Vale Moyra Dale

Dear friends,

We are very sad to share the news of the death of our dear colleague and sister in Christ, Isabel Moyra Dale. Isabel’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ during her illness has been a shining beacon of hope to all those who have journeyed alongside her for the last six years. For those who pray, please remember her husband Lauren and children Tarek and Miriam.

Isabel and her family served in the Middle East for over two decades. During those years, Isabel completed two unique ethnographic research projects exploring the lives and experiences of Muslim women. Her outstanding scholarship in the area of Women in Islam was rooted in the deep and trusting relationships that she built. The fruit of her work has been seen not only in the academic journal articles and books that she has published, but especially in the lives of those she taught and mentored.

Isabel cofounded the When Women Speak network. Her vision for what it could be, her passionate commitment to making resource and mentorship available to all who shared life with Muslim women, and her love of journeying with others has shaped so much of what WWS has become. Conversations with her always enriched our lives. She was the quintessential practitioner scholar, showing the way so others could embrace both.

Isabel played an important role in the establishment of the Angelina Noble Centre.

Lauren and Isabel returned to Melbourne in 2007 and joined the staff team at CMS’s training college, St Andrew’s Hall. Isabel has equipped a generation of gospel workers to love and appreciate the people and cultures in which they serve.

Isabel combined her incisive intelligence and passionate communication with a deep love for the Lord Jesus and those she taught. She poured out her life to equip many women to serve in gospel ministry around the world, especially in Islamic contexts. The Angelina Noble Centre, When Women Speak and CMS have been especially blessed by Isabel’s ministry; she also taught extensively at SMBC, MST and Ridley College, as well as at Columbia International University in the US.

We give great thanks to God for Isabel’s life, confident that she is now with her Father in heaven.