Last Saturday I had the pleasure of attending Premier Christian Radio'sWoman to Woman conference. The event was completely sold out and expectations were high. I went along with my Christianity hat on, and attempted to live tweet, take notes, listen and respond (insert obvious pun about being a woman and multi-tasking here). I've even collated all the #W2W12 tweets into a story on Storify here, so you can imagine you were there and join in the conversation.
Hosted by Premier's Maria Rodrigues–Toth, the day kicked off with Lara Martin, Noel Robinson and their wonderful band leading the 4300 strong crowd in worship. Something beautiful happens when a group of women come together and engage in worship, and Saturday was no exception.
The first speaker was former-drug taker, Danielle Strickland, now an officer with the Salvation Army. Her talk was funny, engaging and full of truth. Her message focused on Exodus 1, a story which centres on the actions of two Hebrew midwives who 'feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do,' (v17). The message that we are not subject to a spirit of fear, but through God have power to do great things was timely. When Danielle invited those who wanted to be free from a spirit of fear to stand for prayer, almost the whole room stood up.
After a short break (and the inevitable queues for the coffee bar and toilets!) everyone returned ready for another worship session and a talk from J. John. I really enjoy J. John's inimitable style: essentially lots of funny stories held together with a positive message. The whole room erupted in laughter as he exhorted women to be positive, love their husbands and to pray until something happens.
The final speaker was the internationally-renowned Heidi Baker. A passionate and spirit-filled speaker, Heidi's key message centred on abiding in Jesus and reaching unreached people groups around the world. I was struck by her urging that it's not just Africa that has unreached people groups, but that London does too. This felt especially appropriate as the venue (Alexandra Palace) is in Haringey, my home borough and one of the most culturally diverse areas of London.
What followed was a powerful Holy Spirit moment, as women fell on their knees in worship and surrender before God. Heidi continued to minister to women right up until we were told we'd overrun the time slot and the crew were waiting to come in and pack down!
I left the conference feeling inspired, positive and thankful. It'll take some time to fully reflect on the day and all that God was saying through it. If you get the chance to go along to next year's Woman to Woman I would definitely say DO IT!
