Use anecdotes and illustrations. Show what you mean rather than just telling it. 

c. Do not generalize—be specific.

d. Be consistent in style. 

e. Before writing, make sure you have a good story item. Know where you are taking your reader. 

f. Be sensitive and creative. 

g. Articles must be original—no copied work, AI-generated content, or copyright infringements. 

9. When quoting Scripture, the preference is that all Bible verses be taken from the King James Version. However, occasionally another translation may be used to bring out a specific point. Scripture verses from other translations must be properly attributed. (Note: We do not use the Revised Standard Version or the Amplified Bible. Paraphrases such as The Message, Living Bible, and Good News for Modern Man may be used if they are identified as paraphrases.) Enclose a direct quote of Scripture in quotation marks. Follow Scripture with the place it is found in the Bible in parenthesis. The period should follow the parenthesis, i.e. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). 

10. Generally, we follow the rules of good grammar concerning capitalization. However, we have our own style of capitalizing biblical and religious terms. When using biblical names, we follow the spelling as given in the Cambridge King James Version of the Bible. With regard to synonyms for God, we capitalize such terms as Shepherd, Guide, Friend, and Creator. 

11. We request that a contributing writer be a subscriber to Reflections. You can join the Reflections community at https://reflectionsupci.com/membership-join/subscribe/.

Note: We do not offer payment for submissions. However, we send the author five complimentary copies of the issue in which a work is published.