Reflections from Growing Godly Women
On 1 March 2024, we held our Women's Bible Conference with our speaker, Keri Folmar. Titled "Growing Godly Women", Keri gave 4 talks over 2 sessions to the women who attended. Close to 150 women attended the 2 sessions, and we were also blessed by the presence of women from 10 other churches! A couple of visitors from Nepal and Shanghai also joined us at the conference.
During the talks, Keri encouraged women to delight in and continue digging into Scripture, while exhorting them to keep to the line of Scripture and not to deviate from it. At the night sessions, Keri spoke about God's design for women, and also gave practical ways that women can help other women grow.
It was encouraging to see women gather around God's word, and for Keri to teach faithfully from Scripture. It was also helpful for women to hear from another woman, as Keri was also intentional about showing us how the principles and truths from God's word can be applied and obeyed by women in all walks and seasons of life.
God's word brings joy
Sarah Tan, one of our members and a mother of two, attended the morning session and has this to share:
"How does one delight in God’s word through every season of life? I came to the women’s conference in a busy, frazzled season, where my priorities were the nappies that needed to be changed, the sleep hours that needed to be clocked, and little stomachs that needed to be filled. My daily reading of God’s word tended to be rushed and perfunctory, if it happened at all.
It was comforting - and sobering - to be reminded that though the process of delighting in God’s word might look slightly different in different seasons, our delight is the same. Keri reminded me that
“You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore”
(Psalm 16:11)
Indeed, God’s word is the only place where we can truly find life, joy and pleasure that will last forever. I appreciated how Keri advocated just getting into the habit of reading, and expecting God to speak to us through His word, even if it is while nursing or rocking babies to sleep. There lies the secret to delighting in God’s word through every season -- just doing it, and prayerfully asking for His Spirit to work in us. It was a timely reminder for me."
Reading the word ourselves and with others help us grow
This sentiment was also echoed by Bernie Lui:
"The women's conference was very encouraging and uplifting for my life. Keri Folmar presented reading the with another woman as a way of encouraging more and more women to read the Bible themselves. I wish to be like her to mentor other young women in our church.
What has impacted me most is her advice to read the Bible every day as it is God's breath. The Holy Spirit will enlighten us with God's word and show us how to live with a Christ-like character. This way we can grow and encourage younger women as to how they can walk the life like Christ."
The part we all play in discipling
Sarah Kwek, who joined GBC rather recently, and she found Keri's talk on discipling helpful. She shares:
"As someone who was always intimidated by the "formality" of discipleship, the women's conference helped to break assumptions I had of discipling. Keri helpfully pointed out the key characteristics of what good discipling relationships looked like -- teaching, modelling, encouraging and correcting, with the intention of doing spiritual good to each other. I realised that discipling can take many shapes and forms, built around the key characteristics shared. As a new member at GBC, I look forward to investing in discipling relationships which are of eternal value."
Ladies, if you were at the conference, we hope that you were encouraged and also challenged to love God's word and hold fast to it! If you were not there, why not chat with someone who went -- your spouse, friend, sister, CG mate -- and ask what she learnt.
Let us also continue to pray for fruit to come from this conference! It is our desire that the women in GBC continue to be built up by God's Word and grow to be better readers, students and teachers of God's Word.