Lincoln Chapel Women
of Faith: Amazing Freedom 2007
by Debbie Snare
After a
busy summer of coordinating family activities: picnics, Bible School, Church
Camp, Boy Scout Camp, swimming and more, a day came in mid-September when it was
Mom's turn to go on a trip! Along with nearly a dozen of my sisters in Christ
from Lincoln Chapel, we had been anticipating the Women of Faith: Amazing
Freedom Conference 2007 since early spring. As summer came to an end, our
excitement grew, until finally, the big day arrived. After loading our luggage
and ourselves aboard the bus, we departed in high spirits, leaving behind the
familiar roads we travel so often, and headed toward Philadelphia, and the
Wachovia Center, where the Conference would be held. Each year, since 1999, the
Women of Faith group has been touring the country, with well-known speakers and
musical performers who bring a Biblical message of hope and inspiration to
thousands of women all across the nation. I had heard so much about this event
from other ladies at Church who had attended in past years, but this was my
first time, and I was very excited.
On Friday night, we enjoyed Praise & Worship, with the Women of Faith
Worship Team, a very talented team of singers, who got everyone up on their
feet, clapping and singing along; the enthusiasm was contagious! The Speaker
Teams were introduced, then we were privileged to listen to the wonderful music
and stories of Nichole Nordeman. I have listened to her music--love it--so many
times on WGRC, my favorite radio station, and it was a real treat to hear her
perform live, weaving her testimony in with her songs. The evening ended with
the extremely funny Patsy Clairmont, a petite little lady who brought huge
laughter from the crowd. She openly shared her own struggles in life, and how
God has transformed her, so that she can now find "grace, freedom, and a sense
of humor in the valleys of life".
We returned to our rooms, tired, but elated from the evening's program and
looking forward to Saturday, which promised to be even more exciting. We were
not disappointed. The music and the singers were amazing. The speakers
were amazing. Are you beginning to see a pattern? It was a truly
amazing weekend. These were great, inspiring speakers who covered subjects
that ran the full range of the human experience, from birth to life to death,
through tragedy and triumph. They offered us Bible study, reminded us that God
has a dream for our lives, and that we can trust Him to lead us moment by
moment, caring for us all of our days. They encouraged us to accept God's
purpose, freedom, grace and love, and shared their own real-life stories of
women who have endured fear, abuse, loss of loved ones, harsh criticism, and
loneliness, but through the grace of God they not only survived these trials,
but have thrived and gone on to do great things to His glory. The
poignant stories were told with an indomitable spirit, and graceful humor woven
throughout. We laughed, we cried, we sang, then we laughed and cried some more.
But mostly, we praised God. There is something absolutely incredible
about being in an arena with six of your best friends and 16,000 other women,
all praising God together. As I looked around me, from the floor to the topmost
seats, women everywhere were singing, cheering, praying, and lifting up their
voices to our Awesome Father God. Women from all walks of life, and
denominations--I noticed some of our Mennonite and Amish sisters mingled in with
the crowd, a friendly reminder from home--and even many women who were not yet
Christians, as I later found out. Something I learned anew at the Conference was
that we are all in this together; as women, we have common struggles, but we are
not isolated in our difficulties. Surely, the same can be said for men; yes, we
are different, but we all struggle in one way or another. Yet none of us is ever
really alone, because God has promised to stay with us, never leaving or
forsaking us.
We returned to our bus, exhausted, yet uplifted. We had been refreshed,
renewed and reminded that God loves us no matter where we are on our
journey...and He is always waiting to welcome us back. But the most important
recurring message of the weekend was simply this: Jesus said, "So, if the Son
sets you free, then you are free indeed!" John 8:36. Jesus Christ's power
is greater than anything on earth, and He is able to
transform our lives in amazing ways.
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Women of Faith Speakers: Patsy Clairmont, Nicole Johnson, Carol Kent, Sheila
Walsh, Anita Renfroe, Nicole Johnson, Sandi Patty, Marilyn Meberg and Luci
Swindoll.
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2,264 women indicated first-time decisions inviting Christ to be their Savior
over the weekend.
and
651 children were sponsored through World Vision during the Conference!
INFINITE GRACE 2008
will be the theme of
next year's Women of Faith Conference.....more details to follow in upcoming
issues of the Newsletter, or check out their website: womenoffaith.com
(submitted by Helen Benfer)
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Special thanks to Helen Benfer for coordinating this trip! And to Nancy Shuck
for being a fabulous tour guide! All of us are unanimous in our agreement that
we enjoyed the Conference and the trip there immensely!!! Thank you to my fellow
travelers: I already knew that I had some wonderful friends at Lincoln Chapel,
but we returned home feeling even closer, more bonded and tightly knit together
as sisters in Christ. We shared lots of laughter, joy, some much-needed tears,
and learned what it means to be "truly free". Thank you also to my anonymous
sponsor.....this trip meant more to me than words can properly express....