How to go:
What: Extreme Makeover: Heart Edition, a two-day women’s conference featuring giveaways, door prizes, manicures, massages and wardrobe makeovers.
When: Friday, Nov. 2, from 7-9 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 3, from 8:30 p.m. to midnight.
Where: Fairhaven Church, Centerville Campus, 637 E. Whipp Road, Centerville
Cost: $20 per person. Register online by Oct. 29 at www.myhaven.org
The heart is the center of our being.
And one local church is making strides to reach out to the center of its congregation: the women.
I had the chance to talk with Pastor David Smith of Fairhaven Church in Cedarville and women’s Bible study teacher Lisa Meiners, founder of Deeper Still women ministries about ministering to women.
“The Philippian church was started by a woman. Women have an important role within the kingdom of God. There’s a need to have many opportunities for Bible studies for women,” Smith said.
Fairhaven wants to help women discover their inner beauty.
“It’s always a heart issue. When a man wakes up, he thinks, ‘Do I have what it takes?’ but when a women wakes up, she wrestles with the thoughts, ‘will anyone notice me?’”
Meiners has been a member of Fairhaven church for 14 years and has been ministering to women for 11 years.
“We wanted to come alongside Meiners and support her vision of heart to inspire and encourage women,” Smith said.
In the beginning of Meiners’ journey within the church, she recalls signing up for too many projects. “It was hard for me to say ‘no’ and what followed were the feelings of being overwhelmed,” she said.
Then the Meiners moved with their two children and baby from New York to Ohio. “I was cautious to get involved too soon. I learned how to say ‘no’ and how to wait. I believe if you need an answer right now, I would say ‘no’ or I would say, ‘give me 24 hours to pray about it.’ Listening for a knock on my heart to act on and setting boundaries became a priority,” Meiners said.
An upcoming event is designed to reach out to the women of the church.
“We are calling this women’s conference ‘An extreme makeover…the heart edition.’ Knowing that the heart is the seat of our emotions, the top three requested talks are ‘What Not to Wear,’ ‘God’s Day Spa and Order My Steps.’”
Friday night will be red carpet night. “What not to wear and what we spiritually should be wearing. Questions to ponder are how do we prepare our hearts and how are we to embrace our natural beauty? The women will become inspired when they learn how holding onto strife and jealousy is not the natural beauty within us is,” Meiners said.
Saturday morning’s first session will be ‘God’s Day Spa’. “We will give the royal spa treatment of how we need to be in His presence as we care for ourselves. We also will talk about how we maintain that beauty of spiritual growth.”
The last session will be ‘Order my Steps.’ “This will be my personal testimony about shoes women wear and why they wear and choose these shoes. We will wear shoes that are worn out just for comfort. How hard it is for us to change.”
Time is the most irreplaceable gift we can give to ourselves.
“Women are so busy. Our prayer is that women will make time for themselves and come with the expectation to become refresh, rejuvenated and treated as being ‘fearfully and wonderfully made, ’” she said.
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