Imagine three thousand Seventh-day Adventist women filling and overflowing the largest ballroom of one of New Orleans' premier hotels. Imagine the excitement as women from all over the world meet and greet old friends. Imagine sharing the joy of fellowship, music, and a spiritual feast with a standingroom-only crowd of enthusiastic Adventist women workers, wives, and lay workers.
If you can imagine what it would be like to participate in such an event, you can share in some of the joy experienced by thousands at the Women for Christ meetings held during the 1985 General Conference session at New Orleans last July.
The messages presented by the speakers at the three women's meetings will be published in future issues of MINISTRY, so this brief article will, serve simply as a report of what happened and the inspiration those of us in attendance gained.
The weeks and months of planning and effort finally came to fruition on Tuesday, July 2, as the start of the first meeting found virtually every one of the three thousand seats in the Regency Ballroom filled. After the song service, led by Charlotte Dennis, Marie Spangler, codirector of Shepherdess International—the organization that planned this meeting—welcomed us. Marie mentioned that two other ladies who are very important to Shepherdess International could not be with us. Both Ellen Bresee and Kay Dower were absent because of illness. After the theme song, written and introduced by Lorraine Hudgins, first lady Elinor Wilson shared greetings in several languages.
Virginia Cason, the only daughter of Elder and Mrs. H.M.S. Richards, Sr., was our first speaker. Her eloquent and persuasive message about Christian growth helped us see that it is our duty to allow the Holy Spirit to work even when growth is painful.
One daily feature everyone enjoyed was the "Oxygen Cocktail," five minutes of exercises set to music. Jeanne Jarnes got us up and stretching, and got our blood circulating in preparation for the rest of the meeting.
Norma Crabtree's presentation, "She Hath Done What She Could," pointed out that the work before us right now is the greatest work we can do. We may, however, by a thoughtless word or a stony silence, unwittingly destroy work that the Holy Spirit has been years in accomplishing.
We were blessed by superb music throughout the meetings. On Wednesday we heard from Del Delker, a steel band from Trinidad, and Sonoko Mimura, a richly talented flutist from Japan. Our speakers for this second day included Wayne Hooper, who shared with us the contributions women made to our new hymnal, Miriam Wood, and Phyllis Bryan Pay tee.
Phyllis challenged us to train our minds, under Christ, to excellence. Almost all of creation has unlimited potential for growth and development. We will have the privilege of continuing to think and learn even in heaven.
On Thursday, the final day of the Women for Christ meetings, the ball room filled up fast. By nine-thirty a hundred or more ladies were standing against the back wall. After a rousing song service led by Gwendolyn Foster, and music from the Pine Tree Academy Bell Choir, Sister Galina Gritshuk, the only woman delegate from the Soviet Union, led us in prayer in her native tongue.
Then Marie Spangler introduced Elder Neal Wilson, our surprise guest for the day. He shared the experience of meeting with a 9-year-old boy named Ross. Ross expressed his pleasure with the session, and in parting, asked if he could have prayer with Elder Wilson!
Nancy Vyhmeister, our next speaker, learned as a child that girls can do many "boy" things. At 12 she was able to give a Bible study, aided by her father. She has conducted several surveys that reveal that women hold many leadership positions in our worldwide church, and she introduced us to three such leaders from different parts of the world.
If being exposed to "accomplishing" is catching, all of us will return to our homes as committed doers. The next four guests, each of whom spoke briefly, both humbled and inspired us. We were humbled as we became aware of how little we have done, but inspired as we realized how much we could do under God's direction.
Gloria Baylon practices an effective ministry to the sick at the Manila Sanitarium and Hospital. Laura Gonzalez, of Trinidad, is a lay preacher who has won nearly two thousand souls to Christ. Juanita Kretschmar developed, and works tirelessly with, the very successful E-Van-gelism program in New York City. Doracy Passes, of Brazil, works with Telepaz, a telephone counseling service that handles as many as 2,500 calls a day.
Our final speaker, Rhona Cooper, told us the story of the Syrophoenician woman—she would have been satisfied with crumbs, but she received so much more. So it is with us. In response to the simple plea, "Lord, help me," the strength of heaven becomes available to us.
We stood together and sang the second stanza of "Rise Up, O Church of God":
Let women all rise up!
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and soul and mind and strength
To serve the King of kings.
In spirit we joined Marie Spangler's prayer of consecration, and then it was over. May God grant that the inspiration of these six hours together may sustain and inspire us in the days ahead.
