Women unite in thanks, prayer



Pictured at the Godly Women’s Conference at Cowboy Fellowship are, left to right: Pam Hughes, Kelli Hindes, Amy Shearrer, Codi Crouch, Rebekah Haren and Marissa Martinez. Not pictured is Abby Pawelek. MELINDA PRIADKA | COURTESY PHOTOS

Pictured at the Godly Women’s Conference at Cowboy Fellowship are, left to right: Pam Hughes, Kelli Hindes, Amy Shearrer, Codi Crouch, Rebekah Haren and Marissa Martinez. Not pictured is Abby Pawelek. MELINDA PRIADKA | COURTESY PHOTOS

The seventh annual Godly Women’s Conference was held recently on Jan. 24-25, at the Cowboy Fellowship Church in Jourdanton.

The anticipation leading up to it is like adding an extra holiday to the year for the women who attend. Several women were asked how they were feeling as they waited for the conference day to arrive.

Debbie Wright said, “It’s just so amazing to see so many ladies coming together to give thanks and to worship our Heavenly Father.”

Janelle Ramirez stated that she is “Excited to be filled up with God’s Spirit and to feel so much love for God in one room!”

Many of the ladies were counting the days up to the conference.

Bianca Salazar said, “I have been praying in anticipation that I will learn more and become even closer to God and to meet new people and hear their testimonies.”

Since this was the seventh conference, many women were feeling a strong sense of excitement because they knew that the group that was planning it would deliver an inspiring weekend, and that God would be there and do work in willing hearts.

Speaker at the conference was Heidi Reiszner.

Speaker at the conference was Heidi Reiszner.

The conference team headed up by Rebekah Haren and Codi Crouch, did a wonderful job setting up the church with very long, white tablecloth covered tables and arrangements of fresh flowers using the mauve color scheme. Babysitting services were provided by several energetic, lovely young women from the Tender Care Sit ting

Services. Some beautiful antique furniture was provided by Vintage Lace in Pleasanton to set the theme as ladies entered the building. T-shirts with the theme of “Abide In Him” were handed out as ladies who had pre-registered arrived.

The parking lot and security team were available to show ladies where to park and the greeting team was at the door to help them feel welcome and to show them where to check in. The check in system was all by QR code and was very streamlined and efficient. Refreshments were provided by the kitchen ministry team, Sunshine House Coffee and church members as ladies arrived on Friday night and again on Saturday.

Conference attendees join together in prayer.

Conference attendees join together in prayer.

The conference began with an emotional, spirit-filled praise and worship time led by a group called “My Strength and My Song,” from the Dallas/ Fort Worth area. The lead singer is Amanda Chapman and her voice and spirit are so respectful and beautifully filled with the love for God.

The band members were very talented and showed great love for God in their worship. They introduced us to new songs and one they had written themselves called “You Are the Same.” The atmosphere in the room during this time of praise and worship was swollen with the Holy Spirit and lived up to the extreme anticipation that many of the women were expecting from a gathering of this magnitude. God was felt by all in attendance in a special way. There is something very moving that happens when a large group of Christian women worship together.

Then we were treated to the first of three sermons by Mrs. Heidi Reiszner from Opelousas, Louisiana. She and her husband are pastors there of a church called Our Savior’s Church. She spoke on the first eight verses of John Chapter 15. Her opening remark was that she hoped we would gain new understanding of the meaning of these verses and never look at them the same way again. She used her sense of humor and real down to earth personality to speak right to our hearts. She stated that she had been hurt by women growing up and really did not like women. This of course made us all laugh, because she was in a large room filled with women. She gave her life and heart to God and he had a different plan for her and now works in ministry for women. She was an absolute joy to listen to because she is all about giving God the glory in everything she does.

Pictured are event organizers, Rebekah Haren and Codi Crouch. MELINDA PRIADKA | COURTESY PHOTOS

Pictured are event organizers, Rebekah Haren and Codi Crouch. MELINDA PRIADKA | COURTESY PHOTOS

The next morning began with a group of about 20 women circling up to pray over the day and the women who were on their way to the conference. Breakfast was provided by the kitchen ministry team as women arrived for the day.

Above, just some of the crowd at Cowboy Fellowship.

Above, just some of the crowd at Cowboy Fellowship.

“My Strength and My Song” led us in a deep dive into the Spirit to begin the day. These times of worship were what many of the women who attended were so excited about experiencing.

Then Heidi Reiszner spoke for the second time, really digging deeper into what it means to be living in Jesus. She used pictures of vineyards in Northern California, displayed on the large central video screen to help us understand the passage of John fifteen in a clearer way than before. We were encouraged to open our Bibles, underline, take notes and look up verses in different translations to get fresh understanding of God’s word.

The remainder of the day was broken up into two breakout sessions led by several members of Cowboy Fellowship Church. These sessions were held all over the campus in smaller rooms. The topics were the fruits of the Holy Spirit which can be found in Galatians Chapter 5 verse 22. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The presenters shared personal testimonies and other scriptures to go along with their topic. It was very encouraging to be in smaller groups where the love of Jesus was shared in a slightly different way than in the large meeting room.

The final session of the conference centered around another exciting part of the Women Connect ministry at Cowboy Fellowship. All of the mentors and mentees from the Anchor groups were called up to the front of the room and several women shared their personal and collective feelings about the work God is doing through these small groups. These groups of about 12 women, ranging in age from 18 to 70+, meet once a month to walk closely with each other as we strive to glorify God in our daily walks. It is a delightful way to help and be helped in our daily walk with God! Each age group has gifts and strengths to share with the other women. Heidi stressed this in her last sermon and encouraged us to use the gifts we have at every age to Glorify God.

If you feel a tug on your heart next year to attend when you begin seeing the large, neon signs about the conference around town or see the announcements on the internet, we pray that you will step out and join us.

Tasha Meyer stated, “It was an impactful, life altering experience.”

Sabrina Ortiz said, “It was a great experience to be in a room with so many women that love God! It is our heart as a Women’s ministry to offer a place for women to Connect, Grow, and serve God. We desire for everyone to fall in love with Jesus so that He becomes your everything! To God be the Glory!”

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