Ordinary
People, Extraordinary Faith:
STL Women of Faith to Meet June 17-18, 2005
What
could more than 2.5 million women have in common? Women of Faith! Women of Faith is the nation’s largest
women’s conference and on June 17-18, over 15,000 women will gather in the
Savvis Center in downtown St. Louis for the 2005 St. Louis Women of Faith
conference.
Each
year Women of Faith hosts as many as 30 conferences, selling out arenas all
over the country from The Pond in Anaheim to the Wachovia Center in
Philadelphia. 2005 marks the 10th year
anniversary for the conferences and by the look of things, they’re not slowing
down anytime soon.
“The
first year we hosted conferences in churches,” said Christie Barnes, Executive
Director of Women of Faith. “The very next year we were forced to move to
arenas
because of the overwhelming interest from women all over the country.”
What
is it about Women of Faith conferences that have drawn more than 2.5 million
women together? Perhaps it’s the
community of belonging these women feel when they arrive.
“It’s
a relief to walk into the Women of Faith arena and feel I’m not alone, that
the stress I face on a daily basis, whether it be at work or in the home,
is not uncommon to most women around me,” said Lynda Parker, a Las Vegas Women
of Faith attendee.
Maybe
the reason ladies flock to the conference is to find an escape for the unique
burdens they encounter as women. “Most women feel a lot of pressure, a lot of
demand; they face tremendous loss and pain every day,” said Mary Graham,
president of the conference ministry. “I think many women are tired —
overworked and overcommitted and often overwhelmed. It’s hard for a woman to give up one thing to
pursue another. We think ‘I can do that’
so we take ‘that’ on. Women give, give,
give, but there’s no place to go get nurtured and restored.”
Possibly
it’s the message of real faith and friendship these women hear. Women of Faith
has a team of six core speakers at every conference, most of whom have been
on board since 1996. Just like the hit TV show Friends,
these speakers work as a team seven months of the year, but still remain close
companions during the
off-season. These core speakers: Sheila Walsh, Marilyn Meberg, Patsy Clairmont,
Thelma Wells, Luci Swindoll and Nicole Johnson, bring their message home in
authentic ways, bearing their souls to arenas of women all over the country.
“I
had heard about the conferences for several years and my church usually sent
a large group each year, but I had resisted because I thought it would be
too‘prissy’ for me,” said Marcia Stanley, an attendee from Haverhill, MA.
“Boy was I wrong. The speakers, I learned, were women of grit, integrity,
and edgy humor. Real women I could relate to, not country club types with
no clue about the deep tough stuff of life.”
At
the conference you’ll hear the message of singer/songwriter Sheila Walsh,
a former host of The 700 Club who
speaks openly and candidly about her battle with depression. Marilyn Meberg, though she suffered through
the death of her husband and rape of her daughter, has never detoured from
the ultimate message that a woman can live in the ashes of pain and loss. Although humor is a strong suit now, Patsy Clairmont
shares her testimony of her battle with agoraphobia, exposing the all-too-familiar
fear women feel. Now the president
of her own company, Women of God Ministries,
Thelma Wells brings women through her story of destitution to dignified hope.
Luci Swindoll, a former Mobil Company executive and opera singer who
has visited seven continents, shows women how to add a little adventure in
life. And finally Nicole Johnson, a powerful dramatist, creatively portrays
the daily joys and sorrows of everyday women through her sketches.
Also
appearing at the St. Louis conference will be special guest speakers Nichole
Nordeman and Chonda Pierce. Eight-time Dove Award winning singer, songwriter
and storyteller Nichole Nordeman will share her personal spiritual journey
through music, writing and performing songs that will hit you right where you
live. Chonda Pierce, a Gold selling comedienne known as the “the Queen of Clean”
will be there to serve up a generous portion of comedy with a purpose.
In addition to these two outstanding
speakers/performers the award-winning Christian vocal group Avalon will be on
hand to minister to all through their incredible music.
As
mentioned earlier, the conference will be held in the Savvis Center June 17-18.
Seats are still available. For more information about Women of Faith conferences
or to register, visit womenoffaith.com or call 888-49-FAITH (1-888-493-2484)
today!
Jennie Clay is a nationally published columnist
who writes for Christian publications
