Baptist Women in ministry...
is not an oxymoron.

Christ calls ALL people to minister in the world -- clergy and layperson, male and female.

She said she wished to be a shrub
And sit in silence, lost, obscure
In some dim woods where no one ever comes
And she could muse and watch the quiet winds go by.

But God, who long ago observed a brambled bush,
Looked at her once among the ferns.
God looked but once: the winds became a storm,
And now she burns, she burns!

"Vocation"
--Ruth de Meneze

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God's Call, The World's Cry, My Answer

Saturday, March 31, 2007, Oklahoma Women In Baptist Life's annual event was held at First Baptist Church, Shawnee, Oklahoma .  Emcee was Dayna Avery, former missionary and daughter of Dorothy and Darryl DeBorde of Braden Park Baptist Church in Tulsa. The keynote speaker for the event was Colleen Burroughs of Passport, Inc., who also filled the pulpit at First Baptist Church, Oklahoma City the following day. 

Besides hearing from Dayna and Colleen, there were several segments presented throughout the event where different women from around the state told personal life stories when they had responded to God's call in their life.  The women who graced us with their stories were Rubye Scull, Deniese Dillon, First Lady Kim Henry, Marianna Rhea, Karrie Oertli, Jeannie Spear, Bunny Edwards, Kathie Thomas, Darlene Hobbs and Sistie Givens.  

Musical entertainment was provided by Digby's Belles and Max Lyall.  April Coates was the 2007 WIBL scholarship recipient.  April graduated from OSU this spring and will be attending Duke Divinity School in the fall.

Article contributed by Beth Davidson

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Photo Gallery

Faith Made Visible, theme of the fourth annual Oklahoma Women in Baptist Life Conference held March 5th and 6th, 2004, at the First Baptist Church in Oklahoma City included participants from New Jersey, Alabama and Oklahoma.  Women and men from across the state gathered to worship, learn and share.  They came for an opportunity to explore the relationship between the arts, spirituality, and worship.

The Reverend Terry Thomas Primer shared how a person's faith can be made visible through, among other things, the arts.  As she displayed a variety of quilts she has crafted, Thomas Primer shared how each of these came to be designed during different parts of her spiritual journey.  Each quilt had a scripture reference and a "story" to tell.

During the conference, break out sessions on a variety of topics from "Sharing Your Story" to "Women and the Bible" to "Missions Involvement" were led by the Reverend Karrie Oertli, Suzannah Raffield, Taprina Milburn, Donna Antosh, Dr. Bonnie Gerard, Dr. Mack Roark and Kathie Thomas.  Worship Saturday morning was coordinated by Mary Kay Parrish and included talented artists who expressed their faith through their musical abilities.  In addition to Mary Kay, those sharing were Marie Davis, Dr. Bob Searl, Dr. Ron Davis, Dara Evans, Jan Collins and a women's ensemble from Shawnee.

As a part of the weekend conference, women from Oklahoma displayed a variety of art expressions that encouraged and inspired those in attendance.  A $1500 Women in Baptist Life Scholarship was awarded to OBU graduate Jenell Morrow who is pursuing a Master of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary in California.  Officers for 2004-2005 were elected and March 4-5, 2005, was set as next year's conference date.

Before the close of the conference, the Board announced that Julie Pennington Russell, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Waco, TX, would be the keynote speaker in 2005.  The Oklahoma Women in Baptist Life Conference is supported by registration fees, gifts from attendees and a gift from the Cooperating Baptist Fellowship of Oklahoma.

Article contributed by Debbie McDaniel