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Purple gift bags tied to helium-filled balloons served as centrepieces at the tables where 460 women of all ages ate the noon meal on Saturday, April 25. A small pink gift bag, filled with chocolates and jelly beans and labelled with the theme verse John 12:26, was at each place setting. The occasion was the tenth annual B.C. MB Women's Conference, held at Central Heights MB Church in Abbotsford, B.C. Gift bags and balloons were also on all brochures, name tags and other decor to illustrate this year's theme, "Celebrate Life--Live to Serve".
Jean Barsness, currently serving in Kansas City, Missouri after 23 years at Briercrest Bible College in Caronport, Sask., took up the theme. In the morning, she spoke on "Celebrating the One who said `I am the Life' ". The 500 ~women listened intently as she explained the seemingly inside-out verse, "Whoever serves Me must follow Me" (John 12:26). She said that serving Christ sometimes gets in the way of following Him. Following Christ means:
* hard work and spiritual discipline
* tucking in close behind Jesus and following Him
* getting to know Him by studying the Bible
In the late afternoon session, Jean presented her second message, "Celebrating the One who empowers", based on II Corinthians 4:7: "This . . . power is from God and not from us." She said, "Jesus served in the routine of daily life" and urged the women to do the same, using a five-point outline:
* Serve whole-heartedly.
* Serve in His strength. "If we get over-tired or way behind, maybe we have put far more on our `to do' list than the Lord wanted us to do." She quoted a writer who said, "Some will arrive in heaven out of breath and empty-handed."
* Serve with the gifts He has given, and do not covet each other's gifts.
* Serving might mean relinquishing your rights--to your own home, to retirement, to your children. She gave a poignant example of having to relinquish her right to choose where her son would serve the Lord (he was called to Mongolia).
* Serve with His return in mind. Fittingly, Charmaine Voth concluded the afternoon with the song, "It will have been worth it all some day".
The plenary sessions were chaired by Lovella Guggenheimer of East Aldergrove MB Church, assisted by Kathy Neufeld of Bakerview MB Church. Renee and her team from Northview Community Church led in worship. Other music was provided by soloist Charmaine Voth and pianist Carol Peters. Kimberley Janzen could be heard in concert during the workshop sessions.
As in other years, there was a choice of many workshops, addressing such topics as "Intimacy with God", "Reaching our Indo-Canadian neighbours" and "Juggling the responsibilities of aging parents". These were offered twice during the day, making it possible for participants to attend two workshops.
Since this was the tenth conference, the three women who first had a vision for the B.C. MB Women's Conference were honoured: Joan Pauls, Betty Fast and Louise Willms.
Each year, the conference features a missions project. This year, the women chose to support the Evangelical Medical Aid Society, which helps the evangelical church of Romania train nurses for clinics in smaller centres where no medical aid is currently available. The presentation made by Kathy Neufeld was well received, and a total of $6,850 will be sent to the Society as a result of this offering.
Next year's conference will be held April 24, 1999 at Willingdon Church in Burnaby, B.C., with Dee Brestin, author of The Friendship of Women and other books, as the speaker. -- Selma Hooge
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