Women's Fellowship Program
By Phyllis Maust
The ladies session Friday morning at CMC was a welcome place to be. There was an air of enthusiasm as women visited with other women. There were warm hugs and greetings as friends and family from miles apart met for yet another year of Conference.
The ladies began with heartfelt worship. The music was beautiful in sound and spirit as many female voices joined in song. As we sang "He is Here, Alleluia" I felt as though I was personally inviting Jesus to be in our midst.
Our speaker, Beth Coppage, from Lexington, KY, came to share on the theme "Standing in The Gap". In the forenoon Beth took her text from Genesis 18, and Habakkuk to speak of "The Stirred Heart". Beth used the story of Habakkuk as she challenged us to keep our eyes on God, not circumstances. God is wanting to stir our hearts to pray until prayer is pain, prayer is power, and prayer is praise. God wants us to experience, like Abraham, a vision of who He is and what He wants to do in our lives.
I was personally challenged by the question "Is God enough?" "When we let go of our sin and our unforgiveness, and our disappointment, and Jesus becomes enough, then God can begin to use our lives to stand in the gap for a lost world."
In the afternoon we heard a message on "The Great Commissioned Heart". Beth spoke from Acts 16, using examples of women praying, and how Lydia birthed the first church in Europe in her family room. There is much power in women who have encountered Jesus, and are committed to prayer. Are we willing to be so in tune with God that He can use us to stand in the gap for today's world?
The ladies were also privileged to hear from two of our missionaries. Wanda Embleton from the Middle East, spoke of her struggles as a missionary, but also of God's faithfulness in hard times. Thelma Nisley from Ecuador shared how she learned to let go and let God use her children on the mission field. She has witnessed God at work in the lives of other youth as a result of her children's ministry.
Included in our day was special music and meaningful prayer time. For the women of CMC 1999, Friday was a spiritually rich and fulfilling day.
Originally published in the September 1999 issue of the Brotherhood Beacon. Used by permission.