Faith Moving Forward
with Joanne Ellison
2021 Anglican Women’s Gathering
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 discussion questions which follow Ellison’s first talk.
Finding Shelter in Times of Uncertainty
with Susan Yates
2020 Retreat Teachings
In October 2020, women from across the Diocese gathered at St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center for the Annual Women’s Conference. By clicking the link below you can access five separate teachings from the gathering.
Three of the teachings are from Susan Yates who was our main speaker at the Conference. Susan taught on “Eight Keys to See Our Almighty God with Greater Clarity.” The eight keys are: 1. Acquire a Proper Understanding of Sin; 2. Learn to Recognize the Enemy; 3. Keep a Heavenly Perspective; 4. Principle of Juxtaposition – Recognize that Spiritual Growth is Different from Natural Growth
5. Determine Your Ultimate Authority; 6. Consider the Perspective of Others; 7. Knowing Who Jesus Is verses Who I Am; 8. Nurture An Attitude of Gratitude
Jayne Gurley offered a workshop on Mentoring, teaching on “The Heart of the Father for Mentoring”), an exegesis of the Book of Ruth.
Bishop Lawrence shared on Psalm 91 (the Psalm of Protection) relating with intrigue how God was a shelter in his family’s life.
You can access all of these teachings by clicking on the link below. (Note if you click the word “Vimeo” at the bottom right of any of the videos you will be able to view them full screen.)
Loving Your Neighbors
With Beth Snyder and Jayne Gurley
2020 Anglican Women’s Gathering
April 2020 – Virtual Annual Gathering – Teachings by Beth Snyder, testimonies from around the diocese and one from Europe focused on “Christian Hospitality.” We were encouraged to be creative with the love of God and reach out, regardless of the restrictions. At this writing this is still a timely approach. Jayne Gurley of St. Phillip’s also spoke on The Heart of Mentoring with scripture, testimonies and having rich experience in this field. Both are well worth a listen.
Loving Your Neighbor Pt 1 with Beth Snyder: In these teachings Beth Snyder shares testimonies from around the diocese and one from Europe focused on “Christian Hospitality.” We were encouraged to be creative with the love of God and reach out, regardless of the restrictions.
Loving Your Neighbor Pt 2with Beth Snyder: In these teachings Beth Snyder shares testimonies from around the diocese and one from Europe focused on “Christian Hospitality.” We were encouraged to be creative with the love of God and reach out, regardless of the restrictions.
Mentoring with Jayne Gurley. In this video author and speaker Jayne Gurley shares suggestions and tips about women mentoring women.
Shifting Landscapes; From Mine to His
The Rev. Martha Horn
In September, 2015, just one month prior to her ordination to the priesthood and three months prior to her death, the Rev. Martha Horn, Chaplain for the Diocesan Women’s Ministries, led a women’s retreat at St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center on the theme “Shifting Landscapes: from mine to His.” She offered this teaching again in November 2015.
The following three videos are of her teaching at St. Christopher.
Questions for Small Group Discussions
Shifting Landscapes Small Group 1
Shifting Landscapes Small Group 2
Teaching 1: Who is Jesus? This teaching focuses on the Nicene Creed and three important Christological events that point to the deity of Christ.
Teaching 2: In Jesus Christ we have incarnational identity. This teaching dives into the Gospels of Matthew and John to answer a foundational question: What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ who is incarnational?
Teaching 3: The sovereignty of God and His Landscapes: This teaching defines the word sovereign and outlines God’s landscape through the book of Job. The Rev. Martha Horn concludes her teachings with a lesson about the authority and power of Jesus Christ in each of us.
Biblical Womanhood: Understanding the “S” Word – Submission
By the Rev. Shay Gaillard, Rector of the Parish Church of Saint Helena, Beaufort
In preparation for presenting and living out our mission statement, we, the council members, had to ask ourselves some tough questions. Perhaps the most challenging question was, “What does Biblical womanhood look like?” We get a glimpse of what the Bible says about womanhood from Titus 2:3-5. We could also read Proverbs 31 and catch a different perspective of Biblical womanhood. For us on the council, the most challenging part of Biblical womanhood came down to one word. The “S” word. Submission. It was fascinating to hear how each member of the council defined submission. No two members had the same definition! Evidently, this little word carries a lot of emotions and feelings. It would certainly be easier to sweep it under the rug and not pay it any attention!
Obviously there are some very important connections between Biblical womanhood and this little word “submission.” The council approached Rev. Shay Gaillard, rector at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Charleston, to see if he could help us, the members of the council, understand the Biblical meaning of submission. Not only did he agree to teach us, but he also let us video each of the four different teachings so we can share them with you!
These teachings are for all Christians, not just women. We are all called to submit to our Lord Jesus Christ. We are all called to live lives of submission. It is so critical for us to understand from a Biblical standpoint what submission means. Fr. Shay’s teachings take us from submission in the Godhead all the way through submission in our relationships.
Please take time to watch and share these videos.
View the helpful handout.
Talk 1: Submission in the Godhead: In the Beginning
Talk 2: Submission in Creation: Imago Dei
Talk 3: Submission in Marriage: In Everything
Talk 4: Submission in Women’s Ministry: God’s Perfect Plan