We all know that women are social. We also know that some of our most fulfilling and supportive relationships are built around studying God’s word together. We meet, learn, share, and pray. Over time, we get comfortable living in true biblical community together. Then, we find we can’t live without it.
We learn from each other, generation to generation. We laugh and cry together, bearing each other’s burdens. Our church, Biltmore Baptist Church in Arden, North Carolina, is one church on five locations. So we have women spread over three counties, meeting and studying together each week.
Our Women’s ministry director, Kelly Williams, does an amazing job of planning studies and coordinating opportunities for us to fellowship and serve at our local level. But once a year, she plans an event for us to all converge on one campus and includes our entire community.
But this year was special! The Abundance Conference came to our little city! This event featured authors and speakers we have studied and fallen in love with. We had an opportunity to hear from Lisa Harper, Lysa Terkheurst, Annie Downs, and more. We also got to be led in worship by Christy Nockels and Natalie Grant. So, Kelly decided that instead of producing an event ourselves, we would all just go to Abundance together!
We will never be the same. We had around 500 women from each of our campuses join together to experience this two-day event. They brought friends and family. As I walked through the arena, I saw little pockets of our women sitting together, singing, and receiving the Word. I saw women huddled in groups for prayer, and shopping at the expo and bookstore in the lobby.
I have heard from several women who said God spoke loud and clear. I have heard about ladies who were able to pray with friends to receive Christ as Savior. Our women’s ministry will be blessed and enriched from this time of unifying, refining, and refreshing. Our community will be blessed and the many other churches enriched as well.
It was so nice to all be able to attend this conference together but not have to plan or produce it this year. It was truly just one of those “sit and soak” kind of weekends for those who lead and serve all the time. I thank God and I am grateful to Lifeway Women for providing this opportunity to disciple women and focus our church’s gaze once more on the abundant love, grace, power, and freedom in Jesus.
If you would like to experience the life-changing Abundance weekend with your church, friends, and community, it’s not too late! There are two more Abundance Events in 2016. Find out all details and how to register here. We’d love to see you there!
Lori Frank is the wife of Dr. Bruce Frank, senior pastor of Biltmore Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina. She teaches a weekly women’s Bible study at her church and frequently speaks for conferences and women’s events. She acted as City Coordinator for the Lifeway Women’s Abundance conference in March of 2016 and will be the president of the SBC Pastors’ Wives Luncheon in Phoenix in 2017. Lori’s approach to examining and applying God’s word is practical, personal, refreshing, and engaging. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, reading, lunching with friends and spending time having fun with her husband of 26years and their daughter-in-law and two grown sons.
