Photo by Gianna Snell: Southern Union Conference Women's Ministries leaders at CONNECTions convention, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Empower.

CONNECTions with God and others is the theme of women's ministries convention

More than 700 women from the Southern Union come together in unity of praise, prayer, worship, community outreach, and seminars.

North America Division (NAD)

[Tennessee] Once during each five-year period of the election cycle of world church leaders, women look forward to the Southern Union Conference women’s ministries convention. More than 700 women from the churches in the southern region of the United States of America attended the convention, held in Chattanooga, September 6-9, 2018.

The theme, “CONNECTions,” presented many opportunities to pray, sing, praise, and worship the Lord Jesus. Understanding that most busy women need time, space, and inspiration to jumpstart a deeper connection with God, Shirley Scott, women’s ministries director at the Southern Union Conference, said the purpose of the convention was to “facilitate the work of the Holy Spirit in igniting a desire to continue to connect.”

Scott and her team planned the convention activities, seminars, sessions, and proclaiming God’s Word around the theme of connecting to God and to others. The more connected to God we are, the more we want to be connected to others. Connecting with other women was facilitated in the convention hall by the groupings of round tables and chairs. Conversational connections are difficult in the usual rows of chairs individually facing the speaker.

But CONNECTions with others didn’t stop with table bonding; it continued with the desire to reach out to the community. Giana Snell, official event photographer and freelance writer, describes the community CONNECTions:

Friday, hundreds of women participated in God in Shoes and W.I.N.G.S. (Women in God’s Service), which allowed them to connect through community outreach and service. From cooking meals to cuddling abandoned babies to organizing resources for schools, the women spread out through Chattanooga to connect with those in need. (“CONNECTions with God,” Southern Tidings, November 2018, p. 10.)

Read Gianna Snell’s complete story with photos in the Southern Tidings, pp. 8-10.

Published in Mosaic newsletter, 2018 Q4, Fall issue