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MANSFIELD—Rebecca Carrell, a longtime radio broadcaster, author, and podcaster, unapologetically called for women to stand firm by digging deep and immersing themselves in God’s Word at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s She Stands conference held April 22-23 at First Baptist Church of Mansfield.
This She Stands conference—the second of four scheduled for 2022—was marked by Carrell’s message to be a joyful follower of Jesus, a team of dedicated staff who are passionate about equipping women’s ministry leaders, and a group of women of all ages who not only attended, but who warmly fellowshipped and worshipped with one another and were challenged to grow in their service to Christ in all contexts.
The conference included a bilingual worship service in English and Spanish on Friday night, and a Spanish track was offered simultaneously to the English track on Saturday, when breakout sessions were held throughout the morning and into the early afternoon. Through those messages, conference attendees were called to rise up above their circumstances, taking courage to minister to other women; and to rise up to be equipped, inspired, and empowered to the task of reaching women through evangelism, inviting women to use their gifts in service of the Lord, supporting their local church in its mission and vision, engaging the next generation, and nurturing other women through discipleship.
Many of the women who attended said they found great value in the conference. Sue Pille, women’s ministry director at Hillcrest Baptist Church in Cedar Hill, said the women in her group who attended are planning on getting together soon to share notes on how to implement some of what they learned at the conference. “Every woman in my group was so blessed by the worship and the speakers,” she said.
Another woman, Elizabeth, said she is a team member in her church’s women’s ministry and was excited to hear the information that was conveyed during the spiritual leadership breakout session she attended. “This is what I have been looking for,” she said. “I want to enroll at the seminary and learn more so that I can help lead the women at my church.”
Yet another attendee, Melissa, said she learned strategies to help her better understand and communicate with teenagers. “When we show them by example, they tend to hear and follow,” she said. “We [need to] show more and tell less! And even when they seem busy on their phones, they still hear what we show!” A woman named Sarah, who attended a session about understanding anxiety from a biblical perspective, said, “Getting to the root of anxiety takes time, and Jesus has all the time and patience we need! In Him, there is healing from anxiety.”
Finally, a woman named Nancy said she felt encouraged to take her next step in ministering to women at her church because of some of the information she received at the conference.
“I cannot wait to get back to my women’s group at church,” she said. “Most of them are sitting on their gifts. They need to know how much they are missing and are needed.”
The next She Stands conference is scheduled for August 26-27 at West Conroe Baptist Church.
