Article By: Suzanne Holsomback

On March 31, 2008, George W. Truett Theological Seminary will host the Baptist General Convention of Texas' second semi-annual Women in Ministry Conference. The conference is open to all men and women, students and life-long learners, ministers and anyone interested in learning more about women in ministry. Through general sessions and breakout meetings, attendees will have the opportunity to encourage, support, and connect with women with a vocational call to ministry. The events will also provide a venue for both women and men to learn about ministering alongside one another.

On the evening of Sunday, March 30th, three female Truett students will preach and lead worship in a pre-conference worship service. The conference attendees and the community are welcome to gather for this worship service from 7:00-9:00 pm in the Paul W. Powell Chapel at Truett.

Monday morning begins with arrival and registration at Truett from 9:00-9:25 am. At 9:30am, General Session #1 initiates the day's activities with a Women in Ministry panel consisting of five women actively involved in ministry. The diversity of ages, ethnicities, and ministries will provide an exciting and broad view of what ministry looks like for women in Baptist life. Following a short break, General Session #2 will feature Susan Pigott from Logsdon School of Theology and Lidija Novakovic from Baylor University discussing the Biblical imperatives for women in ministry.

Following the second General Session there will be a lunch hour with organized conversations concerning different ministries such as chaplaincy, pastorate, para-church organizations, and children's and youth ministry.

At 1:00 pm, Amelia Howard and Sarah Stewart will preach during General Session #3 basing their sermons on the conference theme verse, Acts 2:17, "Your sons and daughters will prophesy...." From 2:00-2:50 pm, the first round of Breakout Sessions will start including sessions on:

• Missions in a Globalizing World - Mike Stroope

• Co-Pastoring - Corey and Kelli Barron-Agricola

• Biblical Basis for Women in the Ministry - Sharyn Dowd

• Moving from formal education to the "real world" - Karen Gilbert

• Chaplaincy/Clinical Pastoral Education - Lee Ann Rathbun

• Being a Single Woman in Ministry - Cathy Dundas

• Leadership Development of Ministers - Levi Price

• How to get your own ministry started - Debbie Rarick

• The value that women staff members bring to the table - George Mason

• Being proactive in opening doors for women in ministry - Tom Ogburn

After the Breakout Sessions are finished, the conference attendees have the opportunity to participate in Dr. Pepper Hour, a Baylor tradition including Dr Pepper floats and fellowship. At 3:30 pm, the second round of Breakout Sessions will begin. The same sessions will be offered during this hour. The full day of events will conclude with the last General Session from 4:30-5:30 pm, in which Meredith Stone and Kimcuong Tran will preach.

The conference cost including a lunch is $10 (students will receive a t-shirt; non-students can purchase one for $6). For the Women in Ministry homepage and to register online, please click here. The deadline for mail in registration is March 20, and March 24 for online registration.

All events for the pre-conference celebration and conference events will be on Truett Seminary's Baugh-Reynolds campus on the Baylor University campus in Waco, Texas.

Further information or questions can be directed to Julie O'Teter and Royce Rose with the BGCT.

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