UMs join crowd at Women of Faith event

By Julie A. Wiley
Staff Writer
Southwest Texas United Methodist women were among 20,000 participants in San Antonio March 18-20 for the first-ever National Women of Faith Conference.
At least 15 United Methodist congregations had reported signing up women for the three-day event in the Alamodome.
The Rev. Gloria Lear, associate pastor of First UMC, Corpus Christi, traveled with 54 other women to the San Antonio gathering. She described personal testimonies by Women of Faith speakers as “powerful.”
“The stories shared by the women stirred emotions within us,” Lear said. “God touches us during these testimonials because every woman can relate.
“It’s very intense. They share God’s presence in their lives during difficult moments. It’s also a time of renewal and getting recharged.”
Robin Ray, a member of First UMC, Corpus Christi, had attended three regional Women of Faith conferences before.
“This time I felt moved to bring a group of women with me,” Ray said. “We have a group of 54 ladies. It has been a wonderful experience to be here with my mother, sister-in-law and friends from my church and San Antonio.”
Sharon Kurtz, a member of Northern Hills UMC, San Antonio, called the conference “uplifting.”

“I have really enjoyed the spiritually moving music and the soul baring stories of the speakers,” Kurtz said. “We are all different, and yet our experiences and how we help each other through them show us how similar and close we all are.
“This experience is powerful, uplifting and nurturing for the nurturers.”
Max Lucado, pulpit pastor of Oak Hills Church, San Antonio, was the event’s first-ever male speaker. He told women always to depend on their “Shepherd.”
“The Lord is your shepherd, and you need to remember that,” Lucado said. “We live in a changing world with an unchangeable God.
“Your husbands will change. Your children will change, and so will you, but God never will. You need one thing that will never change in your life, and that’s your shepherd. He never changes. He will always love you.”
Women of Faith, founded in 1996, has staged regional conferences across the United States over the past eight years.
The national gathering began as a way to provide hope and encouragement to women in all areas of life, especially those that can wear women down and steal their joy, said Sheila Walsh, a Women of Faith Conference leader.
The organization, based in suburban Dallas, has 27 regional gatherings planned during 2004.
Theme for 2004 events is “Irrepressible Hope.”
The next National Women of Faith Conference is scheduled for Feb. 24-26 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.