Women's Ministries Convention 2009

Wow! Two hundred women! They kept registering, calling, emailing, and asking if there was still room in the last week before our Women's Ministries Convention. We planned for 150, but by God's grace 185 ate a delicious catered lunch, and 200 attended the morning business session, listened to Keynote speaker, Teresa Szobody, and attended practical and inspiring workshops in the afternoon. Twenty-one children of the women were cared for and God provided a day warm enough for them to spend time at Hannah Park and the Hillcrest gym as well as playing and creating crafts. What a great day!

THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Teresa Szobody brought us a message on our theme that kept echoing throughout the day: "Enduring Faith." It was straight out of the Word, sprinkled with illustrations from her missionary life in Africa, but speaking right to the heart of women in North America. She began with "Be still and know that I am God." Are we desperate to know Jesus? To know the power of His resurrection? To give Him pleasure?

She shared stories of Abraham - his failings, his faith. He believed God when he left his homeland, but throughout life, he still continued to learn to believe. God didn't rebuke him for his failings. Instead, He used them to build his faith, finally to the point of sacrificing all to the God he trusted.

"How has God called you to sacrifice?" Teresa asked. "To believe when it makes no sense?" She urged us in those situations, "Get to know Jesus!" Through the spoken word and the written word, we can know Jesus and the power of His resurrection - and the fellowship of His sufferings. Sometimes it is essential that we can't see our way out of whatever struggles we are in - so we can see Jesus.

"Jesus completed the race that His followers are now running," Teresa reminded us, "Jesus understands suffering." When we feel rejected or fearful, she said, "Know Him then! He gives hope to meaningless situations. What a loss, if we fight back - we lose the chance to suffer!" We rejoice in sufferings, Romans 1:1-5 tells us, "because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

"God's love is poured into us." But then Teresa asked us, "Did God say, ‘A new commandment I give unto you, that you suffer?' No, but you shall "love the Lord your God with all your heart soul, mind, strength, and your neighbor as yourself.'"

When God's love is poured into us, we are enabled to love others; our neighbors; strangers; our enemies. Teresa talked about the "great ‘shall'" as opposed to the "must" that we often feel. As we have faith in God, He pours His love into us. God is in us. We shall love God. We shall love our neighbor. As we honor our neighbor, we obey God. How do we love ourselves? What is pleasing to the Lord, even when we don't feel like it? Hebrews 10 says, "Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith...hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful..." and "let us encourage one another."

Enduring faith is possible because He is faithful. We can hold on to hope because He has suffered. We are all desperate to know Jesus, so let us encourage each other to cling to Jesus, in faith, hope, and love. Hebrews 10:36 "You have need of endurance so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what He has promised."

THE CONVENTION DAY
Eugenie Lapeube Synzoune was introduced to us by Ruth Vallevik. Her father, Silas Lapeube, attended the Lutheran Brethren Seminary when Eugenie was a child. She has had a radio ministry to children in Africa, and is now pursuing an English degree in the U.S. before returning to her country to teach English there.

Eugenie shared scripture and thoughts from Nehemiah. She boldly challenged us: "We have a calling! What is your part in the family of God?" She described the church as needing to be a magnet, as in Nehemiah's day. "We need to come together and build. No ‘sleeping.' No gossip. The enemy will build his kingdom - but we are daughters of the Heavenly Father - it is time for us to build! Ask God to give us a vision. What is my purpose? Am I ready to obey? The enemy gains territory. But he can't take God from our hearts!" She emphasized that "we have to build together," that all of us are needed as Christ builds his Kingdom, the Church.

Looking at the journey behind us - we viewed Power Point photos of last year's projects completed. We rejoiced in God's provision, through the women of the CLB, to meet and exceed our budget for 2008-09! We praised God in song, led by Suzanne Bowman and a praise team from Victory, Jamestown, North Dakota.

Looking at the journey before us - we re-elected Lori Christopherson as our treasurer. We viewed projects that we will support in 2009-10 (see those projects in the next issue of Faith & Fellowship). We listened to Heather Olson's update of Grace Community, Wesley Chapel, Florida, and prayed for Missions in small groups gathered all over the sanctuary as Alice Spidahl guided us.

Afternoon workshops - Our keynote speaker, Teresa Szobody, was followed by a noon luncheon. After a time for visiting, we were inspired, rejuvenated, challenged, and encouraged through attending a variety of workshops including:

Invitation to the Race - Suzanne Bowman and Janet Kilde
Coaching to Run the Distance - Teresa Szobody
The Long Wait - Joy Mathiesen and Gudrun Boe
Training for the Test - Ruth Christenson
Enduring the Pain - Casey Baardson
Unique Challenge: Special Joy - Ruth Vallevik

If you couldn't make it this year, plan for next year,
Saturday, June 19, 2010!

By Cheryl Olsen

Cheryl Olsen (pictured with her husband Stan) serves as the secretary of Women's Ministries of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. (www.wmclb.com)