"I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)
This was the scripture for the first Salvation Army District Women’s Bible Conference that was held on the 23rd - 26th January 2020.
In 2019 while talking with Mary Vasula, the local CRC pastor, we came up with the idea of having a combined conference with the aim of building up the women in our congregations. As we spoke together we realized that most of our women lacked confidence in themselves and their abilities. Many had grown up with the label of ‘pencil break’ (referring to those whose education has been broken) which is used in a derogatory way. Both Mary and I wanted to encourage our women and give them practical ways of knowing their confidence in Christ.
Our special guests for the weekend were Pastor Norma Cayzer, Turning Point CRC Senior Minister, and Pastor Joan Gordon. These ladies spoke throughout the conference and challenged the ladies to ‘Walk In Confidence’. The opening night was fantastic! The CRC youth opened the event with an amazing dance which incorporated the Solomon Islands flag. It was also where 200 women came together from all the different provinces to hear from the Word of God. Pastor Norma encouraged us to take a look at David and to ‘Press into God’ and that when we have troubles not to place our trust in people but in God.
Friday and Saturday mornings saw most of the campers up at 5:00 am for dawn prayer and then it was onto more teaching from Pastor Norma, Pastor Joan & myself. Topics covered included ‘Letting Go – Joseph’, ‘Intimidation – the Enemy of Confidence’, ‘The Names of the Lord’ and ‘Meditating on the Word of God’. Lunch was provided by The Salvation Army Emergency Services men which everyone enjoyed. After lunch there were electives that the women could attend which included ‘Children’s Ministries’, ‘Leading with Confidence’, ‘The World Needs You’, ‘Literacy’, ‘Reusable Sanitary Kits’, ‘Disaster Preparation’ provided by NDC, as well as the RSIPF representative Elizabeth Tavake providing an elective on ‘Family Violence’, which was one of the most well attended electives. I am aware that some women came forward and told Elizabeth that they were experiencing family violence and were needing help. Each of the campers came away from the electives chatting about what they had learned and how they could apply what they had learned to their everyday lives. This was exciting to hear as this was one of our desires, that women would learn different things that they would then apply.
The night sessions were amazing. The messages were ‘Stepping Up – Esther’ and ‘Being a Woman of Confidence’. After each message a group of ladies from the different churches represented put on items that ranged from dancing, singing and drama. It was fantastic not only to see the women come alive and step up in confidence but also to see the men from churches within Honiara that came to support their wives and daughters at the conference.
On Sunday morning as The Salvation Army Honiara Corps and Gateway CRC Church Henderson came together in worship with the campers, God was glorified. The singing was led by Francis which was God glorifying and extremely energetic with heaps of dancing. Pastor Norma spoke on ‘Rising Up – Deborah’.
Lunch was a ‘Motu’ (this is where food is placed on hot stones and are covered with banana leaves and left to cook) that was provided by the CRC Gateway ladies and youth. This was amazing and over 300 people enjoyed the food and the fellowship together. Yet, this was not the end. Sunday night was amazing. First, we spent time praising God and again hearing from His Word, which is where I challenged the ladies to not give up and reminded them of the Scripture that had been the basis of our weekend — “I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me”. After this it was definitely party time, where each group danced and sang and again the CRC youth and women closed the program with more amazing dancing.
The coming together of women from different parts of the Solomon Islands and from Australia was a true blessing and I am truly blessed to be part of the organizing committee that made this event come to fruition. I want to thank Mary and her team at CRC, Pastor Norma & Pastor Joan and The Salvation Army Emergency Services for their amazing contribution to the weekend.
