Beauty inside and out
FRANKLIN, TENN. — A colorful stained-glass window backdrop greeted me when I walked into a conference center at Bold Hope: Women of Hope Weekend in this Nashville suburb.
Around the room, sewing machines hummed as women chatted while cutting, sewing and assembling bags, blouses and blankets for impoverished children — a glimpse into what Healing Hands International calls the Dorcas Ministry.
A few weeks later, my voice joined the treble of hundreds of women singing in harmony, worshiping our creator in the George S. Benson Auditorium at Harding University in Searcy, Ark.
Flowering decor surrounded the lectern for the Bloom Women’s Conference centered on the theme “Free to Be Fearless.”
Then in April, I attended the Be1 Experience in Arlington, Texas, where I sat at a round table filled with women from the North Texas area.
There, my newfound friend, Beth Pope, and I swapped stories and discovered all the friends and family we have in common.
Jana Owen speaks to an audience of women.
All these moments are not just vignettes of my travels — they’re also examples of the opportunities women have to spiritually bond.
I experienced all this beauty before any conference even began.
Each of these events had talented, compelling speakers with messages that continue to resonate in my life.
Each provided chances to meet Christian sisters, worship together and create memories.
Each surrounded us with beauty.
Each of these events invited in speakers — women with meaningful stories to tell and lessons to teach.
Programs from various women’s conferences lie on a table.
Women who went through trial by fire and came out praising the Lord.
Women who were in some cases serious, in some cases funny, in all cases devoted to their firm belief in a risen Savior.
What a great opportunity to hear from a woman about what she has learned.
I attended the annual women’s retreat hosted by the ladies of the Tipton Church of Christ in Oklahoma a few years ago. A small farming community, the population is made up of less than 1,000 people.
Yet every year they host a women’s retreat at a nearby camp, inviting women from congregations all around the area.
The number of women who attended amazed me — about 80 each year. The Spirit-filled weekend uplifted me as women openly shared, laughed and sang. We even had time to go on a little hike.
Women gather at the Bold Hope: Women of Hope Weekend keynote in Franklin, Tenn.
I encourage you to join us.
If you’re a woman of any age or station in life, seek out events near enough for you to attend. Support events put on by your congregation.
If you’re a man, encourage the women in your life to attend. Pay the registration fee. Check the tire pressure and the oil in the car. And tell her to have a great weekend.
She will be blessed, and so will you.
And if there aren’t any conferences close to you? Get with a few friends, and put one together. The next year, do it again — you’ll have learned from the experience and will have new ideas and things to build on or improve.
CONNIE PENICK is the advertising director for The Christian Chronicle. She and her husband, Jay, worship with the Memorial Road Church of Christ in Oklahoma City. Contact [email protected].
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