VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 11/09/06)-On Friday, June 29, at Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington DC, American Baptist women from across the country and Puerto Rico will be gathering for an inspirational day of worship, praise, and challenge. "It Starts at the Edge", based upon Joshua 1:9, Philippians 4:13, and Matthew 14:26-29, will encourage women to take courageous steps forward in their faith and in their ministries. Related to the 2007-2009 program theme of AB Women's Ministries "Come to the Edge", the Women's Day theme reminds women that their true faith begins at the edge of what they currently know, where they are comfortable and secure. "Women's Day will be a time of celebration, challenge, and commitment," says coordinator Jeanne Banyacski. "We will hear and share the Good News of God's love. We want to challenge women to be a positive voice in what can often be a negative world; and we will lift up our unity in Christ."
Women's Day will feature Bible study led by Dr. Molly Marshall, president of Central Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Kansas; guest speaker American Baptist home missionary Rev. Lisa Harris, executive director of the Bethel Neighborhood Center in Kansas City, Kansas; and guest speaker International Ministries global consultant Rev. Lauran Bethell, 2005 recipient of the Baptist World Alliance's Human Rights Award. Rev. Harris will address the three-year Children in Poverty mission study theme adopted by National Ministries and AB Women's Ministries; Rev. Bethell will highlight AB Women's Ministries' 2007-2009 "Break the Chains: Slavery in the 21 st Century" project on sexual trafficking, a national project with global impact.
"The announcement of these Women's Day speakers is in itself a foretaste of a fabulous event planned for American Baptist women," says Virginia Holmstrom, executive director of American Baptist Women's Ministries. "Women's Day promises to be the launching point for some major emphases in AB Women's Ministries. We extend a warm invitation to all American Baptist women. We are anxious to greet women from the D.C. Baptist Convention churches, and we welcome other Baptist sisters from the D.C. area as well."
Women's Day tickets may be ordered for $25 on the Meal/Event Order Form found in the Biennial registration materials. Visit American Baptist Women's Ministries' website at www.abwministries.org for more information about Women's Day and other AB Women's Ministries national events in 2007.
Andrew C. Jayne American Baptist Churches, USA Mission Resource Development http://www.abc-usa.org/