By Dana Boutros
On Saturday, August 17th, over 200 women from all three of our campuses gathered together to accept an invitation to seek the Lord! It was our first annual Women's Conference, filled with worship, prayer, teachings, and community, as we celebrated the kick-off of women's Bible studies this fall.
What is God inviting us into?
God is inviting us to feast on his Word so that we can live an abundant life in him and invite others to do the same.
As we studied Isaiah 55, we were challenged to seek the Lord, not just at the conference but daily in our lives. The teachings and breakout sessions covered various topics, such as How To Be A Student of the Bible, Growing in Spiritual Disciplines, and Abiding in Christ. Women desiring a mentorship relationship with an older or younger sister in Christ even had the opportunity to study Titus 2 and consider what these Biblical principles could mean for discipleship relationships within our church. There was a class for every woman in every season; the only challenge was, how do you only pick 2?!
As we grew in our intimacy with God, we were also challenged to seek the Lord by living as his missional ambassadors.We were blessed to share the day with one of our mission partners, Into the Jordan, who shared about their vital work and how they demonstrate the gospel to trafficked & exploited adult women in our community. Many in attendance connected with this ministry and sought to serve with them in the future.
But what does it really look like to seek the Lord with our lives? First, it looks like starting each day in the Word of God and accepting his daily invitation to seek him in all that we do. It also looks like surrender, including the things that we tend to forget about and even the ones we choose not to think about. So often, we opt to surrender the easy stuff, but God wants us to turn all things over to him. In doing so, we are empowered to share the gospel in word and deed, allowing it to bear fruit in our lives.
I left feeling refreshed, enriched, well-watered, and ready to study the book of John alongside other women from the church this fall! This conference was a beautiful expression of God's love, demonstrated by all three congregations gathering together as a family on a mission. We hope and pray that you will join us next year and, in the meantime, consider becoming a part of a women's Bible study this fall at your campus!
