Take heart!

Report by Valrie Coles, Tottenham

A GBWA weekend conference is an event where women of all ages meet up and mix together for a time of encouragement and building each other up in their holy faith. We arrived at High Leigh and were thankful to God for safe journeys. As usual, Jen Watkins and Sally Jones, our secretaries, had everything well organised, handling our room keys and helping us to find our rooms.

Welcome and worship

This was led by Pam Porter, our chairman, and she reminded us that we were at the conference to hear God's Word. She read from Psalm 98 and Proverbs 31 and we sang from Praise. Notices were brought to us by Sally, who welcomed us. Barbara Hoppe introduced us to the bookshop from Pratts Bottom and mentioned some new books, including one by Ann Benton entitled Aren't they lovely when they're asleep? Pam then interviewd Elaine Rees, our speaker for the weekend, a Welsh lady who was converted at the age of 17, now living in Liverpool and working for the Dingle Granby Toxteth Education Action Zone.

First session - Martha Syndrome - Luke 10.38 onwards

Elaine challenged us to re-evaluate our priorities. Before we can be like Christ or present him, we need to spend time with him. It is our first duty to sit at his feet and listen to what he says, just as Mary did. Mary had understood that our worship is more important than our service; she had chosen the better thing. Jesus prefers our fellowship more than our service - this does not mean that we stop serving, but that our action springs out of time spent with Christ. Without him we can do nothing (John 15). Elaine also challenged us as to whether we were more concerned with what people thought about our service than what the Lord directs us to do. The danger is that when we are too busy it's our devotional time that suffers. We have to actively choose to spend quality time with Jesus. The Christian life is one of balance, and when we're overworked we need to take time and re-evaluate and prioritise. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after (Psalm 27.4).

Report by Wendy Fearnley, Yateley

It was with a feeling of great anticipation that I awoke on Saturday morning knowing that food, both physical and spiritual was awaiting us. For those of us who responded to our alarm clocks, an early morning prayer meeting was arranged, with the healthy need to provide more chairs. After an appetising breakfast, we were able to amble to the main hall for our first talk of the day from Elaine Rees.

Bruised not broken - Isaiah 42

Elaine very ably conveyed her message from Isaiah 42, that we can all be made into something beautiful. God can do wonders with a broken heart as long as you give him all the pieces. She supported her message with a graphic illustration of a precious teapot which was accidentally smashed into pieces. When all was thought to be lost, the teapot was mended and used as a container for flowers.

Seminars

Time for a well-needed coffee break and biscuits before joining the seminar of your choice. Mine was 'Being a Barnabas' led by Julia Jones. This was an interactive and practical session where we explored different means for encouraging one another and were able to examine ourselves and others for how effective we were. We left the session with a determination to put into place that visit, thank-you card, or phone call to encourage that person.

A very tasty and well presented lunch was served, followed by free time. The weather was not conducive to walking; however, some of us, not to be deterred by the driving rain and donning cagools, headed into town. This cleared our heads and led us into our second seminar. My choice was 'Spotlight on prayer' with Anne Bass. This proved another very practical session when we were able to share the highs and lows of our personal prayer lives. We appreciated the fact that we could share honest thoughts and feelings, again leaving with suggestions to put into practice. This session was followed by an alphabetical group prayer time.

So, on to our next meal, hungrily eaten between animated chatter.

'Come to me' - Matthew 11.25-30

Then our final message for the day. Elaine spoke on the theme 'Come to me', but not before putting us through the humiliation she frequently inflicts on her students - the dreaded Brain Gym! We obviously performed it well enough for her to continue (amidst stifled laughter on her part), knowing she had our undivided attention.

She extracted three points: come, take, learn. Take the yoke and enjoy peace with God because the price of our sins is paid. Learn from his Word; if we trust him more, we will find him more trustworthy. These are active words; if our focus is on Jesus, then his love for us compels us to share the gospel. We rounded off the evening with hot drinks and a time to mull over the gems of truth we had heard, determined to exhibit more of the love of Christ in our journey through this world as we wait our future glorious home.

Report by Iris Dawson, Spring Meadow

The final day

At 8.00 am on Sunday there was a sharp frost outside, but great warmth in the packed room. 'This is the day that the Lord has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it.'

Fervent prayer ascended in Adoration, Consecration, Thanksgiving and Supplication (ACTS). A hearty breakfast followed witht the usual chatter and laughter. In the worship and news hour that followed, we heard about the practical results of last year's challenge 'Reaching out'. One church had advertised 'Come and see' and held two barbeques in the chapel grounds. A village fellowship held a coffeee morning selling Tear Craft, resulting in a packed hall, mostly of non-church folk. A 'Chocolate evening' with an Easter message and an ongoing Mother & Toddler group were other projects. Open prayer time followed and the session closed with a beautifully rendered duet 'There is a green hill'.>/p>

Pressing on - Philippians 3.7-21

Coffee was then followed by Elaine's final talk, 'Pressing on'. Verse 14, 'I press on', was the key verse. It was a pile of good things that had kept Paul out of heaven; we can get wrapped up in things, our reputation, and lose what money can't buy. The best thing he gained was having Christ - not just in his head but also in his heart. He gained a righteousness not his own; it's possible to be respectable but not right with God. Paul gained fellowship with the Lord Jesus each step of the way. He knew he had not yet 'arrived', but he was pressing on, stretched out, as in a race to reach the ribbon. The Christian life is not a spring but a marathon; we need to look at earth from heaven's point of view. It's quite easy to be self-satisfied; maybe we have good Bible knowledge, compared to others not so bad. Like a student with a 52% pass mark, the teacher's comments would be 'could do better'; either we rate ourselves better than we are or worse. Saints who sometimes fall or worms looking for the stars. A 95-year-old lady said, 'I can only pray'; what a vital ministry! In the light of Calvary, it's about time to ask what he would want us to do. Paul said, 'This one thing I do' (verse 13). The successsful church does a few things well, 'forgetting those things that are behind'. We cannot run a race looking backward. Sometimes we are distracted by the success of the past: 'everything went well' or 'it didn't used to be done this way' attitudes that can cripple us now. Verse 20 reminds us that our citizenship is in heaven, we are made for heaven, Jesus is returning - he calls us to come to him and to know His values. His love, care, tender tugging, mean that we are going somewhere together, so that we are not afraid to leave th land of the dying to go to the land of the living.

Over these three days, Elaine's ministry has been powerful, loving, at times humourous with apt illustration, but always Christ-exalting. Sunday lunch followed; oh the sheer luxury of not knowing what was coming and not having to pepare it (or wash up after it).

All too soon we had to depart, but so thankful for a lovely weekend spent in the Master's presence and with each other.

Some photos