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The 74th Annual Conference of the American Baptist Women of Colorado met in June at First Baptist Church, Pueblo. Our Theme was “Women…Destined for God’s Purpose, Yesterday! Today! Tomorrow!”. Women from all over our state gathered to participate in workshops, hear our speaker, Jonna Turek, and enjoy good food and fellowship. The ladies of First Baptist Church in Pueblo did a masterful job of making us all feel welcome and comfortable.
Vignettes about Lula Colwell and Jane Loring Jones took us back to the early days of AB Women. What admirable ladies and good examples these two were with Mrs. Colwell’s mission efforts in Burma and Mrs. Jones’ legacy of scholarships for Christian women. Workshops on Friday afternoon had something for everyone: photography, how to work with PowerPoint, Home Safety for Elder Care, Craft/card-making, and “Chaplain in the Making,” by Air Force 2nd Lt. Jessica Werner.
Karen VanValkenburgh’s report and pictures of her mission trips to Thailand brought us to Today, and the challenges for today’s women missionaries in that country. Tomorrow was illustrated with the entertaining and informative AB Girls video made by AB Girls state chair Debbie Van Ostran. These girls will someday be AB Women. We were honored to have Steve Van Ostran, Executive Minister for the Rocky Mountain Region, give us an update. Steve also told us about a mission trip in the planning stages, a trip to Joplin, Missouri to help victims of the terrible tornado that hit Joplin and the homes of Steve’s and Debbie’s parents.
A duet blending the voices of Jonna Turek and Yvonne Whisenhunt was so lovely that a request was made for it to be repeated the next day. Bev Beard’s special music solo on Saturday morning just made chills go up and down one’s spine; her soprano voice is so beautiful. Adelaide Currier, in full costume, piped us into our Saturday Session and Sunday morning Worship with her bag pipes.
Our leadership workshops also exemplified Today and how AB Women are fulfilling leadership roles in our state. Hopefully, describing what we each do as state board members/committee chairs, answering questions, and discussing our roles will inspire other AB Women in their activities at home and perhaps, as state officers someday.
Our entertainment was presented in the first person by Jane Milne of Pueblo about an orphan riding on the Orphan Trains to find a home in the early years of the 20th century. What a poignant story. The icing on the cake was the Sunday morning service at the Elizabeth Street Pavilion at the Riverwalk in Pueblo. It was a cool and sunny morning as we once again had the privilege of listening to the wisdom of Jonna. We also enjoyed singing together and taking Communion together. God was truly in our midst.
The 2011 Winter Retreat was held at the Franciscan Retreat Center in Colorado Springs.
Our theme was “Serving God with a Happy Heart”. Andrea Waitley shared her heart with us as she led us into a closer understanding of what it means to be a servant: that “Our heart belongs to God”; “Our servant life brings blessings to others”; “Our goal as a servant is the Glory of God”. Andrea’s approach reaches people young and old.
The music Martha Lee Lowe chose led us into each session with our hearts open and ready to hear the message God had prepared for each of us. Kudos to Debbie Van Ostran and the AB GIRLS group she has started at Calvary Baptist Church! The girls are excited about Missions and the outreach they are doing. Visit with Debbie about her approach and how you can encourage an AB GIRLS group at your church. We enjoyed wonderful fellowship, good food and the pleasant surroundings. Some of us enjoyed massages, some played the Krystal Bells and others used their hands to craft butterfly greeting cards with a 3D effect.
Our Retreat was a mountain top experience. See you next year!
The 2012 Winter Retreat will be held at the Franciscan Retreat Center in Colorado Springs February 17-19th. We are excited to present LaRose Karr from FBC Sterling as our speaker/leader. Come prepared to enjoy a very special weekend.
“Break the Chains is continuing as “Break the Chains and Stop the Pain” with a Goal of $250,000 by 2013. Funds will provide grants to projects that seek to end oppression of women and girls, with a focus in 2011 on violence.
Visit http://www.abwmbreakthechains.org/ for the latest information.
We invite all women and men to join us for the AB Women’s Ministries Lunch Friday at the Annual Gathering in October.
Yvonne Whisenhunt
Colorado AB Women’s Ministries President
2010 ABWM Colorado Report
2009 ABWM Colorado Report
2008 ABWM Colorado Report
Providing vision, training, and resources to women and girls in
American Baptist churches.
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