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MEET OUR FOUNDER
& EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Crown of Beauty International founder, Sue Corl, was born with a severe cleft palate, without a nose, upper lip, or palate. During the first 15 years of her life, Sue underwent 26 major operations. As a child, she heard lies about her physical appearance and struggled emotionally with her self-worth. In her late twenties, she began the journey of emotional healing as she opened God’s Word and discovered the truths of who she is: fearfully and wonderfully made and an image bearer of God. Her personal story inspired her to begin Crown of Beauty International to help women around the world to experience the same freedom from lies, shame, and strongholds that God provided for her. Sue is an international women’s conference speaker, author, mentor, and Bible teacher, and served 25 years as a missionary in Asia. Her greatest joy is being a wife and mother of two adult children. She has a passion to see women set free by receiving the love of God and living out their potential in the powerful truth of who they are in Christ.
OUR STORY
In the fall of 2004, I felt the Lord impressing upon my heart to write my life’s journey for a women's retreat. This baffled me because no one had asked me to teach or lead a retreat, but it was clear what God was asking me to do. The messages I wrote focused on helping women to identify lies about themselves, God, and their relationship with Him, break spiritual and emotional strongholds, and walk in the truth. I wanted women to find freedom in God’s Word, running to Jesus to have all their longings and desires met.
Immediately after I finished writing the messages, I was invited to speak at a three-day women's retreat. The first night, I felt the Spirit saying, "This is what I want you to do with the second half of your life." I was shocked. Unable to sleep that night, I went to the prayer room where the Lord revealed His heart. He showed me the cries of women worldwide suffering from oppression, abuse, sin, shame, and spiritual bondage. God was calling me to begin something new: a ministry to bind up broken-hearted women in need of His truth (Isaiah 61:1-3). That first conference in 2005 was the beginning of the Beauty for Ashes conferences. Since that day, God has graciously used these global gatherings for women to experience His infinite love for them.
In 2009, the Crown of Beauty Bible study was written to enable more women to learn and discover these truths. The discipleship materials have been used by churches, community groups, and in one-to-one mentoring relationships around the world. Through these studies, women learn their true identity in Christ, building a healthier relationship with God, and living more confidently in the Spirit as they fulfill their Kingdom purposes.
As the women’s ministry continued to spread internationally, More than Conquerors, a men’s conference and discipleship resource, was launched in 2018.
We are excited to see God growing our ministry through conferences, His Heartbeat with Sue Corl Podcast, and online discipleship training courses. God is raising up women and men around the U.S. and the world to teach our conference materials, disciple others, and equip individuals and teams to participate with us on international mission trips. We invite you to join us in this movement of renewal, healing, and freedom.
-Sue Corl, Founder and Executive Director