« July 2011 « Southwest Region Conference
God Made Me a Woman, Now What?
Palestine, Tex. » "God Made Me a Woman, Now What?" was the theme of our women's day program at the New Life church. Norman Stiggers, pastor, Debra Woods, women's ministries coordinator, and Vernescia Fuller, youth ministries coordinator, collaborated to make this a dynamic event for young and old. Our guest speaker was Catherine Jackson, who expounded on the Word of God with such articulation, power, and grace that the ladies listened in awe, with tears of joy, worship, and praise, as they were reminded of their value and purpose. We embraced every word that the Holy Spirit, through our sister, shared with us on that day. Catherine Jackson is a pastor's wife, mother, sister, aunt, and a true educator, par excellence, who has committed over 37 years of her life providing Christian education to our children through numerous avenues. She serves as principal at Garland Adventist Academy in Garland, Tex., and is married to Robert Jackson. Jackson's message reflected and testified to her lifelong journey in prayer, study, sacrifice, investment, dedication, love, and faith. She helped us realize that we, too, must continue to hold on to God's unchanging hand and build our hopes on things eternal, realizing that only what we do for Christ will last. We thanked the Lord for the message and His messenger.
The coordinators planned a women's tea fellowship after divine worship service to honor the young ladies of the church. The fellowship hall was decorated nicely, with the tables covered in various pastel colors, and an array of colored tea sets tastefully arranged on each table. Only fine china, crystal, and glass were used to serve our special young ladies as their waiters stood in line to make sure they were served quickly. The selection of food was simple, tasty, attractive, and nutritious. We enjoyed answering questions about the sermon and Bible knowledge (particularly regarding women), receiving gifts, laughing together, and just "loving on, learning from, and appreciating" each other. We discovered that day, in a unique and special way, why we must be "God's women."
