Faith Moving Forward
Talks from the Anglican Women’s Gathering, April 24, 2021
More than 160 women attended the Annual Gathering of Anglican Women hosted by Christ Church, Mt. Pleasant, April 24, 2021. With the theme” Faith Moving Forward,” keynote speaker, Joanne Ellison, challenged listeners to cast aside troubles of the past and press on in the power of the Holy Spirit, establishing God’s truth, opposing evil, and spreading the love of Christ, assured by His victorious power.
“It is time for the church to wake up, rise up, and grow up in His Word,” said Ellison. “We need to face the music. The church is weary. I see churches are filled with people who are worn out from trying to bring the gospel to a hostile world. We are exhausted in our jobs and relationships. Our hearts, once pumping strong, have flat lined.”
“As the keynote speaker she had all of us sitting on the edge of our seats, listening, and thinking,” said Cathy Strite of St. Paul’s, Conway. “Her message was engaging, uplifting but unlike a typical motivational speaker she called us to action, to shed yesterday’s regrets, drop any baggage, unclutter your life, focus on God and move forward with Jesus at your side while the Holy Spirit guides you…
“The icing on the cake, was to be reminded of the strength and faith of women in the Bible, such as the women who stayed with Jesus to His death, the women who were the first to come to the tomb and the first to see Jesus resurrected. Women of faith can serve God and live in this ridiculously busy time and make change happen.”
Download the discussion questions which follow Talk 1.
Joanne Ellison on “Faith Moving Forward,” Talk 1
Joanne Ellison on “Faith Moving Forward,” Talk 2
A greeting from Allison Lawrence; and talk from Bishop Mark Lawrence
Godly Hospitality
Talks from the Anglican Women’s Gathering, May 4, 2019
Bishop Mark Lawrence urged the women of the Diocese to look to Jesus for both an example of hospitality and for the ability to be hospitable at the annual gathering of Anglican Women held at St. Paul’s Church in Summerville, May 4.
“Jesus was the embodiment of God’s hospitable nature in both his teaching and life,” he said.
He pointed out how different our world of today is from the world of Scripture. “We protect ourselves from strangers,” he said. “Hide your money, lock your door, chain your bike.” He told how we, as a culture, have become suspicious of those who look different or speak another language… but God “invites them all to the party. He welcomes them!” he said.
Calling hospitality both a spiritual gift and a cultivated virtue the Bishop said coming into a relationship with Christ is what enables us to be hospitable. He reminded us that we cannot be people who practice hospitality until we have experienced the hospitality of God toward us – the blind, deaf, and needy. “You can’t give what you don’t have,” he said. The two talks, one on God’s hospitality toward us and the other our hospitality toward others are available below.
Entrusting Your Heart to God
Talks from Anglican Women’s Gathering, April 21, 2018
Bishop Mark Lawrence urged the women of the Diocese to entrust their hearts to God in his talks at the annual diocesan women’s gathering held at St. Paul’s Church in Summerville, April 21, 2018.
In his first talk Bishop Lawrence spoke about the woundedness of the human heart and the importance of our entrusting our hearts to God.
In talk two Bishop Lawrence spoke how the entrusted heart impacts family relationships – parents and children; adults and their parents; spouses, etc.
In his third talk, which was a sermon within a service of Holy Eucharist, Bishop Lawrence urged women to engage their imaginations to picture what awaits us in heaven.