 Elders’ wives share a meal. |
DERBYSHIRE, England—The third European ministers’ wives conference took place at the Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire Dec. 12 to 14. Twenty women attended from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands and the United States.
Elders’ wives share a meal. |
On Friday evening, Dec. 14, attendees were welcomed by Nancy Silcox, wife of David Silcox, U.K. national director, who said, “If we expire when we die, shouldn’t we inspire while we live?”
This was our preparation for a conference of inspiration, with speakers such as Curtis May, director of the Office of Reconciliation Ministries, and Gail McDonald, an author, speaker and pastor’s wife for more than 40 years (on tape), but the larger than life personality of the main speaker, Naomi Beard, who served on the pastoral staff of Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California, for more than 20 years, straddled the whole weekend. She reminded us of who we are in Christ and told us to respect the gifts that God has given us so that as leaders we can pass these gifts on to others.
On Saturday, prefacing her talk on “Joy,” Naomi attempted to turn her audience of
 Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire. |
mainly white Anglo-Saxon women into a black gospel choir! She tried to get us to sing with vigor, clap, sway and tap our feet all at the same time. I know women are supposed to be able to do several things at the same time, but this was taking it to new limits.
Still, I am certain her “Song of Joy” will remain with us for many years to come. Naomi’s joy and enthusiasm were infectious, and we left the conference with more joy and confidence than when we arrived.
 Tina Sullivan leads worship. [Photos by Nancy Silcox] |
As usual the women were spoiled with little tokens of appreciation. A special gift honoring the support given the church and their late husbands was also presented to Jean Dougall, widow of Hamish Dougall; and Doreen Macdonald, widow of Douglas Macdonald.
Margaret Rose, wife of David Rose, pastor of the Ipswich church, thanked Jannice May for her vision and foresight in making Connecting and Bonding available to elders’ wives and likened it to “a hammock to swing in on days that are hard.”
It certainly was a time of refreshing and strengthening, a time of making stronger and deeper ties with our sisters in Christ. It was a time of lying down in green pastures, being led beside quiet waters and having our souls restored.
Copyright © Grace Communion International, 2004