Report:
2010 Women’s Day
Guest Editorial:
Sonja Chloupek
“And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
To our amazing God be all the glory for the incredible victory given to us at our annual Women’s Day!! One hundred and twenty women, from all walks of life, had the privilege of experiencing the love and PEACE of our Almighty God displayed in the lives of some very special Sisters. These women opened wide their hearts to us all through passionate singing, vulnerable sharing and powerful preaching of God’s most Precious Word!
The following are some of the many comments written on the response cards at the close of our event: “Wow, this day was SUPERTASTIC, YOU GO GOD!!” “I learned so much and am so grateful to have been a part of it!” “Awesome job!” “I had a blast!” “Amazing, powerful, impacting and faith building!” “Wonderfully encouraging, love this time with the women!” “This was awesome!” “Thank you for all the warmth and sharing.” “Loved it!” “I can’t wait for the next one; I want to study the Bible!” “I love you guys!” “LIFE CHANGING”, and one our teens wrote; “It was COOL BEANS!” “I want to study the Bible” and my favorite one of all, “I AM GETTING BAPTIZED!!”
With the foot of Camelback Mountain as the backdrop of our meeting place, the tables beautifully set and stacked with the tastiest treats, the stage elegantly decorated and the wonderful Brothers ushering for us, we were ready to love our friends and family as they arrived. Laura Barrett really captured our attention as she sang “No One” by Alicia Keyes. After Susan Bond dedicated the afternoon to God in prayer, we got to enjoy Sandy Lunde’s voice in “A Heart At PEACE”. Music really can stir our souls.
Our fabulous Campus Women’s Leader, Brandyn Speckman, affectionately
introduced the ladies sharing their testimonies. Peace In Relationships is what Judy Morris, my treasured Mother-in-Law, spoke on. She shared how, through her struggles with her own mother, she eventually found PEACE at the cross. She said that obeying God in her role as a wife, learning not to “roll the eyes”, has brought PEACE in her marriage and how dealing with conflict, within the church God’s way, brings a love that surpasses what existed before by far!
Rae Willson’s topic was Peace In My Priorities. She told of how, despite her very best efforts in creating PEACE in her household as a young women, emptiness followed. After mourning the early death of her dear mother, getting divorced and with two little girls and a live-in boyfriend, she finally surrendered to God! She and Chad got married and then were baptized as true disciples over 12 years ago! Sadly, as a Christian, Rae allowed herself to drift from God’s priorities for her and started loving the world’s priorities again. She justified her turmoil with excellent grades and a clean house. Her heart wandered away from God and her husband. She avoided getting the help she needed. God’s grace is so amazing and Rae repented! Today she is such a joy and encouragement to so many women! As for their marriage, she and Chad now enjoy a unity and PEACE like never before!
Brittany Bell, only two months old as a Disciple, bravely shared about
Peace In My Purpose. She spoke humbly of how God has given her a great platform in being Miss Arizona 2010 to give Him the glory, not to serve herself anymore! She now has God’s PEACE about whatever happens as she competes in May for the Miss USA title and beyond. She expressed her gratitude to God and His wonderful Church! She now has PEACE with her purpose, as God has rescued her from her former life of self seeking and given her an eternal mission to share Jesus with as many as possible!
Theresa Broom, an amazing women of God, really preached the Word from the book of Ecclesiastes using our theme, The Missing Peace. Theresa and her awesome husband, Chris, lead the Chicago International Christian Church. She told of her 30 years of being faithful to God bringing her PEACE that fills the void that only a real relationship with Jesus can do. Theresa was humble in sharing her temptations today. My heart was challenged to continue digging into that particular section of God’s Word! Thank you for bringing some great insights! We topped off the night by giving away the center pieces at each table! Many women left desiring a deeper knowledge of how to have a relationship with Jesus along with the connections of women eager to help in any way! THIS WAS OUR ULTIMATE PRAYER!!
We were so honored to hear Chris Broom follow our celebration on Sunday with a message all about really “Getting about God’s Business!” He preached powerfully from the Book of Ezra and showed how Ezra’s radical faith and obedience reaped a true harvest in every sense of the word! He challenged us to “Love what God loves and to hate what God hates!” Reminding us that not only do we need to listen to the Truth, but we must be TEACHING it!! Statistics tell us that, on average, we retain 95% of what we teach versus 10% of what we hear! Wow, do we need to be teaching God’s Word to our friends or what!! It is a salvation issue!!!
To say that God is moving is an understatement! I am so proud of and grateful to every member of God’s family here in Phoenix that put their prayers, creativity, hard work and sacrifice into making this very special weekend happen! Thank you to my wonderful husband Chris, who is my knight in shining armor, for your support, prayers and Godly leadership! You are my hero!
Life is short, and then we get to go to Heaven!!
Love, Sonja Chloupek
