May 19, 2024
JONESBORO, Ga. — Georgia Baptist Women held their annual Women’s Spring Event at First Baptist Jonesboro on Friday and Saturday, April 26 and 27. More than 650 women were encouraged by inspirational messages, met with missionaries, participated in mission projects, and gathered and interacted with like-minded sisters in Christ to grow in their faith and relationships with each other.
Beth Ann Williams, lead strategist for Georgia Baptist Women, said it is always a special time when women come together: "The energy this year was palpable!” She added, “Women were challenged to prepare their hearts to hear from God and to respond to His call…and they did! Our staff will be following up with over 50 women who indicated they wanted to follow God into vocational ministry, missions involvement, discipleship, leadership and more.”
Women were treated to a slate of inspirational speakers including Chrystal Evans Hurst, the author of She’s Still There and co-author of the best-selling book, Kingdom Woman, with her father Dr. Tony Evans. She told the women how to prepare and position their hearts to hear from God, and reminded them that obedience comes from repetition, saying "Practicing hearing God’s voice starts with doing what’s right in front of you!”
That message resonated with attendee Carmen Eller, who shared that “For me, the takeaway from this conference was that we don't have to have it all figured out and perfectly planned to get started with the mission God has for us. We just need to step out in faith and start somewhere and He will direct us if we need to change course.”
Tamiko Jones, executive director of the Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas, was the Missions Celebration featured speaker. She taught that God has revealed His desire for all people to know Him as Lord and Savior, and that women have a part to play in His plan. Jones told women they have an impact in the various mission fields in their lives and to seek their part in God’s plan, whether it be in their families, their communities, or among an unreached people group.
As part of the weekend’s mission emphasis, the women gathered shower kits for FBC Jonesboro’s homeless and Disaster Relief ministries. Williams reported that nearly 370 shower kits with 15 items each were given. “That’s 5,520 toiletry items that will provide hope and open doors to the gospel,” she said.
Lorna Bius, a Mission Georgia mobilizer, said she is “grateful for the intentional ways churches serve vulnerable neighbors.” She noted that members of Northview Baptist Church of Dallas, Ga., were so eager to be involved that they drove to Jonesboro the day before to deliver shower kits even though they were unable to attend the event itself.
In 2023, Georgia Baptist Women committed to partnering with workers in South Asia to pray specifically for the needs of the people in Bangladesh. On Friday, attendees gathered for a time of directed prayer for the 169 million people of Bangladesh, the majority of whom practice Islam, and for the missionaries called to serve them.
Dr. Natalie Ford of Northeast Georgia Christian Counseling led a panel discussion on the church’s response to mental health. Dr. Joe Durham, Tera Melber and Dr. Lynn Gardner participated.
In between worship and large group sessions, women met with active missionaries, prayed together, shopped and visited various displays, and participated in affinity group discussions. These gatherings, Williams said, “gave women of similar ages and seasons a chance to gather and network. Collegiate women, young women, ministry wives and women in ministry enjoyed learning about resources available to them and building community with other women.”
Williams said the event was intended to be a step along a journey and not a destination. “The purpose of the Spring Event is spiritual inspiration and missional challenge,” she said, “But our prayer is that it doesn’t end there. We work hard to provide practical ways for women to continue growing and serving.“
